While interviewing participants, they shared lots of information about their experiences throughout high school.
These interviews were filled with so much information from each person about their stories. There was so much valuable information that I didn't want to leave out of the documentary but my video could only be so long. In this section of my project, some of the additional questions that were asked and answers given by each participant are captured here.
If you could go back, what advice would you give your freshman self?
What high school feels like at first - Orientation, first impressions, nerves, transitions
"I guess it was kind of hard at first. I had to find my way around the school which was a change especially from being a single team in 8th grade to now having my classes everywhere around the school. So that was one of my biggest fears. But the one thing I did was go and tour the school two or three times and by the time I did that, I was pretty comfortable finding my way around to my classes." - Alex
"I didn't really know what I was getting into. I just had what I saw in the movies and that wasn't a very accurate portrayal of high school at all. I was so nervous to come into high school and I feel like no one really prepared me for what I was going into. I felt like my classes in middle school were really easy and then I felt like all of a sudden as soon as freshman year started, my classes became exponentially harder all of a sudden." - Arushi
"Freshman year, I remember I tried to choose as many classes that I found would fit into my interests" - Delvani
"The first time I took an elective with people in other grades, I was so stressed out. They were seniors and I was a freshman and I was like, "this is weird." It was like they were full grown adults with beards and jobs, and it was just weird. But really, they think you're so funny." - Grace
"I felt like it was a great transition because I feel like it's more open than middle school. In middle school, a lot of your classes you are stuck with the same people. But in high school, you're with everybody. So, I feel like if you want to be in class with your friends, you choose the same classes and it makes it very easy." - Jameson
"Taking a tour early and walking through and seeing, 'oh, here's my history class. I have to go walk down a whole flight of stairs just to go to my band class, and I have five minutes.' It was a lot to learn." – Mallory
"I feel like in middle school, you are with the same people for the entire year, so you're kind of oblivious to the rest of the people in your grade and having different classes and mixing with other people. In high school, you are exposed to different experiences from other people, and you realize that there's more out there for you and you than just what's right in front of you." - Mia
"Don't be afraid of the seniors, because they're also new to being a senior, being the top of the school. And they were also in your position, so you have nothing to worry about." - Mia
"I was definitely more prepared than I thought I was. It is easy to underestimate yourself, because you really don't know how much you can handle until you put yourself in that situation and see if you can handle it. I did have a lot more independence in the fact that it went from teams in middle school to being just in random classes with people you might not ever have had classes with before, which really forces you to branch out and talk to new people, as well as get adjusted to the harder classes." - Sarah
Finding your people - Social groups, friendships, feeling connected
"Try and get involved in as many things as possible as a freshman, that way you can make more friends" - Alex
"Going up to people whose style I like, talking to them and seeing if I could build a friendship from there. If you evolve or change based off the people around you, don't let that completely change who you are as a person. Because at the end of the day, you're you." - Delvani
"I feel like if you just treat everybody the same, not like exactly the same, because everybody's different, but if you treat everybody with the base sameness, everything is going to get easier." - Delvani
"You don't have to be friends with the people who are just in your area anymore, you can branch out to more people. And classes that have other grade levels in them, you can become friends with upper and underclassmen." - Grace
"It's a good friendship when you're choosing to be friends with someone who's older than you and more experienced than you." - Grace
"I still have some of those friends from middle school because we had that strong connection when we were in middle school. We definitely respect each other's time and other friends. The friends I don't have any more, I don't worry that they aren't my friends anymore since we don't take it personally because people grow apart." - Ioana
"If I'm not able to make meaningful relationships, then I feel like, I don't think I would have been able to do as many of the things I do right now. The people that I admire the most are people who are so genuine in what they do. And I see that there's no ulterior motive to how they live their life and like the morals that they live by." - Jerry
"My advice is to have one person that will hear you. I don't really react right in the moment, but I will eventually talk to someone about a problem. I'm not the type to confront someone so, in a respectful time where I can speak on it, I will talk to the person or talk to someone I trust." - Kailie
"Honestly, through high school, I kind of kept the same friends that I had in middle school that are still my closest friends. I definitely made some more friends in high school that I didn't know in middle school, so you have to learn how to manage both new and old friends. I have very close friends that I made in middle school and I was scared that going into high school, I wouldn't see them as much or stay friends with them, but if you put the effort in, you'll stay friends with them." - Lily
