Silence blankets the auditorium at the Rio Hondo College as Science Olympiad Captain Senior Michelle Zhang and the rest of her team wait anxiously for their team name to be called for the last qualifying spot to advance to the Southern California State Competition. For what felt like an eternity, the team held one another’s hands tightly as they held their breaths.
However, as soon as the team’s name was announced, a flood of relief, tears, laughter and applause filled the auditorium, especially for the Temple City High School Science Olympiad Team.
For Zhang, through the muffled screams and hugs she received, she suddenly lost track of time as her mind took her to the very beginning of her high school days as well as to the start of where endless memories were made.
Why, hello there! Not to break the mood or flow of the article, but I am Senior Michelle Zhang and for the past two years, I have been the Feature Editor for Rampage.
After witnessing the creation of countless Feature articles and pages, I always wondered what it would be like if I had a Feature article on myself. Since my high school career is coming to an end, this would be the perfect moment to rewind as I take the time out to write a Feature Article on me!
As I look back on my high school career, I realized all of the things I could have been. I could have been someone that took 15 APs, had a perfect 4.0 GPA, received a 1600 on the SAT, be involved in 5 clubs and was the team captain of a varsity sport. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t even close to taking all of the AP classes, having the perfect GPA and I was definitely miles away from being an athlete.
Unlike many of my friends, I was far from being perfect or ideal because I never followed the magical formula to success while I was in high school.
Instead, I followed my heart which led me to find happiness and a sense of self as I explored my passions in science.
Sure, I had decent grades and a couple of clubs under my belt, but I never really stood out or found who I truly was until I put my fears behind me and took a leap of faith. As ‘smart’ and confident as I may appear, I am quite fragile with insecurities about my abilities.
However, after regretting all of the opportunities I turned down my freshman and sophomore year, I realized that I had to get over the fact that there’s always failure involved in every decision in life but if I didn’t try at all, I automatically failed. And so what? Who cares if you failed?
The most important thing in life is to pick yourself up, dust your shoulders off, and learn from that experience to have a better chance of success in the future.
The world is out there, not in my little bubble of comfort. If I never took a chance in life, I wouldn’t have been a three year member of Rampage. I wouldn’t have been the captain of Science Olympiad and National Ocean Science Bowl.
It is honestly hard to imagine myself not spending a majority of my Saturday’s from 6 to 9 P.M. with my Science Olympiad team, whether we’re studying or cramming for our competitions. But, whatever the case is, I am always having an enjoyable time, filled with memories that will last a lifetime. The beauty of studying with people that have the same passion and goals as me is that we continuously motivate each other to study harder and succeed our dreams.
All of those moments when I thought I would never be able to do the impossible, I found myself making it possible.
Personally, if I can dream it, I can do it. So many times I felt that I wasn’t smart enough or I wasn’t worthy of a certain spot on a team, but through hard work and my love for what I did, I overcame those insecurities.
As my high school journey comes to an end, I look back and see myself become who I always wanted to become and I am proud of that.
TCHS School Newspaper