Being a big sports fan, both playing and watching, I have always been a big believer in adjustments. Whether I’m playing in a big game in soccer or a big match in tennis, I’m always thinking about how I can adjust to get better. In my opinion, whoever is able to make the most effective adjustments will always win the game.  I think that this mindset can be applied to high school as well. High school as a whole is all about how you can better yourself and adjust to the challenges that arise.

My freshman year was a challenge in itself. Being online, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had always had a sort of visualization of what high school would look like and how I would live my life. But, I realized quickly this wouldn’t be the reality. The first semester of freshman year is a blur to me. I remember enjoying waking up right before school started, jumping into a zoom call and paying the bare minimum attention. I really wasn’t intimidated by the fact that I was taking an AP class and a bunch of honors classes. I sort of brushed off the importance of what I was doing. This reflected in my grades, as I got B’s in all of my core classes. Second semester brought us back in person, and as much as I was happy it brought me closer to that ideal high school life, I really didn’t adjust to it. I continued to have my same habits, playing Xbox as much as possible, barely taking notes and doing the minimum amount of work possible. Once again, this was reflected in my grades, as I only earned one A in all my core classes. I played on the soccer team in the spring after it was delayed due to the pandemic. This was definitely my least favorite year of soccer as I realized my skills weren’t what I thought they were, but I’m certainly glad I stuck with it. COVID had a big effect on my academics, but I was fortunate enough that it didn’t affect my social life or my happiness. I think COVID was a great time of my life and I was able to make the best of it at home.

Sophomore year was a little bit of a reality check for me. Coming back in person at the beginning of the year made me truly realize I was in high school. This was all exciting until it hit me what this meant. I’ll always remember the first quiz in Honor PreCalculus AB. I remember taking the quiz and realizing I had no idea what I was doing. I got a 69 on that quiz, that stunned me. It hit me that what I had been doing freshman year was not good enough, and I had to adjust to learning in high school. Within the first semester I began to build study habits, something I never needed before. I took my classes more seriously and felt like I was actually learning. I was able to reach my academic goals for the year and I felt like I was set up for success junior year. Playing soccer sophomore year helped change my attitude towards sports. Playing on JV2 took a lot of pressure off of me. I was able to adjust my mentality to being more loose and having fun rather than letting the pressure get to me. I also chose to join the tennis team in the spring. Joining the team was a big toss up for me as I wasn’t sure if I was going to fit in. It ended up being a lot of fun because I had the feeling that I had nothing to lose. Previously, sports was all about competition and comparing myself to others, but starting from the bottom on tennis changed my attitude, I was simply there to have fun. I also joined Scratch Paper this year because I realized I needed to get involved in order to improve my college application. This decision paid off for me in a big way as after writing a good chunk of articles, I was offered to move into the role of Sports Editor for my junior year.

Coming to the Almond Campus was an exciting feeling, I felt like a grown kid. I think moving to a campus with a bunch of seniors versus one with a bunch of freshmen makes a big difference. For my junior year, I set myself a huge goal, to get all A’s in my classes. I remember being told many times that junior year was the most important for getting into college. This was enough motivation to put my head down and drive myself through the year. I dedicated a lot of my time at home to getting homework done and studying for tests. I was constantly adjusting my studying strategies to maximize the grades I got. This year made me realize I could do whatever I put my mind to academically. I accomplished my goals of all A’s after a few close calls but I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments because of how much work I put in on the long term and the results I got in my college applications confirmed this. I think junior year was my best year for sports as well. In soccer, I found myself surrounded by a great team and led by a great coach. I found a great balance of having fun and also learning a great amount. I played JV for both soccer and tennis, but I realized I really didn’t care because I had so much fun. I also grew my role in Scratch Paper by covering sports events. which became a huge part of my life.

Senior year is when it felt like all the work I had put in paid off. I was able to relax and enjoy more time not worried about school work. I was successful in my college applications and I was able to relax in my classes knowing I didn’t need to get great grades. I still challenged myself in my classes and worked hard, but the pressure was lifted. I made a goal to go to as many school events as possible and take up opportunities to do fun things. I played another year of JV soccer, where we won conference and I felt like I was satisfied to put my time playing soccer to rest. In tennis, I made the varsity team and continued to try to grow as a player.

High school is a huge roller coaster, but the way I see it, that’s what makes it fun. I’m grateful for every single challenge I had to face and every single adjustment I had to make. I feel like I shaped myself well for college and I’m certain I’ll miss my time here at Warren for a long time to come.