Brian Lum, Period 7, 10/25/2021

 

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

This summer, I pondered over whether the “me” in the future might look back on high school as nothing more than four years that I wasted. During my first two years here, I had the mentality that school was strictly for studying so that I can get a good-paying job in the future, and I figured that even if I managed to make some friends, I would forget about them shortly after I had left. Of course, just when I realized I had such a flawed mentality and had slowly started to change it, the pandemic hit. For over a year my plans to join more clubs, make more friends, and do other things that I would look back on fondly in the future were put on hold. Thus, this year my biggest goal is to try as many new things as I can and connect with as many new people as possible- including outside of Staten Island Tech- in order to make the most out of the limited time I have left of high school.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I started taking fencing much more seriously than I used to, reconnecting with a lot of peers I had met two years ago, but hadn’t talked to since, and helping people who just joined the team this year. In addition to this, a few of my friends and I decided to revive the tabletop gaming club. Because clubs have been postponed for over a year, I am excited to meet even more people there. I have also made an effort to talk to people that I have seen around school in past years but had never had an opportunity to speak to. I am looking forward to having more of these opportunities later on in the year. Finally, making an effort to talk to my friends on social media certainly beats lying in bed or playing video games after I get home from school. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal?

When in-person learning started again, I immediately got to work on my goal and after realizing how happy I feel after trying or meeting something/someone new, I am further motivated to achieve my goal. But knowing that I am still a student, I’m trying to balance my social life with my academic life. So while sometimes I feel that my goal will be worth it in the end, other times I feel that if I get too caught up with it, I’ll procrastinate or even neglect my homework, projects, and college applications. As a result of these circumstances I have started managing my time by setting a schedule and planning out my day.