Countdown to Choosing a College

My mom and I at UC Los Angeles

Hey everyone! Now that April 1st is approaching fast, seniors are starting to hear back from potential colleges. All colleges must inform their applicants by April 1st and all students must commit to a college by May 1st. Fortunately for me, I have already heard back from all the University of California schools I applied to. To learn more about these schools check out my old post about public Californian colleges by clicking here. I have gotten accepted to every UC school I applied to: UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC Santa Barbara, and UC San Diego! I am extremely excited because all of these schools are great in their own ways and I am looking forward to touring them and learning more about each campus. Most of the schools I have already seen, but it is always more fun to observe as an potential student!

My friend touring UC Berkeley

I am also very happy about my acceptance to the UC schools because they have everything I am looking for in an university. I want a school with warm weather, good social student body, rigorous academics, and exciting sports. Everyone is looking for different things in their university, so make sure you research all the different schools before you apply! I guarantee you will find the right school for you.
As I start to hear back from more and more schools, I will post after April 1st and let you all know which university I will be attending. It is such an exciting time! I will tell you all what colleges I am deciding between and during the month of April I will be posting about the visits I make to different colleges when trying to decide the one that is right for me.

What do you look for in your school/future university? Let me know in the comments!


xoxo

Working Warriors

Hey everyone! Although school is a very important part of any American teen's life, there are many other things that students are involved in outside of the classroom. Many teenagers spend their time working a part time job. In the United States, once you are 16 you can legally work a certain amount of hours a week outside of school. Having a job is a exciting way that many teenagers increase their independence and resonsiblity. If you make your own money you can spend it any way you want! But having a job isn't always as easy and fun as it sounds. Working teenagers must balance their schedules with sports and homework and they might even miss out on events with their friends. However, I think that the positives of having a job outweigh the negatives, but you must find a balance that works for you! Since students have a lot of free time during summer vacation, its the perfect time to get a job. I worked as a tennis instructor over the summer, teaching little kids tennis. It was a win win for me, since I got payed to teach others about the sport I love.

My friends are working in numerous different fields. My friend Emily works in a clothing boutique called Heavenly Couture. She loves it because she is interested in fashion. However, it is stressful when she has to close up the shop late at night all by herself. She has to put the alarm on and lock all the doors and get out all in 60 seconds! It definitely took some practice. My other friend Tyler works in the movie theatre. He has basic duties like collecting tickets and serving popcorn, but he also gets cool perks like counting the amount of people in a movie theater and then getting to watch the movie for free after! It is the perfect incentive for a movie-lover. One of my friends, Molly, is a barista at Starbucks. I always go to her to make my favorite drinks and they are delicious! Whatever your interests are, or if you just want to make money and build your resume, there is a job out there for every teenager who wants one. Just make sure you have time for it! My friends have to make sure they manage their time wisely and plan all other extracurricular actives around their jobs. With a great job comes great responsibility!

Would you want to work in high school? Where would you want to work for your first job? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Spring Stress

An example acceptance letter

Hey everyone! Now that the month of March is in full swing, seniors who applied to colleges are starting to hear answers. Some students have heard from specific schools already, but most college decisions will come by April 1st or around that time. It is an exciting and nerve-wracking time because seniors are on the edge of their seats hoping for that big envelope in the mail with an acceptance letter inside. It will be interesting and exciting to see where all my fellow classmates end up going! Everyone must choose their college by May 1st, so the months of March and April will be filled with acceptances, rejections, and decisions. However, there are so many amazing colleges that I know everyone will end up somewhere perfect for them!
Even though this is a stressful time for many students, seniors are the only ones who have to deal with college applications. Everyone else in high school has other stresses to deal with, like exams and SAT and ACT tests. It seems like every grade will always have hard work, but it all pays off when you get that acceptance from your dream college! Students will get a much needed vacation in three weeks for Spring Break. This is a week off from school right before another stress starts: AP Testing! For more about AP testing check out my past blog by clicking here!

