[TRANSCRIPT]

Karin Yamakawa: The transition from middle school to high school is a big challenge for most. In this podcast, we will share our best advice on how to survive as a freshman. 

We will talk to students from each grade as well as the counselor. Let’s get started with an interview with Colette, interviewing Dr. Anderson and Mr. Poon, counselors for the graduating class of 2029. 

Colette Chen: So I’m here interviewing Mr. Poon and Dr. Anderson. Would you both like to introduce yourselves and your roles?

Dr. Deja Anderson: My name is Dr. Deja Anderson, and I am one half of the ninth-grade counseling team. I have the first part of the alphabet, A through Liu.

Mr. Andrew Poon: And I’m Andrew Poon. I have the other half of the alphabet as a freshman counselor. This is year number 19 for me here on campus—I’ve done multiple rotations now. I started at Dana Middle School for the first two years, and then transferred to the high school. So it’s been about 17 and a half years here.

Dr. Deja Anderson: You’re in very good hands. I’ve only been in the district 11 years, at the high school for, five in my first year in grade level counseling. I used to do wellness before this. 

Colette Chen: Got it. So what do you think are some common struggles that you’ve seen freshmen face as they start high school?

Dr. Deja Anderson: One thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes our freshmen are really enthusiastic about their class schedules. Even though we say it’s going to be a different workload from middle school to high school, they still kind of want to take everything—especially if there are honors opportunities and then extracurriculars. They just kind of overload their schedules, and then they realize, “Whoa, I took on a lot.” So helping them understand that is important.

Mr. Andrew Poon: Yeah, and on the other side of the spectrum, a lot of times with freshmen I think they kind of drag their feet when it comes to joining activities. We’re talking about the non-academic things—activities for fun, being involved in different events.

Talking with seniors, one of their number one regrets is:

“I wish I joined my clubs earlier. I wish I did more clubs earlier. I wish I did more activities earlier.”

So focusing on some of the extracurricular stuff—truly “extra,” not academic—something for them and their own personal growth. I think they often start that a little bit later, and a lot of times they wish they had started earlier.

Colette Chen: I see. And Dr. Anderson, you mentioned earlier that the homework jump between middle school and high school is pretty big. Do you think it takes a big adjustment for freshmen when they first start?

Dr. Deja Anderson: I think just being able to manage their time is a big adjustment. Some of them may be used to getting things done in a shorter amount of time, and in high school they sometimes need a little more time to get their homework done. So I think just being realistic—like, “How much time do I actually have to get things done?”—is really important.

Colette Chen: All right. Do both of you have any tips for the incoming freshmen? Because I don’t think you two are going to be in charge of the next generation, but just general tips for them.

Mr. Andrew Poon: For the freshmen, I think it’s all about balance.

The first couple of months at the high school, you definitely see a division. You see the Dana kids at the “Dana table,” the First Ave kids over there, and they’re still wearing their green or blue—whatever their middle school colors were.

It’s not until about November or December where you really start to see it feel like a cohesive freshman class.

So I always try to tell freshmen early that one piece of advice is: Get involved with a lot of different things, meet new people, step out of your comfort zone—both friendship-wise and academically.

That’s how you have a full high school experience.

Dr. Deja Anderson: And I agree with Mr. Poon—just be willing to try things. I think sometimes they’re a little nervous, and they kind of stick to what they know.

But put yourself out there. On clubs day, walk around, see what the different clubs are, go to one meeting. It doesn’t mean you have to stay, but just go check it out. There might be something you’re interested in.

Also, meet new people and talk to your teachers. Sometimes that’s a hard thing for freshmen to do as well.

Colette Chen: All right. Last question: What do you think is the best habit freshmen should build during the first month of school—something that will keep them afloat in high school?

Mr. Andrew Poon: I think the easiest thing is to get organized. We say that a lot, and it sounds like very broad advice, but organization is really key.

Now you have a tight schedule—with six classes and whatever activities or other responsibilities you have outside of school.

So once you get yourself organized and into a routine, that’s when it starts to feel more comfortable. Where you get a routine set so you know how to meet all your responsibilities.

Dr. Deja Anderson: Time management is huge. If you can get that figured out early enough, you’ll be okay.

Colette Chen: All right. Well, thank you for the interview and the wonderful answers, Mr. Poon and Dr. Anderson. Thank you very much.

Dr. Deja Anderson: Thank you.

Mr. Andrew Poon: Thank you. 

Karin Yamakawa: Thank you for the interview. Let’s move on to the next interview with Jae, interviewing Elise, this year’s freshman.

Jae Kim: Hi, what’s your name and grade? 

Elise Panaligan: My name is Elise Panaligan and I’m a freshman. 

