S.M.

Sofi Maranda

“One of my favorite experiences was our camping trip for forum because that was the first time that we got an actual forum day. I didn’t connect with people in forum before that. It’s different than a field trip because you’re going out as friends and doing something outside of school, but you’re getting to build those connections in a way that isn’t in a classroom. It’s different building relationships across different grades and interests and it’s important because I see those people in a setting that isn’t a normal classroom twice a week, all year, for four years. Right now, I’m trying to move away from spending time on my phone, especially as I’m running out of time here. I’m reading more than I was in the college applications season, which I’m happy about, but I’ve had a good time with knitting and embroidering this semester. I’m doing art more and letting myself still be creative in that way. I want to make sure I’m making time for those things [in college] because I struggle with blocking out that kind of time now. My professor for my Korean class at the [University of Michigan] meant a lot to me because that was a new kind of class and I was nervous, but the professor I had was really supportive. Having that as my first glimpse into a college class was valuable because based on how much I loved that class, and how much I learned from the professor, that shaped what I want to learn about in the future and how I like to approach history.”