Ms. Soliven has impacted us in ways that a normal teacher would not have. In addition to numerous parties held throughout the year to help us bond with our fellow peers, we held “community circles” every Friday. These community circles would include a discussion that revolved around a weekly topic and helped us to learn more about each other. Plus, working on different group projects with our peers allowed us to form meaningful relationships with each other as well as Ms. Soliven.

In Ms. Soliven’s class, not only did we learn biology, we also learned valuable life lessons that we would never forget. Though one day we might depart from the field of biology in pursuit of another subject, her tips and tricks for living life to the fullest would stay with us forever. One day, Ms. Soliven noticed that a few of her students were stressed with other classes. Quick to seize the opportunity, she began class that day by instructing us on how to manage stress in our lives with breathing activities. As a class, we all breathed in and out slowly following her lead for a good 15 minutes. These 15 minutes were not wasted, as we learned a good, passive way to release anxiety and have a more peaceful life. Plus, her neat and tidy classroom was an example for us, as she encouraged relaxing, decluttering, and cleaning our homes and lives. Even her worksheets exemplified this simplistic, neat lifestyle, as they had a consistent, clean format that is easy to read and understand. Another thing that significantly set Ms. Soliven apart is that she applied biology to real life, wanting us to live healthily. On her recently made Instagram account, she posts cooking tips that are healthy for our bodies and are good for the environment.

The biology course was divided into units, in each of which we would have a new lab group with about four to five people. Because of the constant shifts, we learned how to work with a variety of people, each with different personality traits. Some were responsible and easy to work with, and some were a bit more difficult to motivate; yet, working with both responsible and difficult people simulates the real world ahead of us. In retrospect, we appreciate this opportunity that Ms. Soliven gave us to work with other people, even though it may have been difficult at the time. In addition to working with a variety of people, the deadlines for projects were very tight, which also simulates life outside of school, outside of a biology class. In the workplace, there may be some people who we may not necessarily work well with or deadlines which may seem impossible to complete, but this learning experience she has provided is will prepare us for the lives ahead of us.