Nordic News collected academic, social and personal advice from Inglemoor seniors. We know that beginning a new chapter of your life during freshman year can be stressful and confusing. However, with the advice below, we hope you will feel more confident in your high school journey!

Senior Sofia Silva (she/her), who is involved in theater and Chinese club this year, said that some of her favorite moments from high school involved talking with her friends during tech week in theater. She also said that as an underclassmen, she would wake up early the day before assignments were due to complete them, causing her constant worry. Because of this, she suggests finishing assignments early and keeping a to-do list. 

“Cherish your moments, because it does go by fast. Try your best to have fun. Don’t stress out too much,” Silva said. “But also have priorities and make sure that you’re trying your best in everything.”

For senior Amy Zhao (she/her), keeping a list of assignments in a Google document was especially important for staying organized. During her freshman year, she involved herself in several clubs and sports, including cross country, badminton, DECA and TSA. Although she met many of her closest friends from these activities, Zhao emphasized the importance of establishing priorities and allowing yourself time to recharge. Taking walks around her neighborhood and going out with family and friends are some of Zhao’s favorite ways to decompress.

“I would say balance is really important, especially in high school when you have a lot of schoolwork going on,” Zhao said. “You might not have as much freshman year, but especially sophomore, junior, senior — you’re going to have a lot of work. It’s really important to just hang out with the people that you care about and also do things apart from school work or extracurriculars, so you get to recharge your energy more.” 

As a freshman, senior Elaina Dumaliang (she/her) was thinking of going into computer science. Now, as secretary-general for this year’s Model UN club and dedicated member of the school’s band and the music program, Dumaliang underlines the importance of trying new things and involving yourself in school. In the future, she aspires to go into politics and current events. 

“I think that for all freshmen, it’s so worth it to try out different things,” Dumaliang said. “The more involved you become in school stuff, the more connections you’ll make. It’ll allow you to feel more excited to be at school, you’ll be excited to see your friends and you’ll have more things in common with people.”

If you could go back in time to freshman year, what’s something you would do differently?

“Genuinely I wouldn’t change anything. I think freshman year was one of my favorite years and I had good friends and tried to involve myself in a lot of activities. I might just tell myself not to be too paranoid about homework because this year is the easiest.” – Maanya Venkat (she/her)

“I think I would be more on top of my responsibilities.” – Sofia Silva (she/her)

“I would have tried harder at balancing friendships with school.” – Elizabeth Miller (she/her)

“I would have joined more clubs. I’m glad I found a home in my commitments, but I regret not at least trying other clubs.” – Elaina Dumaliang (she/her)

“DO RUNNING START!!!” – Dylan Dao (he/him)

“I would savor the moments I had with Jason Metcalf-Lindenberger.” – Sean Marshall (he/him)

“I would definitely try to branch out more and talk to my teachers. I would also be involved in more school activities.” – Janelie Gallegos Campos (she/her)

“I would talk to more people, focus on my extracurriculars more and join some clubs.” – Laine Tidball (they/them)

“I think my freshman year was pretty good. Nothing that I would change, except maybe sleep more. I was involved with a lot of clubs and activities and did not always take the time to rest.” – Amy Zhao (she/her)

“Talking to other people! It’s always so helpful to know people in your classes, and you’ll feel cut off if you don’t know anybody. While it’s true they can help you with work, they can also be good friends in the future. I didn’t really talk to anybody, so I always felt lost at the beginning of the semester when I didn’t know anyone in my classes.” – Nina Atkinson (she/her)

Academic Advice

“Get your homework done the day you get it assigned unless it’s a longer assignment. Turning in your assignments on time is the easiest way to keep an ‘A’ grade in classes. It’s also good to have a system of keeping track of assignments especially if you are busy with sports and other extracurriculars.” – Maanya Venkat (she/her) 

“If you have something to do, just do it. Procrastinating assignments leads to stress and late nights trying to finish everything. Making to-do lists helps with keeping track of assignments and helps you make sure you finish them before the deadline.” – Sofia Silva (she/her) 

“Definitely keep a planner or something similar even online. I started one in Junior year (way too late) and it made time management so much easier. My grades and social life both improved.” – Elizabeth Miller (she/her) 

“Work with other people! Have your friends hold you accountable, and help each other out with difficult content or long assignments.” – Elaina Dumaliang (she/her) 

