ASPIRING STUDENTS
HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCES
High school students share their experiences that helped shape them to be a better person.
Read them so that you can learn from others on what steps you should take to become successful in high school. More high school experiences are found on our Instagram page.
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HS EXPERIENCE #1
high school rising senior - anonymous
One experience that I will never regret in my time in high school would have to be joining key club! I joined as a freshman and was able to make incredible friends from not only my school but other high schools. To me personally, the social events and community service were great ways to connect with others while helping your community. I took my passion further by becoming vice president and gained a lot of leadership skills that will better me for the future! In the fall, I will be running as president and cannot wait to welcome new freshmen. Overall, my two cents for anybody reading this is to join as many clubs freshmen year and narrow it down to 3-4 clubs that you are very passionate about.
HS EXPERIENCE #2
high school rising senior - Celeste G.
Hi! My name is Celeste G. and I will be a senior for the 2020-2021 upcoming school year. I go to a highschool in Toronto, Ontario and am a member of my school’s Student Council as a Social Media rep and co captain of the Sr girls volleyball team. Some advice that I wish I knew as a freshman is that it is totally okay to not know what you want to pursue after highschool or even if you don’t plan on going to post secondary. I didn’t even know what I wanted to pursue myself until March this year. Although guidance counsellors and other adult figures might tell you that you NEED to know right away, I personally disagree. Highschool is a time for you to explore your interests, so I would suggest taking courses that interest you most! Discover your strengths and weaknesses, what you like and don’t like and soon enough you will find your calling. If you still feel a little uncertain towards your junior and senior years, that is totally fine! I have friends who still are unsure about what they want to pursue. If you want to, you could even take a gap year (essentially you take a year off after you graduate highschool to work, discover your interests, etc). Or if you don’t plan on going to post secondary, that is fine as well! Everyone has their own callings and it is completely fine if you feel that post secondary is not for you. If you do have a general idea of what you want to pursue, don’t feel obligated to stick to that career or program that you wanted at the start of your highschool journey because more times than not, your interests will change overtime and what you might like now can change in the future. My personal advice is to look for a program that genuinely makes you happy :) If you have any questions or want to talk, feel free to dm me @celestejayde <3
HS EXPERIENCE #3
high school graduate -Â Simone Till
I wish that I have known of the opportunities that I do now. My guidance counselor had way too much on her hands and she was mainly focused on the seniors. We weren’t even allowed to email her if we wanted to. My advice is to be your own guidance counselor by seeking for opportunities and programs. My life changed tremendously after I applied and was accepted to both the Disney Dreamers Academy and Bank of America Student Leaders. However, I did only those two programs in my senior year. If you have a passion or a specific interest, find a program! There are so many that you wouldn’t even believe! Not only that it is great for your college resume, but you will meet lots of amazing people! Remember, the internet is your best friend.
HS EXPERIENCE #4
high school graduate -Â Arlene Nagtalon
Hi there! My name is Arlene. I'm 17 years old and I go to a high school in San Diego, CA. If there was anything I wish I knew when I was first entering freshman year, I would've tried to put myself out there more. I didn't join as many clubs and extracurriculars as I did when I was a sophomore, so I began somewhat late trying joining things and meeting people I would have never gotten the chance to meet otherwise. Currently, I'm a member of my badminton team, Academic League team, and the Letterettes team. As for clubs, I'm involved in Red Cross, One World, Drama, and Environmental, so I interact with different people who share the same passions as I do. It's always great to have various circles of friends as opposed to one group of people you always hang out with because you want to be with those that you can work well with in group projects, be there for you when you need moral support, and have fun with as well outside of school. In addition to that, even if it may seem like an unpopular opinion, it's wise to befriend teachers. I know that may sound a bit odd, but they can provide you with a multitude of help and resources that will help you accomplish your goals or even put you at an edge against other students. After all, when applying to internships and other great opportunities, most of the time, they require teacher recommendations. Therefore, it'd be great to know that they'll be speaking well on your behalf, just as long as you're a well-behaved student in their class. I've gotten plenty of teacher recommendations to work with people that are experts in the college admission process and even the chance to work with scientists and doctors at the University of California San Diego to do cancer research! This brings me to my last piece of advice: try out. Whether it be for a sport, running for a leadership position in a club, or applying for a spot in an internship, you never know if you'll get in if you don't try. Of course, the entire application process may seem daunting because you don't know whether or not you'll make it in. However, there's a guaranteed chance you won't make it in if you don't make the effort to sign up in the first place. Who knows? Maybe you'd be missing out on the best times of your life that'll help you to grow as a person, both intellectually and physically. Whether you get in or not, just keep in mind that you'll be applying to things for the rest of your life. If you get in, that's great! If not, that's okay, too. Both are valuable learning experiences, and there are so many things to see, do, and take part in. The more you can do to highlight your college applications, the better, because it shows that you truly care or are passionate about something, which gives you more of an advantage in the future.