Huntley HS Voice Jan 6, 2023 Issue

the mea n i ng of life

the

oice

Meaning of Life

Dylan Fredrick

Artist / Creative / Sophomore

Interviewed by: Maria Loiseau Photographed by: Rae Habel

One of the biggest events that has affected me was probably moving to this district because I did not move here until eighth grade. In seventh grade, COVID-19 hit. I kind of distanced myself from my friends, and then eighth grade happened. I moved here. I did not have any friends, but it kind of felt like a new opportunity. Almost like a new chance of redoing myself.

I’m really involved in the Fine Arts Academy. Right now I am taking 2D Design I, and next semester I will take 2D Design II. Next year I plan on taking a lot of art classes. Art has always been a creative outlet for me, I have almost always liked drawing.

Ever since I was young, my mom would always draw stuff for me. That kind of influenced my creativity as well as encouraged me to possibly be as good as her. I like to think I am as good as her.

My mom has been a huge influence with my art and on my creative abilities. I also always watched Disney Channel shows and Nickelodeon shows which influenced my art in a way.

If I could go back in time I would probably go to a mall in the ‘80s just because their clothing was super cool, and I think it would be really interesting to be in that era.

I feel like life is good. I mean, it is tough, especially in high school trying to figure myself out. So many people change themselves because they think it is what they should do. I kind of did that last year, and so I feel like right now I am still trying to find myself.

My mom and dad are divorced. My dad lives in Texas. I live with my mom and brother, who is 18 and is much different than I am. I also have four cats their names are Thor, Loki, Sadie and Juno. I have always lived in the Algonquin area, but I am fairly new to the district.

I am really close with my mom’s side of the family. I have some cousins on her side that are really close to my age. We are pretty close to one another, and we see each other practically every other month. My dad’s side I am not as close with though, I probably see them about once a year.

YouTube has always had an influence on me. I always watched YouTube, I still do, and there are a lot of people who influence me with art especially. They have built me up to where I am now. I do not remember exactly who I would watch, but just a lot of art people and music lovers.

Not everyone may know that besides art I am also really into music. I actually play the guitar, and I do not write anything, but I usually play around and do covers of songs.

Something that makes me feature worthy other than art,

Meaning Of Life

probably my experience in Vanguard. I feel like not many people know about that, so that is something.

If I could live anywhere in the world it would be London because I really like the buildings, and the general appearance of it.

I t is important to know that we are all going through stuff, so we all need to be together and come together as one. There was a time I was going through something. I have had challenges with mental health, and it is kind of impossible to avoid. I did beat it multiple times, but I feel like mental illness is something that people need to be more aware of. There are a lot of people going through stuff that others do not know about. My mom has always been really supportive of everything I have gone through, and helped me a lot.

One of the best memories I have with my friends is one time we were having a sleepover, we got Domino’s, and they were all dyeing their hair. A lot of other things happened, but in general it was a crazy night.

For a future career right now I am thinking of maybe becoming an art teacher, I do not know for sure but definitely something art related.

When I go to college I am interested in going to Columbia University in Chicago because I think they have good programs for teaching and art.

My biggest achievement is my artistic ability, and putting myself out there this year, and last year too.

If I could have dinner with anyone it would be Conan Gray, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Abraham Lincoln, and Owen Wilson.

The meaning of life to me is finding happiness and trying to stick with it. And finding like the people around you who make you the most happy. Throughout high school, I’ve gone through multiple different friendships and I’d like to say now it’s finally found, like my people almost, but yeah, my friends right now are a huge part of my life.

I would like the world to know that I like Conan Gray.

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ “Juno”

Favorite book \ “I’m Glad My Mom Died”

Favorite artist \ Conan Gray

Favorite candy \ Twix

Favorite animal \ Cats

Meaning Of Life

Addison Gentry

Interviewed by: Anushka Pandya

Photographed by: Kathleen Nash

My parents wanted my older sister and me to be really close because my mom is not close with her siblings; they were public schooled with an age gap. We do not go to a public school.

I do enjoy being homeschooled. It has its downsides, which people do not realize about it. But overall, I think I like it. But having your parent as your teacher, you are never allowed to critique them, and your parent is not always cut out to be a teacher of some subjects.

