“I do varsity cheer for school, and stunt for Cheer Athletics. [Being a sophomore on varsity] has been fun to get to know all of the upperclassmen, and just being close with them, also learning new skills...

“I think good teachers are very intentional about the way they structure and sequence their classrooms. A lot of students just view the assignments as work, whereas I think good teachers view it as opportunities...

“[Honors Biology] is one of the hardest classes I've ever taken. The most challenging thing is [the] little time [we get] in between units. The biggest part of honors [classes] is that you have to not...

“What is real will prosper. If you don't believe in yourself, what you strive for won’t come true. [I’ve been playing football] for three years [and] I love football because of the friends I make,...

“[This] season has been amazing so far. Most of the team has been playing together for over four years, so our chemistry is great, [and] I think the team spirit comes naturally [because] we are all really...

“[My mom] has been one of the biggest figures in my life. She grew up in a household where she was not expected to get an education outside of high school, and she went on and got a college education....

“I have made some of my best friends playing softball, and I love playing with [my] teammates. Whenever I'm feeling sad or when I’m not playing my best, they always pick me up and motivate me. Sometimes...

“I've liked writing ever since I knew how to. I'm taking a creative writing class, so we write most of the time in that class, almost every day, and I write whatever inspiration hits." [When I write]...

"[American Sign Language] has always interested me, so [starting the course] was one of my plans for freshman year. My mom [had] deaf friends in elementary school and learned how to sign just through watching...