Freshmen at Marquette Senior High School received a reality check today as they participated in the Reality Store, where they were given a glimpse of life as an adult.

Students chose careers and then rolled dice to determine other life features. Some were married with children. Others were divorced and raising kids, and still more were single parents.

The situations students found themselves in offered different views of potential futures.

“And students say, ‘wait, this isn’t what I picked.’ We said, ‘that’s life; life doesn’t always hand you exactly what you want. People don’t plan on being widowed; people don’t plan on being divorced’,” Lisa Jahnke, the Reality Store coordinator, said,

They think that everything is going to fall into place for them, but these are the curve balls that life hands you.”

Some students found that with their limited salaries or familial situations, they were forced to take one path or another. Other students chose to live frugally and think about the long term savings.

“I’m kind of a minimalist, so I’ve been able to do everything pretty low, like I’ve been able to buy things that are lower, because I don’t really need anything big,” freshman Kees Gray said. “It really helps you to know what’s coming in the future.”

This is the 25th year the Reality Store has taken place, giving students the tools they need to plan for the future.