Uni Seniors’ Life Lessons

With seniors working on college apps, and yearbook entries freshly submitted, a lot of seniors are reflecting on their high school years. With this in mind, I asked the seniors about one life lesson they learned throughout their time at Uni. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the responses I got were about school, but some even focused on their love lives.

Callie Standefer says she learned where her priorities lie. “I felt this sort of pressure, not even from my parents, just an internal pressure to be the model student … then I hit this pit of depression my sophomore year, and I just started doing the things I really cared about.” She says her advice is to focus on the things that really matter to you, and not to stress about the little things:

“Give a good substantial effort in everything you do, but you should really throw yourself into your passions,” Standerfer said.

Ross Kimme had a similar sentiment, saying that you should try your best in everything, but it’s okay to save your energy for the things that really matter to you.

Other takeaways were focused on the quintessential Uni problem of not getting enough sleep each night. Gabby Mongwa says to not procrastinate or you’ll find yourself studying too late into the night, while Cora Lewis-Patterson says it’s important to get good sleep and not pull all-nighters. Max Bolton also advocated for good sleep hygiene.

Some seniors had just good general life advice. 

Heidi Wang’s advice is to learn how to “block out the noise” and to focus on you, while trying your best to enjoy everyday. 

Sarisa Chansilp learned to appreciate the little things.

“Time goes by really fast, so value every single moment,” Chanslip said. 

Stepheny Ek says it’s important to be kind and not judgemental.

Isaak Kumar had a response that sounded like it was straight out of a Hallmark movie, but is incredibly true nonetheless: “An educated guess is better than a blind assumption.”

Tim Park had probably the funniest one. His advice is to never give Dr. Majerus an epi-pen, owing to an unfortunate Spring Fling incident several years back involving a food allergen and the wrong side of a epi-pen. 

Robert Gao had yet another picturesque quote, surely from his time as a writer. The only one to remark on his love life, he says: “If you have that much to give the wrong person, imagine how much love you’ll have for the right person.”

My personal life lesson from Uni is this: believe in yourself first and foremost. Take that risk, stick out, because that’s what builds you up as a person. Every success and failure are a part of you, and who knows? Maybe that opportunity isn’t such a long shot after all. Believe in yourself, because that means that no one can doubt you.