Junior year is notorious for its challenges but this year has made it even tougher.
For junior Kriti Vasudevan this was certainly the case. Vasudevan juggled a rigorous course load along with multiple extracurricular activities– Speech and Debate, tennis, her role as AYLA club president and a podcaster on Spotify.
“A lot of my outside activities would be much better in person,” Vasudevan said.
The way she sees it, while most of Vasudevan’s outside activities would have been better in person, she has since adjusted to the change.
“I do Speech and Debate for school so the competitions shifting online have been a little more difficult, but I think it’s still an activity that can be done online,” Vasudevan said.
In the wake of cancelled activities from COVID, Vasudevan can still do one of her extracurriculars from home.
“It’s been super fun (making podcasts) during the school year and is an activity I can still engage in at home,” Vasudevan said.
“I love creating and editing episodes to get my voice out there, and I’ve had the awesome opportunity to speak with Mrs. Leighton about how the pandemic affects schools and GBHS’ plans,” Vasudevan said. “I’ve also been able to learn a lot of information about relevant and serious social issues, so quarantine really helped me gain interest in creating a podcast to begin with, which is what I would consider a benefit of being home!”
The academic aspect of Vasudevan’s first quarter was positive, and she credits the hard work of her teachers.
Ultimately, her biggest challenge was asking for help in such a different educational environment.
“The way that I learn (…) is very different from typical people,” Vasudevan said. “Sometimes it’s kind of hard to keep up with this online format and shorter classes and stuff like that. That has been my greatest challenge.”
But Vasudevan has taken strides to conquer this challenge.
“I’ve learned to ask questions and not be shy about things,” Vasudevan said.
The challenges Vasudevan experienced, however, have brought her new knowledge and lessons learned.
“I learned a lot of time management (skills),” Vasudevan said. “I have more time to dedicate to myself and take some time (…) to take a break and relax. That was never something I had before.”
Vasudevan also said the first quarter taught her to be more independent and to “really test (her) ability to want to learn and strive to be the best I can be,” according to her.
“I’m kind of relieved in a way (that the first quarter is over.)” Vasudevan said. “I honestly think the first quarter went pretty well.”
Vasudevan reflected these positive feelings in her overall ratings of the quarter. She gave the academic aspect 10/10 and the social aspect 8/10.