"I barely gained any new friends, but I barely lost any friends because we're all in kind of like a group and we don't really get in massive arguments like other groups. It's just kind of, like, small issues that get fixed." - Logan
"The increased independence allowed me to branch out to people I've never spoken to before and reach out to different groups of friends. It really helped me grow the social aspect of my life with the independence of being able to talk to whoever I wanted." - Sarah
Connecting with others - Meeting classmates, upperclassmen, teachers - beyond your core group
"A lot of time there are posters and stuff that are hung up for clubs and activities. Going on the website helps out, too." - Alex
"Freshman year, I remember I tried to choose as many classes that I found would fit my interests and what I wanted to do when I got to college. When I got into my junior year and it was time to choose my classes, I wanted to try something new. So, I chose Theater Management. I met a bunch of people that became my friends and they introduced me to more friends and really helped me talk to a lot more people" - Delvani
"I think one of my biggest fears was probably finding a social group to hang out with. I think a lot of people fear that. But I think I feared it especially because I felt at the time that my friends were very important to me." - Jerry
"I feel like just hanging out with my friends and like doing things that I love. I like to do activities in the events that I put myself in. So, I think, how do I do this, how do I find joy in the things that I do outside of school." - Kailie
"Definitely playing a sport grows your friend circle." - Lily
"First of all, sports is definitely a great way to get to know people. And even if you're not the best at your sport, everyone's so accepting. It's just experimentation and finding what works for you and since it includes all grades, you kind of start to branch out and gain those connections with older people." -Mia
"I tried a bunch of different things, and then from there, talking to a bunch of different people like older kids in the clubs and seniors in the sports helped me decide whether I would like it or not." - Sarah
Finding what works for you at school - Study habits, naviagring independence, figuring out classes
"I like to make a schedule of all the homework and activities and such I have to do. For me, being organized like that is really important and that way I can stick to my schedule and get what I need to get done." -Alex
"When I start to feel anxiety like I can't do this, I don't want to do this, I start to bed rot. That is when I know I need to ask for help, whether that's from my parents or my friends. I know I need more support and that's when I'll start to branch out." - Arushi
"There should be no anxiety when you want to reach out for help because people want to help." - Jerry
"Being self-aware and knowing when you need help is very important. Asking for help from adults (teachers, coaches, parents) for resources to get work done." - Kailie
"I mainly went to my teachers to explain lessons better." - Lily
"If I don't feel like I have enough from the class, I'll just go on the internet and look at practice questions or information about the topic and learn on my own at my own pace." - Logan
"I tried to use a planner. It never worked for me. But using sticky notes did, so I write down all my homework assignments on sticky notes, and I just cross them off when I'd get them done. It is a way I micromanage myself, and I am constantly checking Google classroom and I am constantly checking my email." - Mallory
"I would have taken another study hall during the school day instead of lockout, just because it would have helped me be able to get stuff done during the day before classes for homework. It was also a time for me to reset during the day between classes. Having an older sibling in the school definitely helps a little bit. Being able to look to them and ask questions made classes easier at times." - Sarah
"I went to my parents since they set me up with people that could help me too outside of school hours." - Nithish
Support at school - Teachers, counselors, mentors, seeking help
"Take initiative and go ask for help because teachers will always be there. I really advise creating good relationships with your teachers, counselors, like they're all here to help you." - Alex
"I try to have good relationships with teachers. I have a few teachers that the first thing I do in the morning, when I get off the bus and walk through the hallway, I get to their class just so I can sit there, chill, talk to the teacher." - Delvani
"Talk to your teachers. I know it sounds corny, but, when the teachers ask, 'oh, how was your weekend?' it's worth it to say, 'oh, this is what I did over the weekend' because teachers want to build that bond with you, they want to experience your full self, and they want to talk about their personal life too with you." - Grace
"I've had some good teachers over the years that helped me and made me feel more confident by giving me practice problems on the side and other things like that." - Jameson
There's a science teacher named Ms. Davis and a counselor, Ms. Brown-Quinn, they are teacher advisors for the Black Student Alliance, and they have always said if there's anything going on at school or a situation that you might not have agreed with, that's based on race, to speak with them." - Kailie
"I have a teacher that would always get on me about my homework. He'd tell me how many days I had left to do it. But it was all kind of in a joking manner. I think he likes me as a person because he's willing to be my Capstone advisor and write me a letter of recommendation." - Logan
