The academic culture at New Tech is stressful. We have to aim for advanced if we want an A, but we are also pushed to be active in the community, whether it is STUCO, MUN, or other extracurricular activities. It can get very overwhelming trying to keep up with school, while also living a life.
That is why I interviewed some New Tech seniors and alumni, among which are a lead actor, a National Merit Scholarship quarter-finalist who produces music and films on the side, and a tuba player for the band.
Neemay Shah is a current senior at New Tech and a quarter-finalist for the National Merit Scholarship. He is in Stuco and FUZE III. Away from school, he is a music writer and producer, an independent filmmaker, and a student at Dallas Film School.
I sat down with him to gain some advice on how he balances school. From this conversation, I took away how to prioritize. Neemay told me that in his sophomore year (first year at New Tech), he tried to do everything. That didn’t last long though, and he needed a path. He set a goal for himself: what he wanted out of his high school years. His goal wasn’t to be the valedictorian of his class or to be the biggest member of New Tech’s community. He wanted to improve his filmmaking skills, and make music. He stopped taking MUN, took FUZE, and prioritized his schedule on whether it forwarded his goal. That is to say, there is not any shade on attempting to be the valedictorian, or to be an active member in the school’s community. They offer valuable moments, friends, and leadership skills, and pay off in college resumes. That just wasn’t his preference. He still is a part of the community. He has many friends, and he is in REWIND this year.
Elijah Canete is a senior who has been a tuba player in the band for all 4 years at New Tech. He is also a member of Hope Squad. I sat down with Elijah to find out how he keeps up with schoolwork and projects with band events and competitions during school days. He writes in a planner to keep track of his homework. However, band requires students to miss class for competitions. Elijah told me that the biggest thing is advocating for yourself to your teachers.
Lily Hess is an alumnus of New Tech, who currently studies film at NYU. In her high school career, she played soccer (out of school), was in a creative writing club, was an NTC, was in FUZE, and was an actor in every musical, including being the lead role in 9-5. For New Tech theater kids, rehearsals take up a lot of time out of school, not to mention practicing and developing at home. In an online interview, Lily told me that she kept track of her work in a physical planner. For studying and homework, she said that she tries to get it in whenever, whether it is during breaks in rehearsals, or after. Her biggest piece of advice was to take care of your mental health. Especially during tech weeks, school can be very overwhelming, and sometimes the best thing for you is to take a break. She also told me that the teachers at New Tech understand that theater is a huge commitment.
So, what did I get from these interviews? I took away 3 main things. First is to prioritize. You can’t do everything; you have to focus on what you want out of high school. Set a goal for yourself through high school. This goal should be able to aid in joining clubs, or how you divide up your time. I also took away that, to keep up with assignments, have a planner. Some might prefer digital, while others will prefer physical, but either way, have a list of all your assignments. This will give you a clear to-do list, and make sure you don’t miss any assignments. Lastly, talk to your teachers. The perk of being a smaller school is that teachers know you. Most, if not all teachers aren’t going to expect you to not have a life. They are there to help you learn. You can also reach out to your peers. They can help you with homework, or take notes for you. High school is very difficult, but you don’t need to sacrifice a life for academics.
