Excited to further her education in college, Madelyn Nguyen plans to major in either Computer Science or Animal Science, with the ultimate goal of becoming a veterinarian.

“I love animals,” she said. “I think learning about them would be very cool.”

Nguyen is very excited to finally exit high school and move on to college where she can focus on her future and work towards her career.

High school can definitely be compared to a roller coaster; there are lots of highs and lows. “High school has prepared me for college by helping me learn to prioritize and balance things inside and outside of school,” said Nguyen, a student in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Balancing good grades, study time, sports if she has played any, and a healthy social life is definitely very tough, and add the distance learning component challenges it even more.

“I’m not having my usual repetition of learning things so I end up forgetting about them because in my mind I think,  ‘Oh, I’ll have time later to do it’ since it’s online and I don’t have to turn it in in person,” she said.

Reflecting on the bad and focusing on the good is the best way to end high school because it allows us to remember the positive and shows us there is always room for improvement. “My biggest takeaway is to not overthinking things but still giving it my all,” said Nguyen. “In the end, everything will be okay, even if I don’t get 100 % on a test, there is always room for improvement.”

The best advice  Nguyen has received is from Math teacher Mr. Joe Arbizu. She was told that if she is ever stuck on something, just get up and take a break, clear her head, and go back to it later after she had refreshed her mind.

“Senioritis usually hits senior year, when you absolutely want to do nothing because it won’t matter next year because you’ll be gone,” she said. “It usually happens after first semester since college applications are done and you are ready to move on.”

Although Nguyen’s senior year will be coming to an end in June, she is trying to stay positive and enjoy what’s left of high school experience, no matter what it looks like.