There are some days I wish I could go to a public school. Overall, the sleeping-in and easy grading in some subjects are pluses. With my family, grades are not necessarily just given out as A’s. Some homeschoolers I know have that, but my mother is not like that.

My dad has been a solid figure in my life. He has a strong work ethic and has taught me preservation in the face of pain. Even though he works a ton and is not always home, the time I do see him means a lot.

When I was little, I would love Saturdays because my dad would wake my sister and me up in some out-of-theordinary way and carry us downstairs where he had made homemade pancakes or waffles and bacon.

It is a special memory for me because it is gone. We stopped around when my little brother was born, and we do not do anything special together as much.

I was brought up in the faith, so we went to church a lot

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

Favorite book \ “Aristotle and Dante” series

Favorite artist \ Queen

Favorite candy \ Twix

Favorite animal \ Duck

when we were little. But then, our church changed its views and the pastor moved up, so we stopped going from third grade to the start of middle school, so I feel like we had a difficult time.

I do a lot of theater. I am on a dance team with my theater company and take classes outside of that at other places, and I serve a lot at my church. I have done it since I was three, so about 12 years now. It is probably my favorite place to be, my dance studio.

This past summer, my dance team was invited to perform at Disney. We had a 15-minute long continuous dance number that we performed outside in mid-summer; technically, it was kind of dangerous.

I would love to do dance in college, but I probably would not do it professionally because it is not a very stable job. One of my cousins is in dance and has found that it is not a very stable job.

I am also a theater kid. I do a bunch of theater, so I would want to go into that as a career, but it is also not stable.

One moment in life that I have never forgotten, it kind of seems silly looking back.

In 2018, I got my first supporting lead in a show. I just had a moment at one of the rehearsals where we were just doing some dig-through numbers, and I just looked back at the rest of the cast, and

I just had this moment where I finally stepped into the reality that this was my role.

It just gave me a nice reality check of “I am capable of doing this,” and I feel like a lot of people think they can find a moment where they did something they did not think they were capable of and managed to do it.

I have this necklace with a little ring from my great-grandmother, I never really met her, but I share my name with her, and I have just felt a connection with her. I think the meaning of life is to make an impact on the world because no matter what we do, we make some kind of impact. Whether it is good or bad depends on what you do. You may just make a difference to a few people or a few million, but it is impossible to not leave any impact.

Gentry is passionate about dance and theater.

Meaning of Life

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Bethel #98, Crystal Lake, IL

Celebrating 65 Years of Sisterhood, Leadership and Friendship

We are always looking for future leaders between the ages of 9 - 19 years old who are interested in joining in on the FUN.

For more information on our upcoming events contact Ms. Kristin Lange at jc2003prez@yahoo.com or Mr. Don Curry

Meaning of Life

Malachi Paplanus on the baseball field, pursuing his main passion.

Meaning of Life

Malachi Paplanus

Diligent / Baseball / Junior

Interviewed by: Calvin McFalls Photo provided by: Jimmy Doles

When I learned I was a baseball player it was freshman year, during basketball tryouts. I just did not feel it. Baseball was at the same time, and I realized my potential during freshman year, because that’s when I really started getting into lifting and proper throwing and stuff like that. It just comes down to those first tryouts, it is like I did not want to play basketball, I just was not as good or as tall. Not being 6’ 6” or 6’ 7” really hindered my ability to go all out, and I have always liked and played baseball.

Something I was told is you get out what you put in. If you do not put in the effort, you do not get the results. I can list off several times there are people I see who do not put in anything and then wonder why they do not get any better. Those people I wish would just wake up and realize that they need to work towards what they want, and not move backwards by staying in a spot they will never improve in. You can say “it is not easy” all you want, it never will be, which is why you have to do it.

My go-to person is my dad or my travel coach. I see them the most and they know me the best, it can be for personal or for sports, they will listen and they will support me. I have had many times where out of everyone I know, they would know what to do, how to do it, and guide through to getting to that point. Even if they can not help me, they do their best to guide me. We do not agree occasionally, but then again, not everyone agrees with every statement they have ever heard.

Something that I am always aware of is “If you are not working, someone else is working twice as hard.” It is always in my head because it is true. If you can not or do not choose to get stronger, faster, or smarter, someone else will. It does not matter how good you think you are, someone else is younger and that is what makes them better, you can not take back age, and you can not take back time that you do not spend improving.

