High school is like a roller coaster ride filled with highs and lows. Every day is filled with new experiences, challenges, and expectations. Maneuvering through these challenges can be tough and can significantly impact your mental health. But one needs to embrace these challenges to overcome them.

 Four students have shared their experience in this regard.

Daphne Huang, freshman

As freshman Daphne Huang steps in the world of high school, she is met with a whirlwind of changes. The high school doors swing open, unveiling a multitude of clubs and experiences eagerly anticipating her arrival. Day by day, she enthusiastically immerses herself in a myriad of activities, eagerly striving to carve out her own place within the busy and vibrant high school community.

“I’m in Simply Co, and Health Occupational Students of America (HOSA),” Huang said. “I feel like they’re helping me be more involved and not just surface level and just getting good grades and stuff, I’m trying to see if I like everything because I’m in engineering so I’m trying to see what I want to do in the future.” 

Huang expressed that high school presents greater challenges than middle school. She describes the transition to be “pretty big”.

“My goal for this year is probably just to stay on top of my work, not slack off and try my best in school,” Huang said. “In middle school we barely had homework but now we have homework like almost everyday.”

Huang noted that the majority of freshmen generally have a decent and stable mental health.

“After school I go straight to my ice rink and I skate for like an hour,” Huang said. “Then when I get home I like to rest for a little bit and usually I take a nap and then I catch up on my schoolwork and stuff. I feel like I do have late nights but that’s also because I sleep for so long so when I wake up I have a lot of work to do.”

High school hit Huang like “a slap in the face”, leaving her feeling as though she was on the edge of dropping out.

“It was like so much work all at once,” Huang said. “I was thinking that I was going to be a high school dropout, like I did not think I would be able to get through high school. But I feel like as soon as you like, like after the first two weeks you kind of just get used to it.”

Adjusting to high school has been challenging for many freshmen, but it has also been very beneficial in their daily life. It has taught them the importance of being punctual and “organized”. 

“I started becoming more organized,” Huang said. “I actually like try really hard in all my classes because they all count towards my GPA.”

Wendi Ning, sophomore

“There’s so much to study.”

“It’s already 10.”

“I’m not done yet. It’s tomorrow! TOMORROW!”

Wendi Ning, a sophomore, has an extensive amount of coursework that consumes her entire day and leaves her with a lot of unfinished tasks. It’s a relentless cycle – just as she wraps up one day’s work, a fresh wave of assignments and study commitments comes knocking at her door.

“I always wake up late, get to the first class and stress about every single test and quiz later on, every single day,” Ning said. “That’s how it is. Every single day.”

Ning is a member of Junior Engineering and Technical Society(JETS), Mu Alpha Theta Club (MAO), Comp Sci Club, and chemistry club. Ning enthusiastically expressed that her participation in these clubs not only allows her to explore her diverse interests but also provides a much-needed opportunity to unwind and socialize after a mentally demanding day at school.

“I also do swimming outside of school. That helps with mental relief,” Ning said. “I can just focus on my physical part, not think about anything during that time. That’s like my rest that helps a lot. Trying to sleep earlier, not really working but when I sleep earlier, it helps me feel so much better and ready for the next day.”

Ning successfully navigates through her enormous pile of coursework and gets all A’s in her gradebook by organizing all her tasks in the proper order of importance. Along with studies, Ning ensures that she gives herself a break for some time every day. 

“Don’t procrastinate,” Ning said. “Pay attention in class because you get like 5 minutes of walking to your next class to rest. Just during class, really focus so that you don’t have to figure out homework or anything at home.”

Ning said that her source of motivation is “food”. She said that she is “very tired” but still very “motivated”. Ning is determined to wrap up her sophomore year by excelling in her academics, actively participating in extracurricular activities, and making meaningful connections with her peers. She hopes to achieve notable accomplishments that she can reflect on with pride in the future.

“Look up for the next break,” Ning said. “You can’t be worried if you look forward to the next break. Long weekend.”

