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Today's Senior Class Achievers section honors nearly a thousand seniors and five scholarship winners.

We caught up with four of the 2007 scholarship winners (and his counselor updated us on the fifth) and asked how their past year was. Here's what they had to say:

Samantha Bossert

19; graduated from Catalina Magnet High School; attends Pima Community College.

How was your first year out of high school?

"I'm currently at Pima Community College, and it's been OK.

"There's been a lot of changes in my life. My mother passed away this summer, and she was pretty much the only thing I had. So now I'm self-sufficient. It's been quite the adjustment, but I'm dealing.

"I work at Pima — I'm an administrative assistant for administrative services.

"I want to study sociology, but I haven't had a chance to take a class yet. (My major is) still undecided."

What was the most interesting or fun thing you did?

"I got my first car, a 1999 Malibu. I love it — the freedom of having a car. I can't imagine my life if I had to take the bus."

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

"Definitely the loss of my mother."

What are your plans for next year and the future? How have they changed from last year?

"I don't think they've really changed that much. I took it kind of slow; only two classes each semester. I really want to go to a university. I'm hoping in the fall of 2010, if not sooner.

"I've always wanted to work with kids. There are so many people that have helped me, and I want to give back. I'm thinking maybe an administrative position in a nonprofit organization."

What do you miss most about high school?

"The classroom environment. Both of my classes are only two days a week and they expect you to do so much. I miss the classroom so much. The homework is so much to adjust to."

Heriberto "Eddie" Cadena

19; Graduated from Cholla High Magnet School; attends University of Arizona.

"It was a big learning experience, to say the least. I learned the importance of getting a good teacher. It plays a lot into your learning style.

"I'm majoring in math and pre-med, but I think I want to do chemical engineering. Chemistry ended up being my favorite class."

What was the most interesting or fun thing you did?

"I invested a little bit of money into a really messed-up truck and fixed it and had fun working on it."

"Adapting my study habits and managing my time. They were really different from what I need over here. Basically cramming doesn't work. Sports are out of the question now."

"I might try a different job, maybe an internship to see if that's the job for me."

"There was a lot more free time in high school. I miss sports.

"I like the maturity around here; it's a lot different than high school."

Kayela Fiore

20; graduated from San Manuel High School; attends Central Arizona College in Casa Grande.

"It was different. Nothing would have prepared me for it. I didn't really expect some of the things that happened. I kind of expected the people to be more mature. Academically, I did pretty good.

"I'm working full time and I'm also going to school full time. I'm a cook in a restaurant in Casa Grande."

"I went to California where Disneyland is. They had the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' premiere and I got to meet the celebrities and stuff. I ended up getting all pushed to the front. I saw Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp and some of the producers and actors that were there."

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

"I can't really say I had a challenge. Academically, certain things are more difficult. When it says advanced class, it's really, really advanced.

"Everyone has their own teaching technique, but not everyone has a learning style to fit it."

What are your plans for next year and the future? How have they changed from last year?

"My plans are to transfer to a whole different college (Pima Community College) and start there. Moving is going to be a challenge. I'm getting my associate's in science. That also counts as pre-pharmacy. Then I'm going to go to the UA to become a pharmacist.

"I don't really like the campus over here. It's a really small college."

"I miss the personal connection that you can have with the teachers. They sympathize with you if you're having problems or difficulties. It's not like college, where it's the real world and they really don't care. You get to know people a lot better in high school. There was a lot more personal attention."

Jem Valdillez

19; graduated from Pueblo Magnet High School; attends University of Arizona.

"Very different. I guess that's a given. It was very independent, and there were a lot of responsibilities. There was less stress from others and more stress from yourself.

"I actually just stayed focused on school.

"I just switched my major to media arts from education. But I still want to do education — high school media production."

"It's all interesting, but it's not fun. Being in the union is fun, with people-watching. It's nice to see so many people in the student union eating and doing homework."

"Time management. With assignments, the due dates are spread apart. You've got to learn to do a part of it as time goes on."

"I'm still going to be here at the UA. It doesn't look as if I'm going to be working. I've still got the same long-term goal: to replace the media production teacher at Pueblo High School."

"The teacher connection. I was a very big teacher's pet. It's hard to get close to your professors here because you're just another student."

Nicholas Jose

19; graduated from Baboquivari High School; attended one semester at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan. Currently isn't attending college.

Only one of the five was unable to chat with us about his life over the past year. Jose was "busy helping a friend who just lost his father after losing other relatives recently and his mother several years ago," said his former Baboquivari counselor, Deborah Grunloh.

Jose was in a "severe car accident himself this spring" after attending a semester at Haskell Indian Nations University in the fall.

"Although he is currently not at Haskell, he is planning on returning to a college next fall," Grunloh said in an e-mail.