My favorite quotation is from the movie The Sandlot, “Heroes are remembered but legends never die.” I like it because it is the best one that I can relate to. I want to be remembered for what I can do, but I want to be recorded and labeled for who I am and how far I have come. It is always up to what you want your legacy or story to be, if you do not think you did anything important, it will not be important. If you see everything as important, then nothing will stand out. Finding that balance is how I think of it.

What I do when I’m alone is I listen to music. Almost always, 24/7, I have an airpod in, or beats on. Before I go to bed, during classes, whenever I can. I used to play video games, but I do not have the time so I just lay in bed with

Meaning Of Life

the lights off and have a speaker going. I do not even think when I do this, just let the lyrics flow in and out, drifting from thought to thought, lying down and vibing. Keep it down and keep it chill, and you will find how easy it is to relax.

Who I learned from Max Scherzer. He is another pitcher whose mindset is really just everywhere. I just want to have his mindset because he often does not care who you are, what your resume is, he will continue to go after you and pressure you more and more. It is so much better when you have a set mentality. Having full confidence in yourself. There is nothing better than that. If you do not think you can be what you want to be, there is a good chance you will not be better. Act like you know what and who you are, even if you really do not it does not matter.

Something everyone should learn is consistency is key. Making sure that you have a repeat level of anything that you do, anything that you have done, is what makes sure you can be ready. Studying, practicing, watching, learning, anything really. It all comes down to how often you do any action, the consistency that it can be repeated, and the time you spend to make it perfect. Anytime not spent trying to repeat the same action is time spent not improving or showing your efforts.

Anyone has the capacity to improve, the more practice you can get, practice that is spent improving and changing, the better that you do at what you are going after. If you spend no time at all, minutes or hours, the more it goes in one ear, stays inside for a bit then leaves the same one. It takes repetition and goals, standards and achievements, to be able to improve. Anyone can do it, it just takes the effort and time to make it.

The meaning of life is if you do not work as hard as you want, you are not ever going to get what you want. If you want to work harder, do it for a goal, a reason. Going after something that you do not want to work for is not going to get you where you want.

Quick Facts

Favorite color \ Blue

Favorite food \ Burgers

Favorite song \ “Superhero” by Metro Boomin

Favorite place \ Baseball fields

Favorite animal \ Dog

Meaning of Life

Doug Renkosik

Wise / Director / Perfectionist

Interviewed by: Nicolette Radzinski Photo provided by: Doug Renkosik

Ihave one son who is 24. His birthday was last week. I do want to get back into my favorite hobbies when I retire. The one thing I do try to make a little time for is exercise. I try to remain healthy if I can. I do not do enough of that. My second favorite is probably reading and after that, working around the yard and woodworking are some of my hobbies.

I studied structural and geotechnical engineering and got a bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When I graduated from college, I took a job as a structural engineer in the petroleum industry.

I love football. I just never really got big enough and fast enough. So I just figured out that I could work at this and make more money than if I ever tried to play sports because I was not going to make the cut. I also enjoy basketball and tennis.

I was in off-road racing. I used to do off-road racing motorcycles, amateur B-class American Motorcycle Association. I had a group of friends, and we did a bunch of that. I grew up right on the Illinois River, and the Illinois River has some big valleys and neat features for off-road racing.

Meaning Of Life

10,000 hours can become an expert in whatever they do. My son plays the theater organ, and you could see as he got his number of hours he became very proficient. My career path is not what I went to college for. When I was in college, they made us go to graduates who spoke to us about keeping an open mind. A man who spoke to us had the same degree that I have in civil engineering. He is the president of a bank. His whole idea was to keep your mind open about where life might take you. College is not necessarily what you are going to end up doing, but it gives you the ability to think and learn and research.

Life takes some funny turns, and where do you end up?

I am always looking for people who have a good work ethic and who want to work and want to continue to grow. I have seen, over the last four or five decades of being in a professional career, that the world keeps changing faster. The only way to keep up is to continue to be a learner or you will fall behind.

I grew up in LaSalle, Illinois, and the town was two towns together with like 14,000 people. There were

is the district’s Director of Operations. four big industries in the town.

