Senior Spotlight: Maia Perrault (12-3)
Helena Saven (12-4)
Photo courtesy of Helena Saven (12-4)
What is the highlight of your soccer career?
When I was little, I would play in a tournament with my club team and we would stay in a hotel. Even though we did horrible in the tournament and we were always really bad, the memory of staying in a hotel and having fun in the pool were some of the best soccer memories even though it wasn’t “actual” soccer.
Tell us about a memorable conversation from your meetings in Masterman Feminist Club.
When the Gabby Petito case was going on, we talked about the “Missing White Woman Syndrome.” The media pays more attention when white women are missing and I think that’s a really important thing to think about as a society. That syndrome overpowers other situations that happen in the world.
In what way have you changed or grown the most throughout high school?
I’ve learned to go with the flow and live in the moment. Especially freshman and sophomore year, I spent so much time focusing on grades and the future and my senior year. Now that I’m here, I realized that I didn’t have to worry about all those things until now. I spend less time worrying about the future now because I have a better understanding of what it really means.
You will be attending UPenn next year. How did you decide you wanted to go there?
I live right on the campus and I would always go to the library when I was little. My dad earned his PhD in chemistry at Penn so ever since I was little he taught me chemistry. That’s why I really liked it. His interest inspired my interest in Penn. It is such a good school and so close. There really isn’t a better option for me because I don’t want to leave and be too far from home.
What motivates you?
A certain life that I have planned in my head. I want to travel the world and do a lot of extravagant things, but in order to do that I have to really work hard. The idea of having an interesting or eventful life in the future motivates me to work hard now so I can have that in the future.
What do you do when you’re stressed?
If I’m stressed, I completely shut down. If there’s homework or a project that I don’t understand, I completely shut it out and ignore it. I’ll watch TV, watch a movie, embroider, knit, or I’ll listen to music. Once I’ve gotten into a better mindset I get back into it. Instead of worrying about something and trying, I stop and take a breather and then come back. When I try to work through it when I’m stressed it’s counterproductive.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Honestly, I have a lot of pet peeves. People annoy me. I do not like slow walkers. I can’t stand people who stop in the middle of the hallway when I’m trying to walk. I don’t like when I’m on the subway or the trolley or bus and I’m clearly trying to get off and there’s someone standing where I have to go, so I have to go completely around the person. And I also don’t like when people chew with their mouth open; I can’t stand that. I don’t like when someone is about to say something and then they say, “nevermind,” because then I’m left wondering what they were going to say. I don’t like it when people eat whipped cream, like just make a big dollop and eat that. It makes me sick to my stomach. A peeve that has happened a lot at this school is when people who are perceived to be smart will undermine my intelligence because they might not perceive me as smart. So if I say, “This is the answer,” they’ll respond, “No I don’t think so” and they’ll go on their own. That is very annoying.
What is the best way to spend Valentine's Day?
The most obvious answer is to spend it with your partner. I don’t have that so my ideal way is to hang out with my friends.