Junior year is often known as the most stressful year of high school; I completely agree. I’ve challenged myself a lot this year. I’ve taken advanced classes that are equivalent to college courses. I’ve been involved with extracurricular activities and clubs, including S.I.T.E. (an environmentalist club) and Key Club. I’ve also had the added stress of trying to balance school, a social life, and applying for colleges and taking college placement tests. I feel overwhelmed with so much to do and it seems as if there is no time to do it. The school year is coming to a close in a month and only summer plans are on my mind, but it’s important for me to not get too distracted because the school year isn’t over yet. Read the rest of this entry »

Subject-matter (such as advanced placement) tests start Monday. So for the next two weeks, students will experience a whirlwind of last-minute studying, test-taking, and then relief at being finished with a year’s worth of college-level material. Read the rest of this entry »

I must admit a secret: I haven’t gone on any college visits yet. Because important as they are, I simply haven’t had time enough to go anywhere, especially since things have been piling up around this time of year. (And it doesn’t help that the colleges I’m most interested in are quite a long way away…) Read the rest of this entry »

During this past week, my school held graduation performance auditions. Because our school is so large, we do not have a valedictorian. Instead, our school has the principal’s “top ten students” for academic distinction and anyone can audition for a chance to speak or perform at graduation. Eight student speeches or performances are chosen to be given on graduation, and I auditioned for one of those spots with a speech I wrote for the occasion. The purpose of the speech is to highlight the importance of participation and not perfection as a goal. Read the rest of this entry »

I walked into the room and immediately I was ready, and excited! Read the rest of this entry »

Como vicepresidente de la organización Líderes de Familia, Profesionales  y de Comunidad de Estados Unidos (FCCLA, por sus siglas en inglés), fue bien interesante reunirme con los demás miembros de dicha organización en un recorrido por la Universidad Texas A&M en Kingsville, Texas. Read the rest of this entry »

This past weekend I competed at NYSML, the New York State Mathematics League. We assembled a team of students from different schools in our county who were top performers at local math competitions and went to compete with other teams from across the state. Of course, the academic experience itself was valuable — there were some truly mind-bending problems asked, requiring deep thought. Although our overall team performance ended up being delightfully average, and no one received any awards in particular, we still put on a decent showing. But beyond the academics, it was a very valuable experience for me, as it was an opportunity to meet many new people. Read the rest of this entry »