When the school year comes to a close, seniors will be shopping for prom, brainstorming senior pranks or gearing up for graduation, but not senior Makayla Velarde. She will be in Europe soaking in the rich culture. She will have the opportunity to live in London – home of Buckingham Palace and Abbey Road. She can see the green cliffs of Ireland and the centuries old castles. She will practice her French and admire the Eiffel Tower in Paris and tour the Colosseum while eating gelato in Rome. She will walk the streets of Berlin and sample famous German sausage, or stare awestruck at the beautiful towering cathedrals of Spain. This is all possible because Velarde decided to graduate early.

Velarde is graduating on Jan. 12, and on the 13, she is moving to Wisconsin with her mom. She is leaving the states in March to embark on a three-month backpacking trip through Europe with her 23-year-old cousin, Alyssa. Her dad is paying for the trip as a graduation present.

“I just thought I’d do something different, you know, shake it up a little bit,” Velarde said.

Of the 761 seniors, Velarde is one of the 58 graduating early this year. Counselor Cheryl Richey said students aren’t receiving money for early graduation this year due to the economy, whereas last year, students received $500 for graduating in January.

“It’s been about the same number every year,” Richey said. “Some of our students used to graduate early because they wanted money. But with the majority of the kids, that was just always an extra little gravy on there.”

However, Richey said she usually doesn’t recommend that her students graduate early because she doesn’t want them to miss out on a normal senior year with friends. And though she likes students to have a full senior year, she said she recognizes that some students just need to get out.

“The majority of the students that graduate early are students who have enjoyed high school, but they’re kind of done,” Richey said. “They just want to move on.”

And that is what Velarde plans to do. After her backpacking trip through Europe, she is moving to London to attend the University of London in Birkbeck.

“I’m excited, but it’s also a little scary though,” Velarde said. “It’s definitely going to be a big culture shock.”

Velarde took AP classes throughout school as well as doubling up on math credits last year to graduate early. She said she will miss Texas because she will be leaving behind friends, leaving the place where she grew up and leaving the warm Texas weather behind for colder days. Although Velarde will be absent for prom and graduation, she said she will only be a little upset.

“I’m going to be in Europe, so it’s like ‘prom or Europe’?” Velarde said. “I choose Europe.”

Velarde’s parents support her decision to graduate early, backpack through Europe and attend the University of London.Velarde said they thought it was a good opportunity for her to see the world. She will be starting her trip in London, then travelling to Ireland and hopefully to Spain, France and Germany from there. Velarde and Alyssa will be travelling by Euro train and staying in hotels in each location.

“If I need help from my parents, I can’t just drive [to them],” Velarde said. “It’s going to be different. I’m going to a place where I don’t have any friends. I don’t know anybody.”

The one thing Velarde said she couldn’t leave behind is her iPod. She isn’t bringing her cell phone on the trip because Velarde said her dad doesn’t want to pay for international phone calls. He is already paying for the almost $1,000 plane ticket to Europe, and Velarde has saved about $2,000 for spending money. However, her cousin is bringing a phone to communicate with their families.

“You just have to go prepared,” Velarde said. “You just have to protect yourself.”

Velarde said that if she has a good experience at the University in London, she would like to stay in London after she graduates, rather than coming back to the United States.

“It’s just a new place and I think it would be fun to work there,” Velarde said.

While attending school, instead of staying in a dorm on campus like most college students, Velarde will be living in an apartment with a family friend, Diane, and her daughter, Amy. Moving all of her belongings into the apartment will prove to be a challenge, Velarde said.

“I’m going to have six suitcases,” Velarde said. “All of my shoes are like two suitcases right there. Then I have my coats, which is one. And my jeans, which is another. And my make-up is another.”

The language barrier will be hard, Velarde said, even in London because she isn’t familiar with their “lingo.” Velarde will be taking French classes in Wisconsin in the months preceding the move to Europe. And Velarde said she was worried about the public healthcare system in London because she is “prone to accidents.” But regardless of these worries, Velarde said the pros outweighed the cons in her decision.

“I just wanted something different,” Velarde said. “I wanted an adventure. I want to go experience something new.”