“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both,” poet Robert Frost wrote. Every Fossil Ridge High School student must choose their future, and about a quarter of graduating seniors in 2024 were considering something other than the traditional four-year college route.

Seniors Sandra Rodriguez, Cory Leventhal and Diego Fitzpatrick each plan on taking different paths, some less traveled. Rodriguez is headed to a technical school for cosmetology. Leventhal plans on taking a gap year, while Fitzpatrick is headed into the military.

Sandra Rodriguez

Cosmetology school was not always Rodriguez’s first choice. 

“I was taking life management class, and I didn’t think too much of what I was gonna do other than work,” Rodriguez said. “But, I started thinking more about what I would personally like.”

Rodriguez cited her Life Management class teacher, Ms. Stewart, as a loose inspiration who sparked her idea for her future. Growing up, Rodriguez wanted to be an artist, but the career lost its allure after research. She wanted something that allowed her to be creative, but provided more opportunities and a stable living. After deciding on cosmetology school, her boyfriend’s mother provided more guidance.

“She’s talked about it with me a bunch about schools, job shadowing, going to her work, and watching her,” Rodriguez said. 

Getting to work with both hair and makeup excites her, as she has already experimented with both extensively in that field. She fell in love with the vibrant colors and the process of hair dyeing. She looks forward to a free and open workplace to explore opportunities and learn.

“I hope I find somewhere where I like to work and where they let me choose what I want to do, have greater freedom, and have good clients,” Rodriguez said.

Cory Leventhal

A love for percussion drove Leventhal to plan a gap year after graduation.  He hopes to go into Drum Corps International. Drum Corps has many levels of participation, but Leventhal himself hopes to go into world class, while not being mutually exclusive with college; it’s the most competitive level for the activity. He wants to use his gap year to explore his talents and prepare for the future ahead.

“College just didn’t really fit in my scope of plans for the future, because as much as I probably could benefit from getting a music degree or going to some fancy music school, I don’t think it’s really necessary for what I want to do, “ Leventhal said. “Ideally, I don’t really ever have to go to college. I can just go into a job, whether that be music composition, like writing for a big band or something, or music performance, becoming like a gigging musician.”

Leventhal has spent countless hours performing, participating in winter percussion, marching band, and various musical ensembles. Within those ensembles, they have won several championships, such as the RMPA Percussion Scholastic Open State Championships 2025 and the CBA Marching Band 5A Championships 2025.

Despite his success, his career choice could be more difficult because he is not choosing to go to college.

“I feel like when it comes to stuff closer to music composition, there will be people who would rather I have a music degree, and since I wouldn’t be going to school to get that, it would make it a little bit harder in those people’s eyes,” he said. 

Regardless of the challenges he may face, Leventhal looks to the future with enthusiasm.

“All my future is gonna be music,” he said. 

Diego Fitzpatrick

Joining the Marines and going to college will be challenging for Fitzpatrick, but he is grateful for what the combination will provide.

“There’s just so many opportunities that will enable me, for example, paying for my college,” Fitzpatrick said. “Also, I get the benefits of being in the military.”

Fitzpatrick is in the delayed deploy program. Once he graduates, he heads to boot camp for 13 weeks. While at boot camp, he hopes to make connections with his peers. However, he anticipates challenges. 

“Getting yelled at to wake up at 4 a.m. in the morning every single day for 13 weeks, but also adapting to new situations, like a new job, or a new place to live in, and with college,” Fitzpatrick said.

After boot camp, he will head home for 10 days. Fitzpatrick credits his father for taking him to air shows that fostered his plan. 

“Something I wish I knew before I joined was specifically what jobs were available with each branch,” Fitzpatrick said, “if you join the Marines, you can be a pilot, and it’s basically guaranteed if you’re smart enough for it.”

Once he is done with his break, he will head to weapons training for a month, before departing to a job dependent school to learn a specialized role. Fitzpatrick looks to be a Communications Intelligence Electromagnetic Warfare Operator.

“So it’s basically just cyber security with fancy words, but I’m excited for that,” he said. “It’s going to  be a lot of fun learning a new job.”

After he completes his schooling, he will start college in spring 2027. While in college, he will return to the Marines for reserves once a month and for two weeks over the summer.

While only four or five seniors in the past two years have reported they were going into the military for the senior exit survey, Fitzpatrick has some advice for future seniors considering his path. 

“Go in with an open mind,” Fitzpatrick said. “Do your own research. Make sure you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into before you go in.”