Arcadia High School (AHS) gives the class of 2023 a big Congratulations for completing the previous three years of high school and making it to their senior year at last! As the class of 2023 embarks on the journey through their final year, we all wish them good luck for the remaining months and hope that this experience may be a memorable one. Representing the many seniors at AHS are Carolyn Sun, Nicole Lien, and Noah Navarro. 

“I’m super excited to foster all the interests I’ve picked up and been involved in throughout high school,” stated Sun. “I’ve got a lot of great things going on and it makes me so happy that I’m part of so many supportive and amazing communities.”

As a member of the Cybersecurity Club, a Varsity Track athlete, and an officer of the Astrophysics Club, Sun is actively involved in numerous extracurricular activities while still staying on top of all of her classes, as well as making time to write her college applications. Throughout her high school years, an accomplishment she was incredibly proud of was becoming her division’s 400m Pacific League champion by the end of sophomore year. 

Lien, feeling anxious about applying to colleges and leaving high school behind, is simultaneously excited to graduate and experience all the fun that lies ahead in her senior year. A Link Crew member since her junior year, she feels that being in the crew gives her a good opportunity to be included on campus and to serve as a leader to others, allowing her to collaborate with peers and staff members. 

“I enjoy helping others, and I love the Link Crew leaders I work with,” said Lien. “I’ve learned that collaboration is a great skill I’ve improved on in high school. I intend to use it to benefit me by working successfully in group settings and contributing to team efforts.”

A member of the football team since his junior year, Navarro walked into it blindly, having very little understanding of what was going on. However, there were seniors who really helped shape him, and he wants to return that favor by helping the new kids who are now in his old shoes. He has come a long way, becoming a leader on his team that others can look up to, coaches can respect, and teammates can trust on and off the field. 

“I am extremely grateful for my teammates and the opportunity to show up and grow in an environment with people that I can help teach and develop with,” stated Navarro. 

Along with all of these amazing qualities the three seniors possess, there have also been low moments in their high school years. The reality of being a student is incredibly tough for some since many different issues may arise in different students. 

“I struggled with balancing my academics and extracurricular activities,” said Lien. “My grades suffered, and I was not satisfied with my academic performance.” 

Despite the troubles that came her way, Lien stated, “I’m proud of not giving up after failing. I think learning from mistakes and understanding how I can avoid making them has taught me to be more optimistic and resilient.” 

As for Navarro, he missed out on half of his high school experience due to the pandemic. Aside from that, he transferred from a different school in the second semester of his freshman year, causing him to have to adapt to a brand new environment. 

“I only had a month or two to make connections and friends before the pandemic,” said Navarro.  “I missed out on almost my entire freshman year and all of my sophomore year. I came back my junior year playing football and making as many friends as I could. To this day, I am still meeting new people and trying to enjoy my high school experience to the fullest.” 

Looking back at all the tears and joys from their years at AHS, it is safe to say that the three seniors have definitely gained plenty of new knowledge and improved on so much, academic-wise and character-wise, since their freshman year. 

“I’ve just grown a lot during high school,” said Sun. “I feel like in terms of learning to deal with hard situations and working with my emotions in a super stressful pinch, I’m a lot more prepared now. I’m not too scared for college, I’m really excited. Instead, I think I might be a bit sad to leave behind this life. Life-wise, high school has definitely been good to me.”

Overall, some tips and advice they sincerely voiced to incoming high school students are: don’t be afraid. Being scared will only make you regret not doing things. Focus on things that you think are interesting, and spend a lot of time on that. Take high school seriously and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone since trying new things can help you discover your passions.