Mariam Rizwan is a senior at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School. As her senior year ends, Mariam is looking forward to starting college in the fall. I interviewed Mariam about her high school experiences, personal insights, and hopes for this new chapter in her life.
What do you look forward to the most about college?
Mariam: I look forward to the new environment overall and starting a new chapter in my life.
What was your favorite year of high school and your least favorite year of high school and why?
I’d say my favorite year of high school is probably my senior year so far because of the many activities like the [upcoming] senior social. It involves looking forward to new chapters. My least favorite year was probably sophomore year, it was an awkward year. The transition from online school to in-person was a bit confusing at first. As the year went along, I got the hang of it.
What was it like to have freshman year online?
I didn’t feel the shift from middle school to high school because of online. I didn’t feel the impact ’till sophomore year. It was a bit odd to have everything online, but I got used to it due to a little bit of eighth grade being online as well. I was lazy during freshman year.
What was your favorite class you took in high school and why?
My favorite class was parenting because I like being around kids. If you didn’t know, on Tuesdays and Thursdays we basically run a preschool, and every student is assigned to a kid. It’s really fun because you get to spend time with them, play with them. The days the kids aren’t there, we learn about how to get a job, how to buy a house, how to have a family. It’s really informative.
What is a goal you had before entering high school that you achieved?
I’d say becoming more social, becoming more extroverted. I was more shy before, but now I’m more willing to get involved in activities that I wouldn’t have before.
What activities do you partake in in your free time?
I like to make bracelets and read a bit in my free time.
Which person, in your opinion, inspires you? Like a celebrity, a relative, a teacher, etc.
I would say my mom inspires me. She inspired me throughout my life through her acts of determination and her fearlessness.
What advice would you give to incoming freshmen?
Be involved in a bunch of extracurricular activities. You will enjoy high school more with those activities. High school isn’t as bad as people say.
