On Junior Year

They say junior year is the hardest year of high school, and based on my experience from the past year, I'd have to agree. I also think, however, that it was the best year. Junior year was a rollercoaster in every way possible, and I thought it would be fun to reflect on a few of the aspects that had the biggest influence on my junior year. Also I chose some of my fave pictures from this year to break up the text!

Academics

School was hard this year. My classes challenged me, which was good, and I found that I was capable of a lot more than I thought. I took Calculus this year, and I really struggled first semester, not just with the material, but with learning in my teacher's teaching style as well. I honestly gave up towards the end of the semester, and I didn't have a ton of motivation. I really wanted a fresh start second semester, so I put everything from first semester behind me and worked my butt off and ended up getting a solid A second semester, which made me really happy! To be honest, there were other academic successes and failures, but this made the biggest impact on me, and it's what I'm the most proud of.

 selfie with the principal is a must. 

Extra- Curriculars

This year, I was able to cut down on some extraneous activities, and focus on things that really mattered to me. One thing I regret doing is quitting piano, but hopefully I’ll be able to get back to it, even recreationally, this summer and throughout next year, because it’s definitely a stress-reliever. Personally, I feel like I grew a lot as a leader this year- I learned how to charm people, how to work with others even if you don’t necessarily have the best relationship, and how to balance a workload. Hopefully I’ll be able to continue this next year- super excited for this! I have also been loving working at my lab in San Francisco! I actually really like the train commute, because there’s no Wifi, so I can write or read without distractions from the internet. It’s been amazing to meet so many inspiring people at the lab, and to see how I’m starting to understand more and more of what is going on. I remember going into a meeting on my first day and wondering what the heck I was getting myself into. I still have those moments, but they’re much less frequent.

Friends

I firmly believe that the people who stick with you when times are tough, or when things are stressful, are the ones who will stick with you for life. I feel like the friends I made and kept through this year, are definitely diamonds in the rough, because they are all such sweet, caring people. I can call them when I’m worried about something, and they’ll just drop everything and talk me through it. They know when I have important things coming up, and always ask me how it’s going. It’s not ever awkward around any of them, and we never run out of things to say or do, and I just love that feeling. Also, this is a little on the lighter side, but you know you’re best friends with someone when instead of smiling at them in the hallway you make the ugliest face possible no matter what the people around you might think.

Family

My mom always says that there is no one who loves and supports me more than my family, and I agree completely. Yes, some times there is tension at home- but let’s be real- my parents are business owners, and on top of all the stuff that’s going on at home, they’re responsible for the livelihood of almost 200 people in the US and overseas, so there are bound to be some stressful days. I might not say it enough, but I love my family, and all of our quirky traditions. They have been so supportive this year, whether that means making me cups upon cups of tea when I’m studying at midnight, or always willing to drive me somewhere, they’re the best.

clearly my junior year fashion sense revolved around comfort.

Blog

It may sound silly, but this blog is a big part of my life. I’m a social creature, so just journaling and writing my thoughts down for myself isn’t necessarily enough for me. I like the fact that I have my own little slice of the Internet to write whatever I please. I like that there is one thing in my life that I can do on my own terms- nothing is for credit, has to have a certain number of words, or has to be in a certain format. It’s all up to me, and I like it that way. I know that my ability to articulate myself has increased immensely because of the this blog and what I’ve written here, and I treasure that ability as I start the college application process.

So, that’s it. Another year in the books. I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who made my junior year so very special, and here’s to hoping senior year is even better!

Xo, Hima

Sidenote: I’m waiting for the train right now and I’m SO distracted by all the people walking by. Maybe this whole no wifi thing doesn’t really help if I’m just looking at people’s outfits.