"As an only child, everyone became my mentor. I was learning from everyone, every day." - Mallory
"I love the beginning of the year because I like meeting new teachers and letting them discover who I am as a person, not just how I act with my friends or who I'm friends with." - Mia
"I know when I'm overwhelmed, and I'm really bad at asking for help, but it's something that I've gotten better at over the course of high school. One thing I do when I am overwhelmed is I make an effort to schedule extra time with teachers to review things, because, half the time it's this one concept that I don't get and that messes me up. But once I'm able to go and spend the time sitting down, talking with teachers, it helps." – Nithish
Support at home - Parents and caregivers: communication, expectations, guidance
"Now, if I tell them "I don't want to do this, this is not something I'm gonna try out," then they've kind of learned to accept that. I feel like one of those things was Robotics. My parents really wanted me to join Robotics and that was not something I was into and they took my word for it and let me focus my energy on the things I do really care about." - Arushi
"Freshman year, I was on the volleyball team, and I feel like I didn't talk to my mom at all about what the girls were talking about, and I probably could have. I think she just would have loved to hear it more and be more part of what I'm doing." - Grace
"They're both in social work, and growing up, they just always told me to speak up when things are going wrong. If I don't feel comfortable speaking about it to teachers or other people that I don't feel will take these situations seriously, I will talk to my parents, and then they will give me advice." - Kailie
"Our relationship has really matured in a way where they are now looking at me as a young adult and a young lady. We can talk about more serious topics. And they've really been supportive of all that I do and all my activities. I feel like a lot of the conversations we have toward each other is really coming from a place of them wanting me to be better than they were at that age. They want me to have the utmost opportunities as possible and try to progress as forward for the next generation." - Lizzy
"Being able to make my own plans and having my parents say 'yes' to a lot more stuff was good. They wanted me to have that interaction with other people, to learn who I wanted to become, and who I wanted to hang out with. It was a lot of trial and error. I made mistakes, but I grew from them, and those mistakes, they don't define me." - Mallory
"My parents didn't really put any pressure on me at all. It's more that they let me figure out what I want to do that interests me." - Nithish
Finding your inner confidence - Courage, bravery, learning to trust yourself
"My sophomore year, I had a great soccer season. There were a lot of close games because we had a hard schedule. As a sophomore, I thought I stepped up and was a key player on the team. At the end of the season, people are selected for All-Conference awards, and I was really bummed out that I didn't get it, because I felt like my worth to the team kind of deserved it. But then, I realized that I should be proud of what went well. Talking to a new coach really made me realize that I should be proud of what I did and I shouldn't be chasing these achievements because I don't need those things to validate what I did to help the team." - Mia
"A time I had to be my own advocate was definitely on my field hockey team. I was not getting very much playing time and it felt like the world was just not going too well for me. I had to speak to my coach about it and she gave me some insight to what she thought and what I could do better and worked with her on what I could do to eventually improve myself." - Sarah
Growing through your challenges - Setbacks, resilience, when things got hard
"I found that I was putting in a lot more work than some other people to get the same grades and it was taking a lot more effort out of me to get a good grade in those classes. So, I probably shouldn't try to go the next level up and try to do something even harder in this if I'm already kind of struggling at the level I'm doing it at. I'm not gonna force myself to take an AP science class that I know I won't be able to do well in. Drop some of them if it's too much because it's not worth putting yourself under that kind of stress." - Arushi
"Last year, there was a moment when I was studying for the SATs, and I also had three tests on the same day. That was tough studying for all those things. Usually, if you study stuff that you're already good at, it's a waste of time, focus on the stuff you're struggling with and do your best." - Jameson
"There's a certain amount of stuff that you have to go through that you realize, 'oh, okay, I'm fine when this happens to me. This does not change who I am.' When things happen to you, how do you take it in, internalize it, and then, what do you do with that?" - Jerry
"Being aware of my surroundings and knowing that others may not see from the outside, how capable I am of pushing myself. Really challenging myself in the classroom helps me stay motivated and to keep on top of things." - Kailie
"Really just trying to prioritize the best I can and trying to manage what I had to do." - Lizzy
"You ought to realize what you have after school so that you don't burn out super fast because that is detrimental." - Mia
"I didn't do really well in geometry, but I knew that I could handle higher level math because I did well in algebra. I had to really reassess myself and not beat myself up and give myself a break." - Nithish
Growing into yourself - Identity, independence, personal growth - who you're becoming
