Alex Qin’s Senior Article

It’€™s been four years, and I guess you could say I had a little fun. Just a little. Yes I’ve had a fun time playing tennis for the school, learning new things, and talking to people. I’€™ve made some new friends, but at the same time I have lost contact with old ones. I used to think that the people who I spent most of my time with in elementary and middle school with would be people I would remember my whole life. This may not be a good thing, but from this, I’€™ve learned how to be alone. If people always seem to want to be near you, then good for you, but for everyone else, there will be times when you will be alone. It’s good to know how to be by yourself. In fact, there will be times when you want to be by yourself. Another thing to note is that no matter how stressed out you may get, just know that in the end, things usually work out. Sometimes you’€™ll get that, “WHY YOU DOING THIS TO ME WORLD!?”€ feeling. But in the end, you’€™ll realize that whatever “€œbad”€ happened to you really wasn’€™t a big deal. Every year during AP tests or finals, I would feel super stressed while studying, but I would keep on telling myself, “€œjust a few more days and it’ll all be over.”€ Nothing feels more relaxing than knowing that a stressful period of time is over. For me, high school has been a mediocre experience. Other than tennis, I’€™ve had the same routine every day, all four years. I’m looking forward to being independent at Washington University in St. Louis, where I plan on studying either systems engineering or computer science. I’€™m hoping to experience lots of new things as well as meeting lots of new people, different from what Ames has to offer. Don’€™t get me wrong, I love Ames and will always return here, it being my home. But life has so much to offer, it wouldn’t be smart not to experience as much as you can. My final piece of advice is to take as many opportunities as you can handle. When you take opportunities, you will learn so much as well as discover some things you never thought you would like. Find something that sparks your interest, and let it guide you from there.