Maanav Amin is a senior at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and has officially committed to the Rutgers Honors College. Maanav plans on pursuing biomedical engineering as he thoroughly enjoys biology and math. He has been an active member of the JFK community and has taken on officer roles for many clubs. Maanav has also participated in many sports such as baseball, bowling and tennis for a short period before injuring his shoulder. Maanav is an outstanding and well rounded student, as well as a decent brother.
What was your favorite memory in high school?
Maanav: Homecoming game we [Maanav, Sathya, Petar, Matysh, Dev Ray and Jeet] all dressed up in camo ghillie suits that we bought off of amazon because it [homecoming] was camouflage themed night. Six or seven of us came in ghillie suits and it was a lot of fun because so many people thought it was weird, but we were having a blast and had our own chants going.
Seeing that your freshman year was online and your class entered the building as sophomores, do you feel like you haven’t gotten the full experience and missed out on some opportunities?
No, freshmen year is boring anyways and our transition was sophomore year instead, so it was okay. Even though there were some classes that I wish I would’ve taken in person instead, I feel like freshmen year isn’t that monumental. Sophomore year kind of just became our freshmen year.
Is there a teacher here at JFK that influenced or motivated you a lot?.
I liked having Mrs. McCaig for AP Bio. That class was probably the most fun class that I’ve taken because, though the material was hard, it was fun to have her as a teacher. She was probably the most fun teacher I had.
What is the most important lesson you learned in your high school career?
Very cliche but, don’t take your time for granted. I’m graduating in a month, and to think two years ago we were sophomores waiting to graduate is kind of crazy. The years flew by really quickly so I feel the biggest thing I learned is not to take my time for granted and enjoy myself as much as I can.
In your opinion, which year is the best year of high school and why?
I had the most fun junior and senior year. Senior year because I didn’t have much work anymore so I’m able to hang out with my friends a lot more. Everyone is kind of winding down so it’s really chill. But junior year was like fun in general because the classes everyone took were relatively hard so we all bonded over the struggles. I also got to know more people junior year.
What are you most excited to experience in college?
I’m going to Rutgers so I’m going to see the same people, so there’s nothing really new that I’m going to experience, but I guess the freedom of a flexible schedule sounds nice. Being able to go school when I want to, picking my classes, and picking my timings are all things I’m looking forward to. Living on campus is going to be fun, too.
How do you feel as graduation is approaching?
Obviously, mixed feelings. I’m kind of happy that high school is done and I’m moving on now, but it also kind of sucks because I’ve been seeing these people for 12 years now and some of them I may not ever see again. It’s kind of crazy to think about that. Even if there are people I don’t like, it makes a difference from seeing them for a really long time to not seeing them again. But I am excited for all of the new opportunities I’m about to face.
What is an event that took place (either in high school or outside) that impacted you the most?
Well not the most, but something that impacted me a decent bit was the job I got. So I work at the eye doctor’s office and I think it showed me that I do have an interest in the medical field, which may be my future career path. It also taught me a lot about work ethic and how important it is not only in school, but outside of school too, and organization.
Do you have any advice for the incoming freshmen class and senior class?
For the incoming freshmen class, just enjoy high school. It goes by a lot faster than you think it will. Make more memories because when you graduate high school, and then go on to graduate college, these are the memories that you will look back on. For the incoming senior class, just enjoy it. It’s your last year in high school. When you enter you’ll feel like ‘oh I still have eight months left’, but those eight months fly by. Enjoy it and make sure you leave with no regrets of things you wish you would’ve done or accomplished in high school.
