Sol on the Street: High school Seniors give advice to incoming high school freshman

June 3, 2021 /

For many, this marks the final week of middle school for many 8th graders in Kern County.

A different four-year experience is about to begin, and they are transitioning from pre-teenagers to young adults. To help the incoming freshman transition to high school during a pandemic, Kern Sol News spoke with a few Kern County high school seniors for a piece of advice they would like to share with incoming high school freshmen since they have fully experienced high school.

A: “Some advice I have for incoming freshmen is to join clubs, sports, and any programs you are interested in because it is a great way to make meaningful relationships. When I was a freshman, I stopped myself from joining clubs because I was nervous and scared. Now, I completely regret that. Some of my best memories in high school were from clubs and organizations. If remote learning were to continue, I would highly suggest that they keep in close contact with their teachers about their grades and assignments because falling behind is a lot worse through remote learning.”

— Teresa Arambula, Class of 2021

A: “My advice to incoming freshmen is to definitely get involved. Join clubs, organizations, and sports. It will not only look great on college applications, but it will make high school fun. By the end of senior year, you will have some amazing memories to take with you wherever you go. If remote learning continues my advice would be to set a productive schedule and set some boundaries. Set specific time for homework, resting, and running errands. This will help you be organized and not procrastinate.”

— Paulina Gutierrez, Class of 2021

A: “Coming into high school, be kind and do not start any trouble. Pay attention to your classes and teachers. If remote training continues, I would say the same thing your parents say and ‘echale ganas.’”

— Albert Medina ‘21

A: “Personally, I was involved in numerous clubs, sports, and organizations. Doing so has taught me how to be a leader and role model others can look to when they acquire help, and I developed strong leadership skills, team effort skills, and work ethic skills that prepared me for life after high school. Now that I am graduating, I do not regret my strong involvement. Although high school can be nerve-wrecking, it is going to be an exciting experience. My personal favorite thing about high school were the rallies and all the different sports. I say you become as much as involved as you can, for it will truly improve your high school experience.”

— Gisselle Castillo, Class of 2021

A: “The advice I would give incoming freshmen is that high school is just another level of education, and it is nothing different. If you fail any class it will follow you throughout high school, so I advise that you try your best to pass all of your classes. If online learning continues, it is best to stay motivated and ready to complete any task given by your educators.”

— Anthony Perez, Class of 2021

A: “My advice is to not waste time, because everything and anything can be done if time is properly managed and not constantly wasted. If you are going to have to go out of your way to succeed, put things aside that might be a distraction from school even if it is something you desire. If remote learning continues, you must get out of your comfort zone constantly and focus on your school work even more since all of your work basically becomes homework and the responsibility becomes even greater. You will someday learn in your economics class that when you have too much of something that is easily obtained, you will want more of it until there is nothing left, but then the value of it would decrease every time you have obtained it, so limit yourself to what you really need in order to ensure that your time and effort will not be wasted.”

— Sebastian Torres, Class of 2021

A: “I advise incoming High School freshmen to enjoy High School. Try to get involved with clubs, sports, and programs the school offers and also take advantage of  any dual enrollment courses your school offers.”

— Laisha Velasco, Class of 2021

“Some advice incoming freshmen should know is that your first year matters and so does every year after that. You cannot expect to get into a prestigious or dream college without effort or challenging yourself as well as keeping your grades up. I would say to not slack off but you would be surprised at how many assignments can pile on, so just try to make a schedule for yourself so you still have time to have fun and be productive at the same time.”

— Ashley Gutierrez, Class of 2021