Over the past four years, we have watched some Raptors leave the nest early. Many students leave because of the workload, athletic opportunities, parental job offers, or even to escape thesis. Each of these losses have hit the Class of 2019 hard, bringing a greater meaning to the phrase “gone, but never forgotten”. The lost souls featured in today’s issue include Hayes Reding, Katherine Mundy, and everyone’s favorite: Jacob Jahn.

I personally contacted each of the bygone Raptors to get a first-hand account of their new lives and why they left the nest in the first place. First up is Hayes Reding, the unforgettably hot-headed, cheeto-lovin’ military lad!

For those who do not remember, Hayes was forced to leave the southern suburbs of Mount Pleasant for the cruelly cold St. Paul, Minnesota because his dad was promoted at work. When asked about his new life in comparison to Magnet, Hayes said “Minnesota is great. The summer here was very nice and I had a lot of good cabin weekends. My new school is a lot different from magnet as it’s all-boys catholic and military. Sports are definitely bigger here and the school is stricter than magnet but I love it. I do miss magnet, especially the traditions like homecoming, coming home and all the other fun stuff we did at magnet.” He told me that a typical day included waking up around 6:30 AM to go to pre-school meetings, enduring school until 3 PM, and then grinding in football practice until around 6 PM. Hayes’s hard work has not been in vain—he is committed to College of the Holy Cross, a liberal arts institution in Worcester, Massachusetts, for lacrosse!

Next up: Katherine Mundy, the ultra-fun yet cool as a cucumber girl!

Katherine said “I tragically had to leave magnet because my father got a job in Pawley’s so we moved here. I am satisfied with life at the moment and have much less homework! I hope all of you survive this year.” Katherine, thank you for your words of kindness. We wish you well!

Lastly, I interviewed Jacob Jahn, the larger-than-life tennis fanatic!

Jacob told me: “The tennis academy is good, a lot of hours a day on the court and in the gym training. It’s a lot different than magnet because I have more time to focus on tennis and I have free time now. I miss a lot of the people at magnet, but have heard I missed out on a lot of stress and suffering junior year, which made me appreciate my decision to leave a little bit more. My typical day is 3 hours of tennis in the morning, then go home to rest and do a couple hours of school, then 2 more hours in the afternoon.” Jacob, it sounds like you made the right decision in leaving since your hard work ultimately led to Clemson signing you! We miss your daily exuberance and hope your tennis career goes far.

Well Raptors, that concludes our catch-up with the lost Raptors of the class of 2019. Stay tuned for future editions!