After spending the past four years of my academic career at Arcadia High School (AHS), I would like to thank the wonderful teachers and staff who have supported me in the fullest way. 

My academic journey at AHS began virtually as I was a freshman during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was not able to explore the campus during freshman year. I am very appreciative of how positive my teachers were during this unfortunate situation by being so understanding.

One of the most positive experiences I had at AHS was being a part of the Orchestra in grades 9-11. I have played the violin for several years and loved the opportunity to take Orchestra as my elective. Being in Orchestra allowed me to make many new friends who I probably would’ve never met had it not been for Orchestra. 

From a very young age, I have loved running. I consider myself a very fast runner, at one point being able to run the mile in five minutes. I ran cross country at AHS and loved the team- building skills that I gained throughout the time I was on the team. Cross Country was competitive and we had a lot of downtime that we spent building relationships with fellow teammates.

Over the years, I definitely have seen a lot of growth within myself. I am no longer the person I was when I entered high school. I have matured exponentially and have learned a lot of new things particularly about culture and the history of America. My knowledge has been widened by courses I chose to take. 

My favorite class at AHS was definitely U.S. History with Mr. Wang. Since the age of 7, I have been obsessed with American history and this class allowed me to read and analyze historical events I was undereducated on.

If I could give any advice to incoming seniors, it would be to enjoy your time at AHS. Time goes by much faster than you will be anticipating and as important as getting good grades is, make sure you balance your time and make time to spend having fun with your friends.

I am so grateful for all of the amazing teachers who devoted their time to my education and made the class environment the best it could be. Leaving AHS will definitely take some adapting to, but I look forward to continuing my education at the collegiate level.