My name, in case you haven’t already figured it out, is Ray. I am like the other approximately 310 people in the ESHS class of 2012, in that I am in my second year of high school.  However, my similarities to nearly every one of them stop there, so far as I know. I am an excellent student, and many would venture to call me a nerd, and I could not really deny it without lying through my teeth. On the other hand, while I cannot honestly refute my status as a nerd, I can say that I don’t know of many other nerds at this school who also compete in Olympic style Taekwondo. Or who do yoga as well. Or who play the guitar and are writing a book alongside that. Or who, on top of all that, plus my seven-period schedule, are also in the Robotics club and who love to sail. That is what I believe separates me from the rest of the pack.

            So, considering all that, my life seems such that it should be pretty hectic, no? The truth is, though, appearances are deceiving, and I have planned all of my fixed activities so that everything actually does manage to fit in, while making sure that I always have more than ample time to have fun and be social, which I find is key to maintain my sanity. Some would say that prioritizing for allowing time for fun and games is a sign of a lack of effort and mixed-up priorities. However, I say different: knowing my limits, being able to stay within them, and keeping a balance of work and play is for one, a sign of wisdom, and secondly, it is a terrific way to maximize productivity. I say this because of two sayings that I have heard many times; one is from my dad, and the other is one that has been passed down by countless successful businesspeople. First, from my father: “Don’t do it if it isn’t fun,” and the all too famous second, “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.” I quote these statements because they are two that are integral to my work philosophy, and I intend to stand by them throughout my career, wherever it may lead me.

    Although I do have some ideas as to the general direction I would like it to go. The first idea that I have had since I was about five years old is to be an engineer and run my own cutting-edge engineering company. To achieve this lofty goal, I have set a pretty high stepping stone for myself; get into Caltech straight out of high school. A daunting task, no doubt; they accept no more than 200 students per freshman class. Nevertheless, I am determined to get there, and when I am determined to do something, I do everything within my power to reach that goal. However, I also am working towards making something of myself in taekwondo, whether it’s an Olympic gold, running my own school, both, or somewhere in between. And somewhere alongside all of those, I will be writing books and playing my guitar; whether or not they make me any money is a completely different question. On the third or fourth hand, whichever it may be, there is another career path which is beginning to show its doors to me, one which I am very sure I would enjoy. That pursuit is sailboat racing. Sailing has always been one of my favorite hobbies and one that I will always enjoy. However, the world of competitive sailboat racing is one that is very tough to break into, exceedingly difficult, and fantastically lucrative; the 16^th richest man in the world is a top sailboat racer. And everything seems to be lining up for me to have a chance of making it in; we have recently acquired a very fast, cutting-edge racing catamaran, we are making contacts in the catamaran racing world that are placed in some of the middle to higher echelons of the sailboat racing society, and my dad has some forty-odd years of racing experience. In short, with good playing of my cards, tremendous amounts of hard work, and an indomitable spirit, I could make an entrance, and possibly secure myself a spot in competitive sailboat racing. At the same time, I am constantly being reminded that there will be many, many more opportunities that I could pursue and follow, more than I could possibly follow in a lifetime, so who knows what will show up?

            So what does the typical day of a student-athlete like me look like? Wake up at 5:30 in the morning, go to zero period weightlifting to start off school, hang around a bit after school ends, go home and do my homework, go to training (or if it is a Tuesday to Robotics club), finish any homework that is left, eat dinner, go to sleep. That’s a weekday. A weekend could look like anything from four hours training in the morning to sailing in the day to hanging out with my friends to jamming with my fellow guitarist friend or to taking my girlfriend out. Of course, there could also be a Robotics club build session; or maybe a project or three for school; or maybe a yoga class flung in there somewhere, on either a weekday or weekend. So in truth, I can think of no “typical” day in my life, because every day is different. Every day holds something new for me, and I am so glad that my life is so. Being able to have variety in my life is what keeps me going, and without it I would be a very different person, and not in a positive way.

            Another blessing that I count every time I pray to God (no, I am not a terribly religious person, but I do believe that a greater power exists, and that’s the only name I can really put to Him) is my family. My family is at least 99 percent of the reason that I am who I am, and that I happen to really like who I am as a person. They are a reliable, supportive family to whom I can tell everything and get sane advice and recommendations from when everything in my life seems to be falling apart. They are just the greatest family I could possibly have, so if any of you are reading this, I just want to thank you for guiding me when I needed guiding, consoling me when I needed consoling, and proverbially slapping me in the face when I needed a proverbial slap in the face. I also want to show you my gratitude for encouraging me to think and use the cognitive power that I have, for as I have seen and heard time and time again, that is my greatest tool. Thank you all once again. As I look back just one year, to my freshman year here at ESHS, I see just how much I owe you all for making sure that I achieved what I wanted to achieve while keeping my marbles firmly within my head. Looking back, reflecting on all my success and all of my failures, I am completely satisfied with my results. There is no way I could have possibly asked for a better freshman year. Now, the time has come to make this sophomore year, whose difficulty has been notched up several notches, as great a success, if not greater.

            To sum it all up: I am an utter nerd and a dedicated athlete; a learning sailor and a novice yogi; a man of the arts and a man of the sciences. A series of contradictions, all, yet they manage to work together and mesh in such a way I believe should be theoretically impossible. Yet here I am, as real as the computer screen you are reading this on and the mouse that you are using to navigate the page. So here’s wishing you a successful, fun, and meaningful year to all who may read this page.