Wall of Wisdom: Class of 2022

Lily Sun, Jasmine Li, and Knox Choi|May 29, 2022

Welcome to OHS Observer’s 2022 Senior Wall of Wisdom!

Scroll down to read the advice our seniors had for fellow students and underclassmen.

Alina Rahim is from Idaho and has been at OHS since 7th grade. She enjoys activities like skiing, climbing, and hiking, and is a fencer (10+ years!). She’s passionate about filmmaking, healthcare, and medicine.

“

Trust your skills! Don’t over stress yourself and remember you have gotten this far, so the work will always get done. Stay very true to yourself and what you seek for from a college.”

— Alina Rahim

Ilana Nguyen is a senior at OHS. She plans on studying computer science and ethnic studies, as well as taking some classes in philosophy and gender studies. She will be attending Brown University in the fall.

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Take care of yourself and try not to compare yourself to others. Go enjoy your high school years, go spend time with your family and friends, and go do things outdoors.”

— Ilana Nguyen

Maddy Manning-Bi is a senior and it is her fourth year at OHS. She’s a classical singer musician (vocalist, cellist, and violinist). She loves writing and works as a deputy editor in chief of Dear Asian Youth.

“

Be kind to yourself in the sense of academic pressure. It’s really important to not procrastinate and do your work, but it’s also really important to find that healthy balance and realize that academics isn’t your entire life.”

— Maddy Manning-Bi

Sophie Mansoor is a high school senior. As a homeschooled student, she takes classes in a variety of different areas. She plans to major in computer science, but also want to do stuff in entrepreneurship, ethics, and literature. (Lily Sun)

“

Start your applications in summer. I was working on my applications right at the deadline, both early apps and regular. I did almost every single app either the day of or the day before, and I was writing too many different essays.”

— Sophie Mansoor

Natalie Wang is a full-time senior from Southern California. At OHS, her favorite activities include The Chrysalis, Lit Club, Screenwriting Club, and serving as a TA/Peer Tutor. Outside of school, she enjoys watching films, listening to music, creative writing, and biking with her dog.

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Please do not procrastinate on college applications. However, if you do find yourself in a position where you’re pressed for time or feel stuck, consider coming up with a game plan that utilizes all of your resources!”

— Natalie Wang

Sebastian Zuba is a high school senior and enjoys mountain biking, reading, fencing, and keeping up with current events. He will be attending Georgetown next year and is biking across New York State this summer with his best friend. He loves music, particularly ska punk, indie folk, pop, and hip hop.

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Don’t lose track of the real reason you do things. Try to ignore the stress of grades and college and the approval of others, and do things because you personally want them.”

— Sebastian Zuba

Sophia Risin is from Florida and will be attending UC Berkeley this fall. Risin is planning to study astrophysics, philosophy, and computer science, and has published five papers on astronomy. Sophie enjoys writing/playing music and has recently released her own EP.

“

When you’re developing your college list, make sure you pay attention to fit. Think about whether you would be happy living at that school for four years.”

— Sophia Risin

Jeanine Yuen is a senior at OHS and juggles dance, theater, and singing.

“

I see so many people taking so many classes, and it’s high school. Your workload doesn’t define you. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

— Jeanine Yuen

Halle Hunt is from a small town called Redding in Connecticut. She enjoys playing rugby, basketball, and horseback riding. She is on model U.N. and debate team, and really enjoys art and music.

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Your essays are the most important part of your application. Put in the work to show them who you are and not just what you’ve done. So show them.”

— Halle Hunt

Hazuri Dhillon is from the Bay Area. She plans on studying entrepreneurship at Babson College for the next four years. In her free time, she plays tennis and does art.

“

Do as much as you can over the summer! Once school gets busy, you don’t want to spend time working on your apps.”

— Hazuri Dhillon

Jack Chen is a graduating senior based in Suzhou, China. He has played badminton and swimming and is the captain of robotics. He is the head of tech and MUN, and does helps out with a service group called Heart to Heart.

“

Sleep is very, very important. Make sure to get 8 hours a night – seven is the bare minimum. Exercise is also very important. I feel like sleep and exercise were the reasons I pulled through junior year, and those are universal pieces of advice.”

— Jack Chen

Maryam Arastu is currently a high school senior.

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Make sure you have a good variety of extracurricular activities to show on your college application, but at the same time, don’t involve yourselves in activities just for the sake of putting them on your resume.”

— Maryam Arastu

Lexi Tabacu is currently a high school senior.

“

Pursue what you are passionate about in college. People will see and appreciate that.”

— Lexi Tabacu

Apsara is currently a high school senior.

“

Because of the rigor and demand at OHS, it is very easy to burn out. The absence of a work-play balance can actually be counter-productive, so make sure to save time for yourself!”

— Apsara