Homework spread on the floor, music turned low doing repetitious math homework, junior Priya Patel works diligently on her tasks ahead of her.
“When I get home from school, I make a list of things to do on my phone,” Patel said. “If I get off schedule, I am upset, but I don’t stop working. Avoiding the problem won’t make it go away; it’ll still be there tomorrow.”
The pressures of authoritative figures and family members can hinder the schoolwork that is needed to graduate and interfere with many other responsibilities. But for Patel, responsibility is self-gained.
“Sometimes, [school] is so stressful that I want to drop out,” Patel said. “Thankfully, Student Council is a stress-reliever for me. It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun. I like to feel like I’m a part of something bigger.”
Patel also takes three-hour dance classes on Saturdays, adding to the amount of activities she is in. Patel’s dedication to her work has kept her working hard and maintaining her studies.
AP Chemistry teacher Ashley Wong, like many other teachers, encourages proper time managment by giving some advice to students trying to balance AP classes and extracurricular activities such as school clubs, outside work and many more activities.
“AP itself is hard,” Wong said. “You really have to stay on top of things. Don’t wait until the last minute to look at the notes. Every night study a little of AP Chemistry. If you study a little at a time, you’re fine.”
Senior Ramses Carranza somewhat follows Wong’s advice by studying for his Chemistry quiz while in English class. But his study times are limited because of his employment at the convenience store, Quik Trip.
“I try to help my mom out with some bills, mostly during the summer though,” Carranza said. “During school I only work Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. What sucks is when I have to work a double, eight-hour shift, 16 hours a day.”
Carranza said the amount of work isn’t the bad part, the customers are.
“Then I come home, do work and cry,” he said jokingly. “I always get work done though, or sometimes I do it in class.”
Student goals of working hard and achieving academic success are usually for self-pride. Despite the many hours she dedicates to clubs, the amount of time junior Naomi Nguyen puts into homework doesn’t even compare to the extracurricular time. Nguyen spends hours studying for HOSA, a nationally recognized club promoting career opportunities in health care. She is currently studying for the district HOSA competition.
“I’ve gone 18 hours without sleeping to do homework once,” Nguyen said. “Sometimes I wonder who’s going to actually care about these grades. I’d rather just marry a billionaire, so I can be set for life. But I’ll become a pharmacist to fall back on just in case something happens. Becoming a housewife sounds really good right about now.”