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Schools

Youth Perspectives: What I'll Miss Most About Pleasanton

Recently graduated high school seniors share the places in Pleasanton they'll miss the most before leaving for college.

Summer is winding down: class schedules are released, dorms and housing assigned, bags packed, and many of my fellow high school graduates are looking forward to a new, exciting experience in college.  

But before we go, I asked my former Amador Valley High School classmates to share the places they'll remember fondly in their hometown Pleasanton.

Whether they're attending a nearby community college, a state school, or, like me, a college on the opposite side of the country, the places recent graduates will miss are uniquely Pleasanton.

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Avani Jariwala, a recent Amador graduate who'll be attending UC Berkeley, said she'll miss Main Street the most.

"I love visiting the froyo [frozen yogurt] shops and Cafe Main with my friends" she says. "They're great spots to catch up at, and the area is gorgeous."

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Many students echoed support for Downtown Pleasanton as their favorite side of their hometown. Frozen Yogurt shops like Yolatea and Yogofina on Main Street and sushi restaurants (Senro Sushi and Sozo were named) have become popular hangouts for young Pleasanton teens.

Other popular haunts include Fiesta Taco on Santa Rita road, a famed retreat for Amador students pre-sporting events (and any other time of the year), Hunan Chef Wong, and Sweet Tomatoes on Hopyard road.

Fellow graduate and Patch contributor Melissa Ott nominates the Arroyo Del Valle Creek that runs past downtown as her favorite part of Pleasanton.

"It's where [my friends and I] are drawn to when we spend time together, even if we haven't seen each other for years," she said. Ott will head to UC Santa Cruz this September.

For me, I moved to Pleasanton from Sacramento roughly eight years ago, and have since become immersed in the community in ways I didn't expect. 

While I'll miss the coffee shops around Pleasanton (Tully's and Starbucks have housed many Mock Trial meetings and Poet Laureate write-ins), In-N-Out burger (which does not exist on the East Coast), and the First Wednesday street fairs, I was surprised to hear that not one of my classmates mentioned the thing I will miss most about Pleasanton-- my high school.

Admittedly, I was as eager as the next kid to end my time in high school and move on to bigger and better things. ("Finally! I can't wait to get out of here!") But as I reflect on what has enriched my life the most, I realized it was the people and organizations at Amador that made my time in Pleasanton fulfilling and meaningful. 

Though I am leaving Pleasanton, I will always have ties to the Amador Valley Marching Band ad Colorguard program, the school newspaper, the Mock Trial, and the Pleasanton literary community that nurtured me into the writer, poet, journalist, and novelist I am.

Being part of so many groups in Pleasanton has kept me from wallowing in a suburban doldrum. Amador Class of '10  William Chen put it best in his Valedictorian speech when he said, "What we cannot accomplish alone we can accomplish as a group…and just as they've empowered me, groups can empower all of us to fulfill our dreams."

So, thank you Pleasanton, for making me a part of something greater.

Vivienne Chen is a graduated senior from Amador Valley High School. She will attend Princeton University this fall. She thanks band director Jonathan Grantham, Pleasanton Poet Laureate Deborah Grossman, and Patch editor Marnette Federis for their guidance and mentorship.

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