"I feel a lot more comfortable with my identity in talking about Indian things, like the food I'm eating or the festivities I'm participating in. In middle school, I'd bring Indian food to lunch and people would ask, 'What is she eating? That's disgusting.' But now they say, 'Oh, that smells really good. Can I get a bite?' I feel like as I've gotten older, the people around me have become a lot more accepting of these kinds of differences and not just like with Indian food." - Arushi
"Back my freshman year, I tried to really tried to fit in. I'd copy other people. Be like, 'Oh, I like the way he's doing this or I like the way he's doing that.' And I'm not saying copying is all bad because sometimes when you copy, it helps you find things about yourself that you didn't know. We're the same on the inside. We all have a heart, we all have a brain, skeleton, all of that. We all have red blood. Sometimes I tend to see people expect I talk a certain way just because of the color of my skin. At the end of the day, my skin color doesn't separate me from anybody else, right? But, at the end of the day, I don't have to fit into the any stereotype just because I'm black or anything." - Delvani
"I just try not to feed into the stereotypes and then, if I hear something that I don't agree with or that made me feel a certain way, I will speak up about it. I think I like that freedom." - Kailie
"I'm not here to change people's minds necessarily. I'm gonna be me, in the classroom, how I work, how I talk, how I act. I'm gonna be me and get the best out of this learning opportunity for myself." - Lizzy
"It was definitely hard at the start to decide, you know, what's a good idea and what's not a good idea. But making mistakes or doing things or hanging out with people that maybe aren't the best people in the world has allowed me to narrow down on the things that I know myself I should do and I should spend my time doing. And that's helped a lot. It worked out pretty well, I'd say." - Sarah
Balancing it all - School, activities, sports, friends, rest
"Study groups can work. As long as you can find time to not get distracted with your friends and just actually study and work together, that can turn into something great." - Alex
"Doing your homework as soon as it comes out. Even doing half of it on one day and the other half of it on another day helps a lot." - Ioana
"Planning out when you're going to get your work done and when you're going to really just hone in. It's really important to just know on a Tuesday, "I'm gonna study for my test on Thursday, and maybe I'll run some more through Wednesday." - Grace
"I like having a schedule that I follow, I get home, I do my homework right away. I don't procrastinate because if I do, then I'm going to forget and not do it. You want to use Bobcat Blocks, those are very helpful, study halls are also very helpful." - Jameson
"As a club volleyball player, I have practices up to four times a week, and they're all very late at night. I know that I need to get my work done and it's really hard during midterms and finals week. So I really try to stay focused and keep off my phone and just make sure I'm getting my work done before doing other activities. And I will let my coaches know that if I need more time to complete work. I will skip a practice to get my work done if necessary. Having communication with my coaches directly is a lot more helpful." - Kailie
"Hanging out with friends and being able to take the classes I wanted to and making sure that I was able to balance everything, I got really nervous that I was going to take on too much, or that something was going to become too big for me to handle in a way that it wouldn't be fun anymore. That's why I'm a little glad I never did travel sports or really competitive sports, because I wouldn't have kept loving the thing that I was doing." - Mallory
"I try to use my phone less. And when I'm on my phone, I try to make sure that after I'm done using my phone for that period that I feel like I did what I wanted to do on my phone. I wasn't just scrolling on reels and I lost an hour. I think that's one of the biggest things that people can do to make sure that you're still productive while balancing your friends." -Nithish
"It was definitely hard at the start to balance everything, but using calendars and making schedules really does help. Also, looking ahead to see what assignments and games I would have and what overlapped, I utilized my free time responsibly. I definitely do recommend taking study halls, especially if you have a hard course load because they do help a lot. Taking one this year has really allowed me a good break in the day to be able to refocus." - Sarah
Discoveries along the way - Unexpected joys, new passions, surprises
"When I do feel passionate about something, I try to take it to another level and just make sure if I have a problem, I'm actually trying to do something about it and not just complain. I found a new interest. I'm part of Students Against Destructive Decisions, SADD Club. In this club, there's a school level, but the club itself branches out so much, even at a state level, and a national level. I could have just stayed within our school's level of the club and just been part of the leadership and done some of the activities we do around the school but I was able to go the next level and join the Youth Advisory Board for the state. I'm very open about how much I hate when people vape in the bathrooms and I can't use the bathroom in peace. So, I went to the next level and I testified at the state legislature. I don't want to just be doing the basic level if that makes sense" - Arushi
"One class that I super loved freshman and sophomore year was Intro to Potter's Wheel. That was the best class I have ever taken. I love it so much, and it helps express creativity. Classes like that are when you get to become friends with people in different grade levels across the school, so that was really awesome. I think it's really important to have a class that you look forward to taking." - Grace