Jae Kim: What do you struggle with during your freshman year? 

Elise Panaligan: It’s a lot different from middle school. Like, no break in between second and third period. And I think since everybody is, like, finding or meeting new people, I think friendships are, like, I think I’ve grown apart from the people I was close to back in middle school.  I don’t know. I wouldn’t say the coursework is much different than middle school, but there is like, more seriousness to it, I guess. 

Jae Kim: How do you deal with these difficulties?

Elise Panaligan: I think although the transition from middle school to high school has been hard, since Arcadia is such, like a diverse and big school, I think that meeting new people has really helped me feel like, has really helped me fit in here at Arcadia. And academically, I think just staying on top of things and keeping a schedule, a to-do list, helps me track my assignments and do what I need to do. 

Jae Kim: Are there any unanswered questions you want to ask upperclassmen? 

Elise Panaligan: A question that I’d like to ask upper classmen is, how do they choose their classes for the next year and what factors do they use or like, take account for when choosing their classes?

Jae Kim: What do you wish you knew before you started high school? 

Elise Panaligan: As a middle schooler, I thought high school was going to be really scary, but as I got used to, like, the campus and my teachers, I realized that high school isn’t that much different from middle school and that everything will be fine. 

Jae Kim: Are there any things in high school that you’re still not used to?

Elise Panaligan: Not really.

Jae Kim: Do you have any tips for incoming freshmen?

Elise Panaligan: For incoming freshmen, I’d say, don’t be nervous. It’s really not that different from middle school. And I think meeting new people is great. And even if you might stray from your old friends, you’ll make new ones, so don’t worry. 

Jae Kim: Thank you so much.

Karin Yamakawa: All right, on to Karin Yamakawa with the sophomores Brianna and Sonia.

Karin Yamakawa: So what is your name and grade?

Sonia Widjojo: My name is Sonia Widjojo, and I’m in grade 10.

Brianna Angeles: My name is Brianna Angeles, and I’m also in grade 10.

Karin Yamakawa: So, what did you struggle with freshman year?

Brianna Angeles: I think I struggled with, like, time managing and, like, with my workload, because I didn’t expect the workload to be so much more since going from middle school to freshman year. But that’s pretty much it.

Sonia Widjojo: I think I struggled with task initiation. So like getting started on like your homework or like that project that you didn’t want to do. Yeah, procrastination.

Karin Yamakawa: So how did you handle your freshman year?

Brianna Angeles: I, like, usually would make like a schedule or like force myself to do a certain thing, because it would get to a point that I’m like, Oh, I’ll have time to do it later, or I’ll do it now, but then I’ll start scrolling, or, like, something that avoided it, but then I like, started to, like, have a specific schedule for every day.

Sonia Widjojo: I think it sounds really niche, but probably like putting your phone somewhere, not close to you, that helps with starting your homework, because then you’re like, Oh, I better start my homework now and then, since there’s I can’t scroll, you know.

Karin Yamakawa: So do you have any tips for incoming freshmen?

Brianna Angeles: Oh, some tips I have is, like, don’t treat freshman year as, like, a light year just because it’s freshman year, like, because of how, oh, that’s like, your first year, and like, colleges won’t look at it. I say, like, still try your best. Like, it’s not Middle School. Like, go for it.

Sonia Widjojo: A tip I have is probably to use like calendar or like a planner so that you can, like, write out your extracurriculars, so that if you see that you have something that’ll take up your evening away from homework. For example, if you had like something on Wednesday, then on Tuesday, you try to do a little bit of the homework for Wednesday, so that your load isn’t too much on Wednesday. So having, like, a calendar or planner would be good.

Karin Yamakawa: Thank you for your insight. Is there anything else do you want to share?

Brianna Angeles: Even though I said like to take freshman year serious, like, don’t take it that serious that you’re, like, always thinking, Oh, what’s the next assignment? Or, like, you’re like, forcing yourself, or like, have fun while you’re doing this. Like, mainly what I’m saying,

Sonia Widjojo: Yeah, yeah. Like, what Brianna said, Have fun your freshman year. You know, if you have time, go out with your friends, make connections, yeah? And just enjoy freshman year.

Karin Yamakawa: Okay, thank you so much. This was Karin.

Next, let’s speak with Estella Lim, with the junior student, Stella Wang.

Estella Lim: What is your name and grade? 

Stella Wang: Hi, I’m Stella Wang, and I’m a junior this year. 

Estella Lim: What did you or do you struggle with in freshman year?

Stella Wang: So, for my freshman year, I actually went to another school. It was an all girls school, and it was very Catholic. And I just look up on myself, like, you know, struggling to, like, fit into that Catholic, you know, all girls sort of environment. 
So, yeah, that was my experience. 