“Talk to your teachers. They are there to help you, believe it or not.” – Dylan Dao (he/him) 

“Here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna receive the assignment and you’re going to complete it.” – Sean Marshall (he/him) 

“Definitely don’t procrastinate even if the assignment isn’t due until the end of the month. It’s better to get it out of the way, that way there’s less of a chance to forget about it.” – Janelie Gallegos Campos (she/her) 

“Prioritize your mental health always. You can’t get good grades with bad mental health and assignments with far away due dates are always big assignments. Don’t procrastinate those to the last minute.” – Laine Tidball (they/them) 

“Keep a list of your assignments and their due dates in a document or planner for easy access, and make sure to do assignments before they start piling up! If you have any questions about schoolwork or assignments, make sure to ask classmates or your teacher.” – Amy Zhao (she/her) 

“Please please please don’t let your missing assignments pile up. It’ll make your life miserable further down the line, so just take 20 minutes to finish that little English assignment or history reading and you’ll be so much happier next week.” – Nina Atkinson (she/her)

Social Advice

“In my opinion high school relationships aren’t worth it but take it with a grain of salt. I would say prioritize friendships and learning how to navigate ups and downs in those as well as teacher-student relationships to ensure you can perform well in class and it helps not just understanding the subject but makes the classes more fun and interactive.” – Maanya Venkat (she/her)

“Friends come and go, this is a stage in life where everyone is learning and growing in different directions. It’s okay to outgrow friendships. Make sure the people you surround yourself with make you a better person and make you feel happy.” – Sofia Silva (she/her)

“Friendships from middle school shouldn’t be your only friends. I made my closest friends in high school.” – Elizabeth Miller (she/her)

“Join clubs!! You’ll never meet people in the school if you don’t become involved in school. Go to football games, club meetings, and take initiative to put yourself out there!” – Elaina Dumaliang (she/her)

“Dont overthink it for yourself OR for others.” – Dylan Dao (he/him)

“Here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re going to make friends and keep ‘em.” – Sean Marshall (he/him)

“Friendship wise never be afraid to speak up about how you feel in the friendship. Communication really is key in everything.” – Janelie Gallegos Campos (she/her) 

“If you don’t like how someone makes you feel, stop being around them. You don’t need an explanation either. But do make time for the people you want in your life and be sure to communicate with them!” – Laine Tidball (they/them)

“Get to know people in the clubs/sports that you join and show up to school events, like Homecoming and football games!” – Amy Zhao (she/her)

“If you don’t put effort into your relationships, you will notice. They’ll be closer with other people and you’ll feel left out. Speaking from personal experience on both ends of the no-effort (the person not putting in effort and someone else not putting in effort), it feels terrible. Ask them to hang out, talk to them, don’t scroll your phone at lunch. Don’t overthink it too much. If you feel hurt by something, whether that’s something they did or something else, don’t bottle it up. Communication is key.” – Nina Atkinson (she/her)

Personal Advice

“Do sports and join clubs. High school is the time for exploring your interests and hobbies so take advantage of these opportunities now and you can narrow them down as you become an upperclassman.” – Maanya Venkat (she/her)

“There are so many activities here that cover so many different interests, you’re bound to find something you enjoy at this school.” – Sofia Silva (she/her)

“Life happens. When the stress from school is added to stress outside of school, it can feel like your life is crashing in on you. Talk to your friends and teachers you trust, so they can be there for you when times get tough.” – Elaina Dumaliang (she/her)

“Here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re going to find something you’re interested in and start doing it.” – Sean Marshall (he/him)

“Try out different things even if you think it’s not for you because you’ll never know, that activity can include meeting some of your favorite people.” – Janelie Gallegos Campos (she/her)

“Have hobbies outside of school, please. You need the break from academics and it greatly helps you with college apps.” – Laine Tidball (they/them)

“Make sure to spend time with friends and family, and have fun! School and extracurriculars can be a lot of work sometimes, but always make sure to find the time to kick back and do something that you enjoy, like painting, baking, going on walks, or hanging out with friends.” – Amy Zhao (she/her)

“Join clubs! You’ll find lots of friends with similar hobbies. And don’t forget to spend time with your family. I know it seems far away, but once you go to college, you won’t see them as often. They’re always there for you, so talk to them :). Always have a hobby besides doomscrolling, whether that be just reading a book or going for a walk. It really can be refreshing.” – Nina Atkinson (she/her)