Ashley Zhang

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10? 

I never thought I was going to be in the top 10. When ranks came out, I was really surprised  because I knew I needed to get good grades, but never really knew how to calculate my GPA or take the right classes to boost it, nor did I ever try to. 

What is something you wish you could tell your freshman self?

I would tell her to explore more options. I’m in band which takes up a lot of time, so it leaves little time to explore more of my career options in the future. I would tell my ninth grade self to join more science based clubs because that’s what I want to go into. I would also say to explore fields a lot more and to have a better grasp of what I want to do in the future so that I would be a lot more prepared before senior year.

What is your most memorable part of high school? 

Band takes up most of my time so a lot of my friends and social life is within band. I’ve made some of my closest friends and greatest memories in band, like when we went to competitions or on trips and stayed up really late. It has been a good structure for me to lean on and call my home.

What are your thoughts on the current education system? 

Our education system could be better. There are a lot of shortcomings, but it offers a lot of opportunities. People wanted to come to America because it offered good education opportunities. It still offers that in many ways, but it can do better in supporting students mentally and providing better education opportunities nationwide.

What are your goals for the future? 

In the future, I’m thinking about going to graduate school after undergraduate school for immunology. Right now, I’m trying to go into the research course, but that might change. I want to be an immunologist or something dealing with viruses. I think that my study skills and hard work will translate into college and give me a leg up since I know what I need to do to study for tests.

What is your secret to success?

For me, success is finding how I learn the best and finding what fits for me. Sometimes, I’ll see other people studying in certain ways or they have a certain schedule, which seems good on the outside, but I know it would not work for me. Finding a schedule and studying method that works for you is going to help you the most, and you have to test that out in the beginning and see what works the best. Another part of success is defining what success is. Success isn’t necessarily always getting a 100 on a test or getting a giant award. Trying to find success in the little things everyday is something you should learn in high school.

What is the hardest lesson you had to learn during high school?

Defining success. You’re placed into high school and you have all these great peers around you and youre like, “oh man, I wish I could’ve done more, I wish I could’ve been better.”  Trying to define success in your terms is a hard lesson I learned during high school. Especially in all the things I do like band, there can be a lot of competition and it can become toxic in a way, so trying to find what success really means to you and finding pride in your own achievements, even if they’re little or minor things every single day, is a lesson that I’ve learned.

What was your motivation throughout high school?

A lot of my motivation came from within. I am someone who likes to learn a lot of things, so going into class and seeing the subject, I naturally like learning about it. Even though I want to go towards the science field, my government and economics class has really interested me and I enjoy reading the textbook and taking notes. It comes from a curiosity and a passion for learning.

How much effort did you put into studying after school?

Because of the large time commitment of band and percussion, I had to learn how to manage my time well. I do my homework and study on average for about two to three hours a day. I study for each subject in different ways; however, watching videos and reading my notes is usually what I generally do for each test or quiz.  

What’s your advice for younger students?

For younger students, explore as much as you can. Yes, grades are important, but they aren’t the only thing that you should consider. High school is there for you to explore a lot more. Join clubs, join organizations, even if you think those won’t take you anywhere. You should just join them and see if you’re interested. It can really change your path in many ways because I’ve heard of people starting one thing in their freshman year and really liking it so they kept going all four years, and that was their passion. Explore early, and always say yes to things.

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