"I know that schooling is expensive. So extracurricular participation in hopes of college scholarships help a lot. But you don't have to do extracurriculars that are specific for the school. For example, I am a special needs counselor during the summer, I've been a basketball coach for younger kids, I've done multiple volunteer camps, I have over 50 hours of volunteer work, and I am working at an after school program this year as well. A specific moment comes to mind when I was volunteering. There is a library with a museum behind it, and it needed some gardening. The library is run by a bunch of people who are a little bit older and they couldn't really do it themselves so it felt nice helping them out." - Jameson
"In ninth grade, I took an honors history class. I always knew I was interested in history, but that definitely sparked way more interest, so I took more history and social studies rather than, say, math." - Lily
"Doing activities outside of school helped me learn what I wanted to study in college. So, when I was given the course catalog at SWHS, I figured out where my interests fit properly in my credits. I was able to take an anatomy class because it works with athletic training, and I learned parts of the body. And it's kind of like a trial and error." - Mallory
"I think I was too focused on trying to prepare myself for college when I was just a freshman, and I don't think I enjoyed my freshman experience as much as I could. I had college prep in the back of my mind all four years when I could have been having more fun and being more involved in school." - Mia
Pressure, competition, and challenging yourself - Ambition, rigor, comparions, learning your limits
"I wanted to take all the hardest classes and no study halls. Freshman year, I kind of just thugged it out. I didn't want to drop anything. But then the years that followed, I figured out that was not going to work, and I was not going to be able to sustain that in my life." - Arushi
"There weren't tryouts for football. They let everybody play, and it's all based off of skill and the merit that you put in. I was a big worker, and so I got a lot of extra playing time. I started off on JV not starting my sophomore year and by the end of the season, I was starting. Other players who were stars, if they got into trouble, the coaches wouldn't play them. So, I felt like it was very fair for everybody." - Jameson
"I was in All Eastern Orchestra. Everyone there looked just like me, everyone was Asian, everyone there was an overachiever. They're all like the best in their state at their instrument, they're all extremely smart. That was very strange, ...being part of the average." - Jerry
"A lot of my peers, there can be times where it's like competition. Not intentional competition, but competition for GPA and grades and all that stuff. I feel like, not that they don't want me to succeed, but they look at me as the opponent, kind of, at a match or something where they feel like they have to do better or try to outdo me." - Lizzy
"I really wanted to challenge myself and try and get above the curve and prepare myself. So, when I had the opportunity to take Honors and AP classes, I went for those right away." - Mallory
"If you find a lot of the higher level classes are easier, like AP Gov, definitely take those, because it's a great way to get earned college credit and you learn a lot. It can get some of those college intro classes out of the way, so you can take more courses in college that are probably more suited to your major." - Nithish
"I feel most of the time I are able to learn from others and be competitive in a healthy way, but also collaborative, which is really important. I think it's the competitive nature of school because there are so many other people that want to be the best as they can be and that kind of pits you against others. But also, I like to compete with you and I also want to work on you and learn from you because you have strengths that I don't, and I have strengths that you don't, and that's one of the best things about high school because you're with such a diverse group of people, you learn a lot of new things that you wouldn't have learned otherwise." - Nithish
"Join a sport because you never know if you'll like it until you join it! And same with take classes that you think will challenge you and do not take classes based off what other people are doing. Really try to pick out what you want, what you think you want to do, and go from there. I think it is important to know your limits, and when you do challenge yourself if you realize it's too much, take a step back" – Sarah
The people who've got your back - Community and support
"I would say my support system a lot through high school has been some of my family friends that are older than me. I'm an only child and I don't have siblings that have gone through the school system. My parents went to school in India, so they don't know how the American school system work. So trying to navigate high school, the classes I needed to take, the clubs to do, the extracurriculars, how to write a college essay, all that kind of stuff, I really rely on my family friends because they've gone through that and they're basically like my family. Seeing what they've done , they've given me a lot of guidance and passed that down to me." - Arushi
"My mom sometimes held my hand, but she also let go of it when time was needed, when I needed time to find who I was, especially socially outside of school. My mom definitely wanted me to branch out to new communities, to better opportunities." - Ioana
"There are definitely people that I feel want me to succeed. My guidance counselor is one of my biggest advocates. She's always trying to help me." - Lizzy