My friend and I relaxing with some pizza

Although this is a stressful time, I try to take some time out of my busy schedule to spend with family and friends. It is the perfect "study break" or "de-stresser" to put me in a good mood and ready to tackle whatever comes my way.

What stressful event do you have coming up? How do you keep positive? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Laker Lunatics

The Lakers playing the Hawks

Supporting the team with a sign

Hey everyone! As I have mentioned before, the winter season is the prime time for basketball. However, high schoolers aren't the only ones hitting the courts, professional basketball is also happening this winter and spring season. Basketball is a crazy and exciting sport to watch because something is always occurring like a turnover, personal foul, or slam dunk. (click the words if you don't know their meanings!) It's one thing to watch this action on your TV at home, but its even more thrilling to watch it live in an arena!

Celebrating with streamers

Last weekend, my friends and I traveled to Los Angeles to support the basketball team from that city, the Lakers! It was an intense game, and the Lakers ended up winning by only two points. Talk about a close call! After the Lakers won, streamers were dropped on all the fans to celebrate. It was so cool! That does not happen when you watch at home. Overall, it was such a fun experience to watch the professional game live. I definitely recommend it! Watching any sport live, whether its indoor or outdoor, professional or high school, makes it a fun and exciting event.

What sports do you like to watch? Have you ever been to a live sporting game? Let me know in the comments!

My friends and I at the game

xoxo

Donating and Delegating

Hey everyone!

This past Saturday was really busy, as I was part of the Secretariat board that planned and put on the 21^st annual Model UN conference for Laguna Hills High school.  The conference went very smoothly, even the weather cooperated by being sunny and 20 degrees Celsius!  600 student delegates came from all over Orange County and represented various countries in organized committees that discussed how to solve various global issues.   At the end of the conference we gave out awards for the outstanding delegates and the best research.  In two weeks I will be going up to University of California at Berkeley to attend another conference—as a delegate this time.  Hope I win an award!

 At the LHHS conference we were even able to collect over $300 for our conference philanthropy--Futbol  4 Dreams.

Futbol 4 Dreams is a non-profit organization at LHHS that began in 2006 and sends soccer balls and sports material to children worldwide.  The delegates at our conference decorated over 20 soccer balls with inspirational messages and positive images. These soccer balls will be sent to developing countries around the world.  Futbol 4 Dreams has already sent decorated soccer balls and equipment to more than twenty-five nations across the globe.   

What charities do you support? Does your school work with any charities? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Sporty Seniors

A senior with her family getting honored

We <3 our Seniors signs

Hey everyone! With the season of winter coming to an end, so are the winter sports. And with the ending of a sports season comes senior night! This night is on the last home game played as a special tribute to the athletes who have played that sport throughout high school. Now that they are seniors, this is probably the last time they will play that sport, especially at our high school. We make posters for them to line the gym and they get to have a speech read about them while they walk through a balloon arch with flowers. It is a pretty cool event! Senior nights are very sad because it celebrates a huge part of an athlete's life coming to an end, but it is heartwarming because it shows moving on to a exciting future. Don't worry, all the spring sports still have their entire season before their senior night! So there will be lots more opportunities to support those sporty seniors.

Fans cheering them on

How do you celebrate students who are graduating? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Super Signers

Way to go hawk athletes!

Hey everyone! At high schools all across the United States, top sports athletes were committing to their colleges through National Signing Day. This happens on the first Wednesday of February each year and it is the first day a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for their college. In other words, this is the day where all athletes who have been recruited by a college to play a sport there commit to the college.
At my school, we had 7 athletes sign with colleges. They are going to be attending colleges all over the country ranging from Dartmouth and Boston University in the East Coast to Cal Baptist and UC Santa Barbara in California. It is exciting for me to see my fellow classmates committing to the colleges they will be at next year. Since I am not playing a sport for a college team, I will not hear back from my colleges until the end of March or the beginning of April. So while I am waiting, these athletes can relax because, as of today, they are officially accepted to their amazing colleges.

How do you feel about a signing day for American sports teams? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo