Humans of Rock Ridge: Pandemic Profiles

“I tried basketball and I tried track, and I just decided I like track more. I made it to states. It was a really good experience. It’s kinda rare [for a freshman], but I got to be an alternate. My favorite part of track is probably getting to spend time with my friends and my coach. My coach is very nice. The team is really cool, everyone’s friendly and nice to you ... Maybe I’ll get to states...

"A thing that changed me a lot was me going on a service learning trip. I'm part of this organization called Medlife, and we went to Lima, Peru to help underserved areas that were in poverty. One day on the trip, we went to this community which was completely different from the community in Loudoun County. It was really interesting to see how they lived on the other side of the world, just the polar...

"Ever since I was two, I´ve had an extreme draw to fashion. It's kind of like everything to me. It's an outlet, a place to get excited over. If I'm tired, I can come home and look at a bunch of pictures, and then sketch some ideas, or go online shopping. It's just a huge part of my life. I love to watch fashion shows and any big events that include fashion, like ‘Miss America,’ ‘Miss Universe,’...

“When I’m running, I can just zone out. I don’t have to pay attention. When I’m playing football or baseball, I actually have to focus. But when I’m running, I can go off in my own mind and think of stuff when I’m doing it. It’s like a stress reliever. Talking to the other people racing is [also] a really big stress reliever, cause everyone else is just as scared. Last year, I [unofficially]...

“I get a lot of my inspiration from a lot of sports players. I have a lot of famous quotes. For example, one of my favorite basketball players, Steph Curry — one of his quotes is ‘Success is not an accident, success is actually a choice.’ I go by that quote every day. Kobe Bryant is another [inspiration], even before he had his fatal accident. He’s still a big part of my life today. He wrote...

“I prefer 'Percy Jackson' more than 'Harry Potter' because there are more female main characters. I can relate to them more rather than 'Harry Potter,' which only has Hermione as the main female.”

“A struggle I faced was my learning disability. Some topics were harder to learn, and it took me more time to master them compared to other individuals. However, I overcame this toil in my life by studying harder, connecting with my teachers more often, and using different types of platforms online to help me study. Additionally, a strength I have is my ability of leadership. I’m able to give critical...

“I was kind of up there with the leads, and I realized hey — I’m a sophomore and I got a lead role in a Rock Ridge show. I got to sing my own song; I got to be this powerhouse up on stage, and that’s so unlike me. The way that the character dressed and acted was so unlike me, but also, everything that I want to be in a person. The character is so confident, she’s so determined, she stands...

“I’m honestly most proud of the coaches selecting me to be co-captain for the crew team. That’s meant a lot to me through all of high school. Being a part of the crew team has definitely been one the biggest factors in making me who I am between freshman year to now, so being able to be one of the people to help guide it and be a support for the new freshman is really important to me.”

“I think I was able to get better [at rhythmic gymnastics] by my coach telling me corrections and [me] thinking to myself how to fix things and get better at it. Making mistakes was also a huge part ... like when I forgot my whole rope routine and got last place.”

Lauren Walsh admitted she missed her boyfriend and friends throughout quarantine, but she found some loopholes for keeping all of her closest relationships strong. “I would say that being able to see and touch people is so valuable and I shouldn’t take advantage of that,” Walsh said. “For my boyfriend, we FaceTimed almost every night, and with my friends, we did group FaceTimes and we would...

“Upon first glance, people probably do not think that I’m athletic or am interested in health,” sophomore Aria Sharma, a two-sport athlete, said. Sharma plays field hockey and lacrosse at Rock Ridge in addition to CrossFit at Ashburn CrossFit. “I like exercising. I’m a big exercise person,” Sharma said. “I feel like it’s a stress reliever. I get to build on myself and my personality.” Sharma...

“I was scared I didn’t have the body and insecure about my looks, but then, I was inspired by TikTok back in 2019. I had no intention to do it for popularity ... I wanted a creative outlet. I gained a huge confidence boost from the community. My followers helped me gain so much self-love that I haven’t had in so long. I am now able to truly express myself. When you get into cosplay, you embody...

“My dad is a Type 1 diabetic. I think he has three siblings, and two of the three siblings are also diabetic. So basically, my whole family has been staying at home. We would have to get the groceries delivered to our house. We would have to leave them outside for three hours in the sun. Then, we’d bring them in the house and wipe them all down with gloves and Clorox. So everything was just such...

“I have been to four different states in the past five years. Moving influenced me a lot. Before I moved, I was a little close-minded because I only know a small circle of people. When I started moving a lot, I met so many people with different backgrounds and different life stories. That made me really open-minded and taught me to not judge people because I really don't know a lot of things about...

“I like having a twin. You always know you have someone there — like if you don’t feel you have friends — because they’re always there with you. You can relate on a huge level because you’re obviously both the same age … We’re completely different in the way of personality and how we get things done, but [we] can relate on pretty much everything. I feel like it’s a special connection...

“I went through a couple of pretty bad injuries — there’s one that stood out to me though. I split my knuckle. It was so quick I didn’t even know what happened. I was going to throw a punch directly next to his head, and he dodged a lot more ... I just swung through the mirror, and it shattered. When you ask [me about being proud of martial arts], I don’t think of medals, I don’t think...

“My family [does] everything for me. My dad is my biggest supporter; I like doing basically anything I can with him — cooking, teaching me how to drive, playing video games, or even just going on trips to the store. Overall, I enjoy being with my dad, even if it’s at home. He is always there for me, no matter what. He helps me when I need it, and he lets me talk and share my point of view.”

"If you need help, you can walk up to anyone — seniors and juniors especially — and say ‘Hey, can you help me with this dance move?’ or 'How [do I] sing this part or [say] a line or how to say these words in the script?' They'll definitely help you … [Musical theater] is different from other art forms because it's like all of them together. You need the ability to express yourself outwardly,...

