Dylan Piazzoni is no stranger to the spotlight. During his time at Mishawaka High School, he has made a name for himself as a first-rate saxophonist, an actor, a choral performer, and now as the guinea pig to be highlighted in this new segment.
The class of 2023 is the only generation of kids to be affected by COVID-19 from the very beginning of their high school career. For Piazzoni, this meant, “I was able to think about myself a little more and do some soul-searching [during the pandemic]...” The opportunity to explore who he was as a person in his early teens “helped a lot,” and gave him time to nurture his
passions for music and film.
Senior Dylan Piazzoni posing for his senior photos.
Continuing his education at Ball State University in the fall, Piazzoni is staying true to those interests. He said, “I’d like to go into media,” defining his skillset as, “...the process of recording things [and] editing them.” One of his additional goals is to continue his instrumental career throughout college, but realistically he felt, “...I think I’m going to be able to use more with a media degree…” Throughout his time at MHS, Piazzoni accredits his successes to Beyond The Cave, as well as his theater, music, and radio and TV classes—specifically MHS Choir Director Mrs. Rachel Sutch, and MHS Band Director Mr. Kaleb Chamberlin, who he called his “role models.”
Apart from the curriculum, Piazzoni’s social life has also expanded throughout high school. “It’s true, the stereotype of, ‘Your friends going into high school aren’t the same friends you come out with.’ I’ve changed my friend group several times, and I feel like this year I finally have the people I want to go into adulthood with…” That common understanding has likely become a stereotype among many for a reason. Piazzoni concluded that this is because, “high school is kind of the cesspool of figuring out who you are…I think there’s a lot of negativity [associated with] high school because everybody is so stressed about everything, [when] in reality, we’re not all that different because we’re all trying to figure out who we are and what we’re doing with our lives.” He placed emphasis on how the relationships that he formed in high school molded him into who he is today. He said, “A lot of positive people—and a lot of negative—they’ve all helped…I don’t think I would be where I am today without [drama].” Upon leaping into the real world, he is looking forward to the chance to “get out of small town Mishawaka…and meet more people” that college provides.
In his last few weeks of high school, Piazzoni encourages all underclassmen to, “do what you want to do. If you’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to do this because I’m a freshman or sophomore.’ Don’t. It’s worth it to put yourself out there,” as he would advise his freshman-self to do the same. “It’s worth it to do things you don’t know if you’ll [pursue]. Also, try new things. I wouldn’t know if I’m into sports because I never did sports, and people can say the same for acting, or theater, or whatever.” May his lasting legacy at Mishawaka be that of, “some sort of positive influence [who was] helpful to the school... I have a lot of different friend groups,” he said, “so I hope I brought some people together [who] might not have been friends [otherwise].”