Three of them were strip mining for making cement. I had relatives who worked in those places. A lot of the areas that they had strip-mined were somewhat abandoned, and we could just run around.

My great-grandfather came over from Italy and talked in Italian, but I never understood what he said.

My favorite food is Bagna Cauda-it is an Italian dish. It is like a dip. You brew in a little hot pot or a frying pan. You take butter, anchovies, garlic, and some people will put cream in there or half and half, and then you take fresh vegetables. After you get it brewed up and the anchovies are dissolved, you dip vegetables in there, and then after the excess, you would dip it on a piece of Italian bread and eat that. It is too good.

My favorite book is probably “The Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. He is a sociologist, and he studied people and presented his case that anyone who does something for about

One of the fun parts of my job is that no two days are ever the same. Sometimes things break or we will have a flood or a blizzard, and you have to figure out how to get that taken care of before school starts. Every day is a new adventure, and we have had some serious challenges over time, but you will learn how to get through.

50 years ago, we had four or five generations all crammed in a little house to have a celebration, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was really cool, but as time has gone by, it

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ “Hugo”

Favorite vacation \ Sanibel

Favorite book \ “The Outliers”

Favorite food \ Bagna Cauda

First job \ Paperboy

seems group I am 30 the property. around. The flooded got I had a construction ness I played I learned moments. Be of plenty ment, years I think It realize.

Renkosik

seems like people are more spread out around the country and the world, and getting together as a large group does not happen anymore.

I am still in love. I met her in ‘92 but I did not know she was the one till about ‘94.

30 days after I was hired, we experienced 8 inches of rainfall in 8 hours. 8 inches of rainfall in 24 hours is the 100-year storm in this region, so it was very overwhelming. We had water overflowing in the front of the property. Everybody got to the schools, but we had places where we had a lot of water flowing or standing around. It was just unbelievable. That was a pretty crazy, challenging moment. The first Thanksgiving I worked here over the weekend, we had a fire sprinkler system failure and we flooded a building in Martin Elementary School, so that was a pretty tough time. It was challenging, but we got through it. I had two mentors throughout my career path. One was a man named Richard Janko. He was the owner of a construction company and worked for Janko. Then another one was Frank Zeller, and Frank was a business manager who hired me at my first job in this public institutional management.

I played the drums for 12 years. I played in orchestras, and I played symphonic music as a percussionist. I learned from a jazz musician for 6 years. I played in a rock and roll band. There were some pretty crazy moments.

Be thankful for what you have because I have managed some very, very old facilities that have had a lot of problems, and we are very blessed to be able to afford the nice facilities that we have. There have been plenty of research studies to demonstrate that if the facilities are in good condition, it is a better environment, and students are usually more successful. I grew up going to an old Catholic school that was over 100 years old, and it was a pretty uncomfortable place to be. This is Dreamland here.

I think that as time goes by, I have learned the value of little moments that just hurried up and passed by. It is amazing that all the people you run across and little things can create big impacts that you do not even realize. Just really take more time to enjoy every moment.

Meaning Of Life

Meaning of Life

Sam Deligio

Ambitious / Football / Senior

Interviewed by: Matt O’Connell

Photo provided by: Sam Deligio

My home away from home is the football field because when I am playing, nothing else matters. The next play, route and pass are the only things that I think about. It is my get away from life, when I am playing, everything that worries me is gone.

The meaning of life to me is to develop core values and dreams, being happy with what I do, and to be a good person at the end of the day.

A quote I live by is everything happens for a reason, right where you are right now is exactly where you are supposed to be.

My purpose is to be a better man than the man I was yesterday. To put my best effort towards everything that I do, whether that be making my bed or working a four hour shift.

The way that Coach Slattery looks at life, his perspective has inspired me to become the man that I am today.

My favorite place is St. Petersburg, Florida because I am so stress-free when I am there. It is a total reset for me and my mental health, because I can be away from everything and remain stress free.

The coolest vacation I have ever been on was when I was 8, my family and I took a vacation to Jamaica, and it was the coolest experience I have ever had. Being able to see the culture in another country was a unique experience.

The hardest thing I have ever had to go through was losing my mom, because losing someone that close to you is the hardest thing anyone has to go through. And playing a football game just days later was very, very challenging.

