After the sheltered middle school experience, many rising freshmen often feel like an already defeated, powerless invertebrate swimming in the deep sea only waiting for the looming shark that is high school to prance. I knew of friends who warned me not to waste my time getting involved in clubs that weren’t academic-focused, others who fell into deep depression during the peak of their high school career, and some who simply just got by.

Mildly perturbed by such negative anecdotes, I wondered what my reality would be. On the first day of high school, I hesitantly walked the halls, anxious that I was going to inadvertently find myself in the wrong classroom or unable to keep up with the academic rigor. I often visualized the time pie chart that I completed in a WINGS activity that displayed how I used my 24 hours and heard counselors’ and teachers’ voices in the back of my head urging students to only join clubs and societies that interested them and to not overbook yourself. So naturally, I joined the math, science, pre-professional health, social science, Latin, and English honor societies as well as Key Club, the Art and Literary Magazine, and of course, The Blaze.

Brimming with ideas and eager to help make a larger impact within honor societies and clubs, I joined all the clubs that interested me, which turned out to be about half of the clubs offered.

Key Club taught me dedication and early leadership: I joined the club as a 9th grader with the goal of serving others through seva, or selfless service in my faith, and it was my love for the community and our impact that drove me to apply for treasurer and later president. Growing the chapter to 60+ members gave me the opportunity to witness the smiles on members’ faces as they realized the true meaning of service and the vast impact their seemingly simple actions had on their community. 

Science National Honor Society taught me true passion and commitment: from organizing science fairs for elementary schoolers to planning for the Regional Science and Engineering Fair to being promoted to president by the senior officers due to my dedication to the organization, I have learnt that it is best to pour your efforts into projects that you are emotionally invested in and genuinely enjoy. 

The Art and Literary Magazine taught me creativity and community: from sharing gasps of excitement over expertly-crafted poetry to sighs of relief when InDesign spared us extra troubles to munching on pineapple and mushroom Domino’s pizza during late worknights in the production cycle, my meticulous self fell in love with tirelessly designing, editing, and revising spreads and design to do justice to students’ work.

And finally, The Blaze taught me AP Style and purpose: after being selected as news and sports copy editor during my first year on staff, I quickly realized that it was entirely up to me how good of an editor I wanted to be, how I wanted to channel my love for political and public health issues, and how I wanted to remember my time on staff. From having been fortunate enough to win over five national and regional awards for my investigative journalism, including two Best of SNO distinctions and the first place CSPA Gold Circle Award to organizing a panel of renowned reporters from The Washington Post, NBC, and WTOP in order to highlight student press freedom and the importance of media literacy to editing over 500 articles, I grasped the true freedom that I had in exploring my interests and using my skills to create new opportunities.

If I could impart advice on 9th grade Nanaki, it would be to never be afraid of hard work, believe in yourself, and get involved in anything and everything that interests you. It would be to speak up and make yourself heard no matter who you think wants to hear you. It would be to always remember that people who act unfairly often feel they are making the best decision for themselves, but will never truly admit their genuine intentions or their mistake. Most importantly, it would be to remember that only your determination and drive can determine how strong your defense is against the shark — after all, what you put in always comes back to you, good or bad.