Hundreds of square-topped mortarboards will be tossed into the air this week as local high school seniors celebrate the end of 13 years of education.

Friends will part. Tears will fall.

Teachers will be hugged and nests will be emptied.

So many roads veer off from this stop.

Some graduates will only pause, beginning their careers this summer. Many are venturing off to college, excited about the new faces and football mania that will come in the fall.

But others are embarking on a journey down the road less traveled.

Some are embracing this window of opportunity by trotting off to exotic locales on mission trips to benefit mankind or simply to find themselves.

Still others are living childhood dreams by continuing their scholarly adventures at colleges nationwide. There they will become doctors, pilots, chemists, ministers and even NASCAR technicians.

To read their stories, along with video and audio, click here.