Navya Dave, junior

Navya Dave is a junior who rises before the sun, at a time when a big portion of the world is still in a deep slumber. In the stillness of the early morning, the streets are shrouded in darkness, and the only sound is the gentle rustling of leaves. She begins her day before the first light of dawn and often continues her activities long after the sun has set.

“I’m trying to get involved in National Honor Society, then I’m a part of my own club, and then I’m also part of NJROTC,” said Dave. “They contribute to the value of socialization and values of how I can be a better leader.”

Dave often finds herself juggling multiple responsibilities, which can make her feel like she’s missing out on activities that she would really want to do. If only she had more time, she said she would love to pursue those meaningful endeavors.

“I want to do some other clubs which are more involved in science competitions,” Dave said.”I really, really, really, really, really hope that I can do that. But I can’t because of my time.”

After completing all her coursework, Dave makes it a point to take a 30-minute mental break. She emphasized the importance of relaxation for maintaining good mental health after a long and tiring day.

“I try to always give myself half an hour out of my whole 24 hours,” Dave saud. “I just sit and watch YouTube or Instagram, just to feel like I did something that’s not studying for my future today.”

The University of Texas at Austin has dropped their direct admission rate from top 6% to top 5% and this has caused a stir in the minds of  juniors. The idea of getting into colleges makes Dave “really stressed”. 

“It’s actually making me really stressed [getting into college],” Dave said. “That’s the only thing that keeps me from actually doing my best in everything I can. That’s the reason why I’ve selected so many clubs. That’s also the reason why I want to keep trying my best. And that’s also the reason why I can’t sleep at night.”

Aashreeti Deo, senior

Senior Aashreeti Deo has many roles on and off the school campus.

Editor of the literary magazine, Aashiyana.

Co-president of the American Cancer Society.

Editor of the Clements Key Club.

Despite being a senior and having her first period off, Deo arrives at school early every day. Her schedule is packed with numerous activities, and she often stays at school until late in the day.

“My goal this year is to get into a good college, finish all my college applications in time,” said Deo. “But, I still want to enjoy my senior year and be able to do all the senior activities, like senior year overalls, senior sunrise, and just everything.”

The final year of high school can be incredibly demanding. Despite the arguments of many juniors who claim that junior year is more challenging than senior year, Deo said senior year first semester is a lot tougher than junior year ever was.

“It [college applications] definitely adds a lot to my workload,” said Deo. “I feel like, especially AP Macro and AP Stats right now, I just feel like it’s been so much like, it’s a quicker pace and the material is just so much new stuff. Just managing that with college applications has been hard, but I’m trying to get used to it.”

The entire day goes by “speeding” through different tasks and so Deo said she gives herself a little “brain break” everyday. However, even after accomplishing numerous tasks, Deo said she still feels as if she is “missing out on a lot of stuff.”

“I also have a really big calendar in my room that I put every single thing down on because I need to physically see where I need to be at what time to mentally prepare myself,” said Deo. “It [the calendar] definitely works. I have written down everything and anything. I also carry a mini planner with me everywhere.”

Deo describes the life of seniors as “overly busy and stressed”, due to the pressure of completing college applications, often leading to “definitely late nights.” To alleviate this stress, Deo mentioned that she personally relaxes by reading or listening to music.

“I’m a big book person. I just pick up a chapter and I try to read at least one chapter every other day,” Deo said. “Because I know every day is kind of crazy and not doable for me. So I try to read. I listen to music. I have a vinyl player. I just kind of try to relax and anything that helps me relax, I just try to do that.”

Deo meticulously prioritizes her tasks based on their significance and deadlines. She diligently tackles her workload, striving to complete all her responsibilities. Apart from completing all the assignments she said “it’s okay” to go out and have fun.

“I think definitely manage your time wisely,” Deo said. “Go out, have fun with your friends, and then come back home and then lock in for everything else. Because you won’t look back at your experience in high school and think of all the APs you’ve studied for every night. But you will look back and be like, I remember the time I went out with my friends and did this or did that.”