Aug. 2020

Hometown: Concord, NC

Home High School: Northwest Cabarrus High School

What's your favorite part of NCSSM Online?
My favorite part of the online program is the friends I’ve made. I never expected to create a community of friends because it’s online, but I’ve met some wonderful people, some of whom I talk to every day.

What's the biggest challenge you've encountered in the Online program?
My biggest challenge was learning how to study my classes completely online.

How have you met that challenge?
I’ve met that challenge by creating routines and schedules. Every class is different, so I just take it one semester at a time and find what works for that class specifically.

What's an "aha" moment you've experienced in one of your Online classes?
One “aha” moment I’ve had is that, as contradictory as it sounds, I don’t want to go into the sciences as a career. I love and appreciate the content in classes like genetics, chemistry, etc., but it’s not something I want to do as a career. This realization was really good because it helped me find the career I can see myself doing forever.

What are two of your greatest interests or passions?
One of my biggest interests is luxury fashion and trends. I love watching runways in Paris or NYC and keeping up with the newest trends in the luxury industry. I also really like learning languages. I’ve picked up on phrases in Arabic and French, but I’m only conversational in Spanish for now.

If you had one year of freedom, what would you want to do?
I would love to travel the world for a year. Some places I’d definitely like to see are Greece, Ireland, and Japan.

What have you missed most during the pandemic?
The thing I’ve missed most during the pandemic is the fun activities during the summer. I usually go out a lot with friends during the summer, but there’s not much to do right now because many “fun places” are closed due to COVID.

How are you coping during the pandemic?
I’m coping by working and just taking some time to myself. I’ve been working 20-30 hours a week at my job, Starbucks. I actually just got promoted two weeks ago, which is really exciting!

What are you looking forward to in the coming school year?
This year I’m looking forward to preparing for college. I’m a super-organized person so I’m really excited to get my applications out of the way and start preparing for my life in college.

What words of wisdom do you have for Online students?
My advice would be to have fun. Obviously, school comes first, but I see a lot of students become absorbed in their studies and forget to live out their teenage years and hang out with their friends. So, have fun, stay motivated with school, and follow your passions academically.