When I need to relieve some stress, most of the time I throw a football around, watch TV, or go out with my friends. Football is a real escape for me, and my friends

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ “Friends”

Favorite place \ St, Petersburg Florida

Favorite Sport \ Football

One Word to Describe me \ Ambitious

give me peace of mind.

My support system is my family. No matter what, I know that they will always be there for me when I need them. No one has your back like family.

There are so many people who are really important to me, so I don’t think I could choose just one person, all of my friends and family are super important to me.

I think the quickest way to make $1 million would be to invest it and get lucky. Seeing how the stock market has played out over the last few years, there is no doubt that it is the best way to make fast money.

Giving to your friends and family is very fulfilling, so I would say giving back to those close to you while also treating yourself is the best way to spend that much money.

The toughest lesson I had to learn was that everything happens for a reason. This year specifically has taught me that a lot. With losing my mom and a playoff exit, that lesson showed itself a lot over the past few months.

I will always remember what kind of work I need to put into something in order to see the benefit. For example, this past football season took everything out of me, but we saw a lot of success and now have set a precedent for future teams. Being the team that others will try to model will stick with me for the rest of my life.

The highest moment in my life was beating Jacobs this year, because it showed the difference that our team had compared to last year. Going 3-6 last year to beating the number 8 team in the state showed the work we put in and who we are as a team.

My favorite show is “Friends,” because I remember when I was little I used to watch it with my mom, so now whenever I watch it it reminds me of those times.

My biggest role model is my dad because he has dealt with a lot of adversity, and seeing a man deal with so much in front of me makes me strive to be a better man.

One word to describe me is ambitious, because I always think about my future and what I have to do to get there. I will do whatever it takes to achieve my dreams.

A big challenge that helped me in the long run was moving to Huntley after my sophomore year. It helped me because I gained such great friends, met a whole new community, and it has helped me become the man I am today.

My favorite book is “The Great Gatsby.” The storyline is very intriguing, and the way that life seems so far from reality interests me a lot.

Sam Deligio’s passion shines beyond just football and school-it goes into his everyday life with his friends and family.

Meaning Of Life

Emily Rodriguez

Strong / Survivor / Sophomore

by: Sienna Robertson

Photographed by: Kathleen Nash

My name is Emily Rodriguez, my nickname is Em, and I am a sophomore.

I have one sibling, a sister, and she is older than me. She is in college right now, but she will be moving back in December.

I live with my mom, my dad, our dog Charlie and our cat Luna. I am on the competition robotics team. I am interested in engineering, sometimes art, but mainly engineering.

I would say that my upbringing is a weird one. But when I got sick, I was 10, and it totally changed my entire life.

My mom is from Detroit. My dad is from Mexico. And of course, I am chronically ill. So our family is a mixture of a lot of things.

I love engineering. I built a computer with my grandpa. My best friend and I have been friends since we were born.

I really like to just try to be still and be in the moment because I find that makes me happier than when I am hoping to fixate on something or stressing.

My dream job would be in computer engineering for either NASA or the NSA.

Recently, my favorite holiday has been Halloween, but also Christmas.

My greatest achievement was talking to a billionaire at a camp event for chronically ill kids. I think that was really cool. We had a really great conversation. I do not know his name. I

Quick Facts

Favorite

Favorite

Favorite

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think it was Thomas or something.

My greatest fear is probably getting sick and going back to the hospital. It is a very vivid memory. It is something that could happen, and it is not an irrational fear.

My biggest pet peeve is when people talk really loud, especially if I am trying to focus on something.

My prized possession is a stuffed animal giraffe, and I bring it everywhere and to every doctor’s visit. I think sometimes it symbolizes hope, like I can do it. I made it out to the other side. We both have been through a lot. Obviously, he is really old.

The most joy in my life is probably my family. We are really close. For Thanksgiving, you can be around family, but it is usually just my family and then my grandparents. A bit small, but it is really nice.

In my free time, I watch YouTube shorts, basically. And that is basically it.

If I could change one thing about the world, I would have more resources for minorities and in general, being more supportive of that stuff.

Going back in time, I would go back in time to 2008 when the first Iron Man movie was filming.