Estella Lim: Mm, I see, I see. How did you handle it?

Stella Wang: So, by handling it, I kind of just switched schools to Arcadia High School. Because this is where I grew up. So I kind of just escaped my problem. 

Estella Lim: I mean, yeah, that’s good, that’s good. So, do you have any tips for incoming freshmen?

Stella Wang: For incoming freshmen, I think,  it’s super important to engage yourself in any activity that revolves around meeting new people, especially events in link room. That’s good. That’s good. 
What is the balance between school and relaxation for high schoolers? So, for high schoolers, I feel like you shouldn’t pressure yourself into, you know, doing something academic that you feel like you don’t really like, ’cause I feel like if you pressure yourself doing something that’s, like, also academic, and also something that you like, then it naturally becomes relaxing and academic at the same time. So, like, there’s a balance, you know? 


Estella Lim: That’s good. Is there anything you would like to share? 

Stella Wang: Something I like to share is,  log in on those extracurriculars. You don’t want to start late. Don’t wait until junior or senior year to get your extracurriculars together. 

Estella Lim: Okay, thank you.

Karin Yamakawa: And our last interview will be with Lea interviewing the senior Charlie.

Lea Wang: Now that we’ve heard from freshmen about their experiences, we’re going to shift into perspectives and hear from someone who’s already been through it all. We’re here with senior Charlie Liu, who has balanced multiple AP classes while also playing varsity basketball. Hi Charlie. Thanks for being here. And to start off, how would you describe your freshman year overall?

Charlie Liu: I think one of the hardest things for me was the language barrier. I had just come from China, so my English wasn’t the best. It was still difficult keeping up with fast-paced classes, especially when teachers were explaining complex topics or when there were a lot of discussions. I sometimes felt hesitant to speak up because I didn’t know what to say. It also made things like writing essays or even asking questions more stressful because I had to think more carefully about how to express myself. But over time, I got more comfortable by practicing talking, talking to classmates, and not being afraid to make mistakes. I realized that most people are actually really supportive, and that helped me gain confidence. Now I see it as something that pushed me to grow a lot, not just academically, but personally, too.

Lea Wang: So how would you say you overcame that language barrier as the years went on?

Charlie Liu: I think a big part of it was just putting myself out there more. I tried to participate in class, even if I wasn’t 100% confident, and I asked questions when I didn’t understand something. I also paid attention to how other students communicate and kind of learned from that. Over time, it became more natural, and I didn’t overthink my sentences as much.

Lea Wang: So I know you mentioned to me previously that you’ve taken a lot of AP classes at Arcadia High School. So what advice would you give freshmen who want to challenge themselves academically?

Charlie Liu: I’ll say that don’t be afraid to take harder classes, but also be realistic about your limits. It’s better to manage a few challenging classes well than to overload yourself and feel stressed all the time. And definitely don’t be afraid to ask for help. Teachers and classmates can make a big difference.

Lea Wang: And a follow-up question to that is, what do you think is the hardest AP class at Arcadia High School?

Charlie Liu: I would say the hardest I’ve taken so far is AP Chem.

Lea Wang: And what has made it hard?

Charlie Liu: It’s like the workload and the difficulty of the class in general. Also, the AP test is really challenging.

Lea Wang: I see, and I know you mentioned your varsity basketball career, so how did being on varsity basketball impact your overall high school experience?

Charlie Liu: It had a really big impact. Being on varsity meant I had practice almost every day after school, games a few times a week, and sometimes traveling to other cities. So it forced me to stay really organized. I couldn’t procrastinate like I used to, because I know I get home really late and still have a lot of homework to finish. It also taught me how to use my time better. I try to get work done whenever I have free time, like during lunch or during break. But beyond academics, it gave me a strong support system. My teammates became some of my closest friends, and having that group made school feel less stressful. It also taught me discipline and accountability, because you’re not just responsible for yourself, you’re part of the team.

Lea Wang: What is something you really wish you knew as a freshman at Arcadia?

Charlie Liu: I wish I knew that it’s okay to not have everything figured out right away. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself in the beginning, but high school is really about learning and growing over time.

Lea Wang: And if you could give one piece of advice to a current freshman or a future incoming freshman, what would you say that one piece of advice is?

Charlie Liu: I would say to get involved in something, whether it’s sports, a club, or anything you’re interested in. It helps you to meet people and makes the school a lot more enjoyable. And don’t be hard on yourself, just focus on improving and making the most of your experience. 

Lea Wang: Thank you so much Charlie, for your very much needed advice.

Karin Yamakawa: Thank you everyone for their amazing advice. We hope that these tips will help incoming freshmen and the future freshmen to come. Thank you for listening.