“I honestly don’t know what the future holds for me. All I know is that I’m going to be walking the streets of different cities and looking for a purpose in life … I’m fine if that takes a long time. I’m going to search for my purpose. Because that is what’s going to make me happy.”

“We first had to get a new sponsor, so I asked my Latin teacher because I’ve known her for a few years. The important thing was trying to adapt to online learning, so we just decided that we would do virtual meetings, including online activities. And [now], it’s mostly volunteering and fundraising. We’ve found a few online volunteering [opportunities] and have online fundraisers. I think the...

“I’ve been [playing basketball] for the past two years. I am also thinking about trying out for cross country and soccer. I love my teammates they’re fun, nice, and they’re good players as well. I like my coach too, he can be strict and crazy sometimes, but he’s a great coach and always tries to push us to do our best. We also have two new coaches this year and I am looking forward to getting...

“I do a lot of coding, and that’s primarily the reason why I choose not to get a pet. I have knowledge in coding languages like Python and C++. In the future, I would like to have a career job at Google. Google seems like it has a lot of free opportunities where you can work with a lot of stuff and have more freedom than other companies like Microsoft and Amazon. I think, in the future, Google...

“I’ve been to a lot of different places, such as India, Great Britain, and a lot of East African countries. I actually lived in India and Kenya ... the experience over there was very different compared to here in the United States, because it is more of a community in those places and the school system is harder.”

“I play soccer. I was on varsity [as a freshman]. I have been playing since kindergarten. I feel like it taught me how to talk more because if I don't know people, I don’t talk. It helped me become more of an extravert.”

“My first play was ‘Annie Jr.’ I did it at Stone Hill. In high school, I did ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Rent,’ and then ‘Big Fish’ — which got canceled. I made a lot of new friends during theater, and I still talk to them and we do things outside of school as well. You make a community of friends doing theater.”

"Quarantine has changed me, not in a negative way, mostly in a positive way. It's really made me realize that I need to be more grateful for things that I have before they’re gone and to appreciate the time I spend with the people that I love. We don't know when we’re not going to be able to.”

“We call ourselves Comic Failure. All of our band members — we consider ourselves funny. We like to think so, at least. So that’s where the name comes from because it means a failing comedian, or like, a funny failure, which is what we are. It started when my friend, Grant, said, ‘Do you want to be in a band?’ and I said, ‘Yeah.’ That’s really it. We all had friends who played instruments,...

“I like to code. It helps me be creative, make something by myself — just make something out of a computer and your fingers. I did one language last year, and that was C++. My dad taught me that. I stopped using it after last summer, but then this year, I started again. I just finished learning Python, and that was a big achievement. Right now, I’m learning Java. I’m doing some little projects...

“[USABO] is a club that allows high school students to compete in a biology competition. So basically, they have to write an exam about biology, and they can compete with different students from all over the world. The winners of each competition will advance to the next rounds and compete in an international and professional science environment. The club will give students who are passionate about...

“We were at that age of being exposed to YouTube. I stumbled across an action figure reviewer [whose] name was Shartimus Prime and watched some of his Transformer videos and Marvel videos and thought, ‘This is cool.’ I’ve always thought it would be snazzy, partaking in what is known as ACBA or Articulated Comic Book Art [...] taking photos of action figures — cut-outs, affect pieces, backgrounds,...

“I play soccer. I am very passionate about it because when I play soccer, it makes me feel better about anything bad I have going on in my life. It feels like an escape.”

“After the pandemic, somehow, my life got exponentially better. I felt guilty about it, of course, because what was happening around me was tragic, but going to school every day was a drag. The instant when quarantine hit, I started finishing my assignments, writing, spending time with family, etc. Everything I said I would do, I did. And my mood was better for it ... I feel improved. I could see...

“I have been able to think [because of the pandemic] and kinda get to know myself more because I am so distracted during the school year. I have discovered some new hobbies. I really like to do yoga, and I really like to hang by myself sometimes. I like to watch old movies and TV shows that I watched as a kid or anything that I really really enjoyed. It gives me time to reminisce and reflect on my...

“In coding, every little mistake could take hours to find, so you need motivation. That is the number one thing when you are programming — you have to be motivated … Staying on one thing, even though [coding] is so broad, when you can work on only one problem, [it can get] dull. But as you start the project, you just have to keep thinking to yourself about what it’s going to look like when...

“I do not like being an only child; I feel so lonely sometimes ... I wish I had a brother or sister. I see other people and I get kinda sad that I don't have that person to guide me through life or keep me company. Because of that, my mom is my role model ... she is my rock and the hardest worker I know. We are both kind of lonely, so we stick together. It is just me and mom, and yet, she still tries...

Q: COVID-19 has affected everyone in some way, so what’s something that has been getting you through? A: I’ve picked up a lot of new books over quarantine, like Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming,’ and I’ve been practicing a lot of piano. I started playing the piano when I was 6 years old.  Q: Do you play any other musical instruments? A: On Saturdays, I go to a religious school, where I lea...

Q: What originally made you want to join Science Olympiad? A: I’ve been seeing all my friends do Science Olympiads since the eighth grade, and honestly, I felt like in high school, it would be a better idea to do it because I saw all my friends having such a fun time in the middle school version. They were right because Science Olympiad is such a fun activity that I do. Q: Alongside Scienc...

Q: How have you been during the pandemic? A: I’ve been getting by just fine. I’ve just been focusing more on music, in general. Music is the one thing I have when I’m home. That’s what I tend to do because I don’t like to go out during the pandemic — nobody does. Q: Did you have someone you know, or there was something you saw, that inspired you to get started on music? A: My re...