Senior Profile: Paige McBrien
By Tessa Lahaise, Staff writer
May 25, 2023
The last few days of high school are wrapping up and as the seniors come to an end it's a bittersweet feeling for all.
For senior Page McBrien, this end means a new beginning with new opportunities to come.
As Paige looks back on her high school career she leaves us with some advice in order to achieve academic success in the upcoming years.
“Study, because it's going to pay off a lot for your GPA when trying to get into colleges. I’d also say to just do your work, I know it's not the most fun thing to do but it will definitely pay off”, said McBrien.
Academic success is not the only important part of high school. Making sure you put yourself out there and experience new things can really help you find who you want to be.
“To experience these 4 years of high school in the best possible way I would recommend joining clubs and sports teams. I met a lot of new friends on these teams and have stayed connected with them since. But most importantly make sure to be yourself and show who you are because people are going to love you no matter what.” said McBrien.
No one said high school was going to be easy. We all know it can be rough sometimes but it is important to push through and remember it will be worth it in the end. McBrien has gone through the good and the bad but in the end, it was worth it.
“I think a major tough patch would have begun when Covid began my freshman year of high school so my experiences overall were not what you consider normal. Sophomore year we went in on Tuesdays and Thursdays and it was definitely not ideal. Junior-year masks were still a part of everyone's lives. My junior year really changed once the masks were removed because it made life begin to feel normal again. High school has had some ups and downs but overall was one of the best experiences.”
These years in school can change drastically and might not go exactly how one would expect.
“My biggest regret that I want to help others avoid is to not care about what others think. You can’t really know who you are or live your life the way you want if you let others affect every aspect of your life,” said McBrien.
Not only did other students impact McBrien's life, but the teachers she's grown with throughout these 4 years.
“Throughout these 4 years, I have really appreciated Ms. Leavitt because she truly was an amazing, positive teacher and was the reason her class was amazing even through a global pandemic.”
With the thousands of moments that happen during high school, memories are what stay with you to make these moments more special.
“My favorite memory from high school was my senior year of high school gymnastics. I won the unsung hero award for winter sports and had an awesome season,” said McBrien.
After these unexpected years at Norwood High School McBrien overall had an amazing time.
“Senior year was pretty fun. I would say it's the best year because after the first and second term, it's basically when all your hard work pays off and you can enjoy the high school experience everyone talks about.”
After graduation, Paige will be attending St. Anselm College in the fall and will be majoring in nursing. After she graduates college she plans on taking an additional 2 years to become a nurse practitioner.