As the graduation checks pile high on your bedroom nightstand, you reflect back on a time that was perfectly innocent and you ponder the unknown.  What will college be like, what will work be like, will I still keep in touch with my high school friends in five years?  All very valid questions and depending on each circumstance, they will vary.  There is one group of high school students we fell in love with a few years back and today we are checking in on them to see where their lives have gone and if they still stay in touch with one another.

The students of East High changed the way we looked at clicks, changed the way we looked at musicals, and changed the way we looked at ourselves.  For three consecutive years, High School Musical ruled the airwaves and the box office as it broke records, set records, and created new records.  We watched as Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, and Taylor manage to fight their way through high school, summer jobs, and of course spring musicals.  But after graduation, what happened to the singing and dancing sensations?

The cast of High School Musical sang “all our dreams have no limitations” and those words ring true for each actor.  Gaining worldwide successes for playing the cutest and most coordinated high school student in history these actors have moved on and each made a major impact in Hollywood.  Staring in major motion pictures, writing books, shopping scripts; these young actors are determined to make the transition from teenage heartthrobs to serious actors.  Take a look at where you favorite HSM stars have been and find out where they’re going!

Zac Efron

Box office babe Zac Efron came out swinging in his first starring role this spring with the hysterical comedy 17 Again.  Playing a forty year old man inside a 17 year old’s body, Efron was able to bring such compassion and charisma to this character that he instantly became a fan favorite.  All grown up, Efron is looking to take on a new movie role that would solidify him as a Hollywood leading man.  The Hollywood Reporter just announced that Efron landed the lead in the untitled “sexy thriller” written by Leslie Dixon who did The Thomas Crown Affair, Just Like Heaven, and Hairspray.  The very private Zac continues to date his onscreen high school sweetheart Vanessa Hudgens.

Vanessa Hudgens

The bombshell continues to wow reporters on the red carpet as she shows support for her fellow actors in the industry.  When Vanessa is not turning heads, she is working hard on a few upcoming projects that fans will undoubtedly love.  First up this summer, Hudgens has a role in Summit’s upcoming film Bandslam.  If you are looking for any cameos from Gabriella, you’ve got the wrong script.  Hudgens plays a high school loner who joins a band and broadens her horizons.  After Hudgens rocks out with Bandslam, make sure to catch her in Beastly and Sucker Punch.

Ashley Tisdale

For such a sweet person, Ashley Tisdale really was able to drive home the mean girl persona in High School Musical, which won her a 2009 MTV Movie Award.  Tisdale ditched the blonde hair and went brown after Sharpay graduated; looking to separate herself from her character, Tisdale is shopping scripts, waiting for the perfect one to arrive.  Until then, Tisdale will begin her press tour for the upcoming film Aliens in the Attic staring Tisdale, Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins and Kevin Nealon.

Lucas Grabeel

Life has been good for HSM vet Lucas Grabeel, who landed a role in the Academy Award nominated film Milk alongside Oscar winner Sean Penn.  His new movie, The Legend of the Dancing Ninja, is set to release soon and during his off time Grabeel and friends formed their own production company called 14341 Productions.  The team creates amazing award winning shorts and they are in the process of working on other major deals.  PopStar spoke with 14341 Productions back in February about life after High School Musical.  Check out the full interview here.

Corbin Bleu

Get ready guys because this fall Corbin Bleu will be the hottest television star on the hottest drama in primetime.  Bleu has signed on to play Issac in the CW’s new drama The Beautiful Life alongside Mischa Barton, Elle Macpherson, Sara Paxton, and Ben Hollingsworth.  From the mastermind Ashton Kutcher, The Beautiful Life follows a group of models living in New York City.

Monique Coleman

Inbetween script shopping, Coleman is penning a book about her experiences as a child actor in Hollywood.  Titled, “From Ramen Noodles to the Red Carpet…a guide to becoming who you are without forgetting who you were” will be told in first person and Coleman hopes this book will help fellow young actors adjust to the bright lights of fame.  Coleman will also be appearing at the 2009 BET Awards in Los Angeles on June 28th so make sure to check her out there.