It’s a Friday night, and while most other teens are out partying away their brain cells, junior Meg Odell is hard at work rehearsing for one of her upcoming plays, only going home to find herself preparing for a Model UN meeting the following day. To the average student, Odell might seem like a huge overachiever, but is she?
Another term comes to mind: realized. Throughout every child’s adolescence, they are most frequently asked the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It is usually in high school, when kids really begin to figure this out. Odell knows which passions will hold her interest for the rest of her life, just as fellow junior Knarik Yegiazaryan.
Up until their passing, Yegiazaryan had helped take care of her grandparents daily. “Every day after school I would take care of them up until freshman year when I attended softball during the spring,” Yegiazaryan said, “But even after that, around 7 o’clock, I would still take care of them and tend to all their needs, which of course included bringing them their prescribed medications.”
Yegiazaryan has known since the ripe age of nine that she wanted to help those in need by focusing on safe and effective distribution and use of prescribed medication. Like her, senior Richard Newens aspires to work in the medical field. “In ten years i see myself running my own biomedical engineering company, working alongside hospitals and patients.” Said Newens, “I would like said company to make medical equipment and prosthetics.” Both students are taking AP science classes to prepare for their chosen fields.
Meanwhile Odell is taking part in the theatre program as well as the highly esteemed CIVITAS program in order to lay the groundwork for her two dream jobs: a role on Broadway and a position at the United Nations.
The examples set by these three exceptional students are definitely hard to compete with, but what about those of us who still aren’t sure what we want to do with ourselves. Junior Danny Witter says, “I have no definite plan for the future. My dad thought he wanted to be a doctor when he was my age, but ended up a lawyer. Things change, plans change too.”
When asked to advise teens who are struggling with which career path to follow, Yegiazaryan said, “Just trust what your heart tells you and choose the right pathway, and work hard to get where you want to be, because in the end hard work truly pays off.”
For many students there is an infinite amount of pressure to “know” what their next step is after high school and college. Many parents are pressuring their kids to prepare for a career yet to be determined.
When asked about pressure from her parents, Odell said, “My parents would much rather me go into politics or international relations (a much more stable job) but they give me full support for both of my passions, so I’m very grateful for them! Of course I’ve taken into account what they’ve said but at the end of the day I’m always going to pursue what makes me happy.”
Not all of us have such supportive parents who will encourage us in our chosen fields but taking Odell’s advice might alleviate the pressure. Pursue what makes you happy, whether that’s working at Starbucks, or playing major league ball.