My name is Veer Bajwa, a grade 10 student at Clayton heights, and I will be giving my two cents on how to make the most out of high school: academically, socially, and personally.
In doing this, I hope to inspire those reading this and provide a unique perspective from the lens of a 15 year old. I was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. I was born in 2003. My family moved to Canada from India in 1995 and now live I live in Surrey, BC. We moved here about a year ago. I live with my parents, grandma, and my twin sister. Some of my interests and hobbies are to play soccer, spending time with my family, and volunteering.
I volunteer at homeless shelters, charitable events around the lower mainland. I learn so much from volunteering - I learned interpersonal skills and gained confidence.
I am very confident in my skin because of it. There are so many benefits of volunteering, you get to meet new people, you make new friends, you develop a very responsible personality. I don’t want to sound preachy by saying that everyone should do it; however, I feel that it does provide a new perspective on life- at least for me.
Volunteering at a homeless shelter ignited an inner desire to help those who were struggling. Understanding how others seek just the basic things in life made me very conscious of my spending habits.
Being engaged to sports has instilled a plethora of skills in me such as, hard work, resilience, and being a team player. Although I don’t plan on dedicating my entire life to soccer, the skills I have learned playing soccer are transferrable to life at home and at school.
Everything you do whether it’s at home or at school effects your way of working. For example, if you are at school doing a group project you will work as a team rather than being dependant on others. Basically you are never selfish.
My father has always told me to get comfortable being uncomfortable. This has always resonated with me and has been driving force behind me always being open to trying new things.
You should always challenge yourself as much as you can especially in high school because if you participate or volunteer in your school in any chance you get you will be known by a lot of teachers which is a really good impression of you on others. And if there’s any kind of competition in your school and you think that you can’t do it, give it a shot it won’t hurt, do it.
Making the most out of high school is similar to a well running machine with a lot of gears. Every gear plays a significant role and contributes to the machine running the best and that it can. Likewise, being engaged in sports, volunteering, school, and having fun are critical components of making the best out of high school.
I think in the end it comes down to balance-yeah, its cliché-but it’s what works for me.
Veer Bajwa is a grade 10 student at Clayton Heights Seconday. Veer is born and raised in Vancouver, having recently moved to Langley. He enjoys playing soccer, volunteering, and spending time with his family.