I think definitely being chronically ill is something that holds me back because sometimes I am like “I cannot do it” sometimes. I think that really limits me.

If I could go anywhere in the world, it is definitely not the Midwest. Probably the United Kingdom or England, because I am fascinated with their culture.

My ideal day is probably going to sleep all day.

To an incoming freshman, I would say it is a really big school, but it is not actually like that once you get settled in.

The best advice I was given was to just be in the moment and not think about what is going to happen next or worry about the future.

Rodriguez remains positive despite medical setbacks.

Interviewed

I have a really rare genetic disease called NPHP1 or nephronophthisis. Basically, I have a deletion of the NPHP1 gene which caused the blood vessels on the outside of my kidneys to turn inside out. I had a kidney transplant when I was 11, and in seventh grade, I had a really bad virus two years after the transplant. I had five viruses and was hospitalized seven times. But everything has been altered since.

My childhood growing up was definitely different up until I was 10 years old. I was gifted in school, but it changed my family and my life after I got sick. So it was a transition between then and after getting sick. I have just had to acclimate to it.

I do have ADHD. That definitely affects a lot of stuff that I do, but for the most part, I am a normal kid. I just have to watch out for certain things.

Obviously, I wear a mask because I am immunocompromised. That is an effect of the medications that I have to take. I have to watch out for getting COVID getting sick.

One of my favorite childhood memories is the time when we went to Disney for my Make-A-Wish trip. I did get sick, but we rode the Hagrid ride seven times in a row.

In 10 years, I would want to be a graduate of Stanford, preferably with a master’s degree in computer engineering, and either working for NASA or the NSA on the East Coast.

I am feature-worthy because I am a minority.

My meaning of life has definitely changed, but it is working hard to achieve your goals and not letting anything stop you even when you fall down or you get sick. Keep on pushing through.

Mason stands in the hallway-he is involved in many extracurriculars including Student Council, Robotics and NHS.

Meaning of Life

Mason Tatone

Hardworking / Robotics/ Senior

Interviewed by: Sophia Coronado Photographed by: Rae Habel

My name is Mason Tatone, I am currently a senior here at HHS.

My sister is in college. She does not live with my parents. I live with both my parents. I have a dog named Gabby, a mini goldendoodle.

I am in Robotics, Drones Club, Student Council and NHS. I have also done Snowraiders in the past.

I might say Student Council is my favorite activity. I would say the reason behind that is for the most part it is very cool to be able to kind of participate within school events and to talk with other people.

There is just such a sense of reward helping the school with events, but also kind of being involved with other people and staying connected. Especially with COVID-19, that was the year we did not have communication as easily, so it was hard to become as active in clubs. Going into Student Council and all that was very nice to see the change, to be able to talk to people.

I was born in Park Ridge, but I pretty much grew up here. My mom’s side of the family is in California and my dad’s side is Italian.

The person I am closest with is my grandma because she recently moved closer to this area. We have breakfast every now and then and we just had a party that we all went to.

Something about my background is when I was little I was interested in mechanical things, electrical things and I guess software on the computer. I have always tried learning things.

When I was younger I used to mess around with motors and batteries and all that stuff. I remember in fourth grade there was a project where we were supposed to make an electric car but we never got to, so I just decided to do one on my own. But I remember just building and getting my hands on anything I could.

I think some of my fondest memories might have been whenever I went on vacations with my family in California. Being able to see how they are doing and to interact with my younger cousins there was kind of nice. [We would] go surfing and go to the beach out there.

If I were to choose a timeframe I could live in, I would want to choose sometime from the past to get an idea of what it was like. But then again I do not want to leave behind everything that I know, like plumbing and stuff like that. If that was the case I would say the future, just to see what it would be like.

Meaning Of Life

If I could live anywhere in the world, I would pick somewhere where I could see the northern lights. Or if it was not cold, somewhere warmer than that. I do not have a designated place.

If I was told I had 24 hours to live, I would either try and accomplish something that I wanted to accomplish in my later years alive, spend time with family and maybe try and be the last impact before it is too late.

I am most afraid of not knowing my future based on what I am doing. I feel like if I do not take these steps now, I might not have the future that I want.

In my spare time I might fly a drone, try to learn new softwares and techniques to increase my skills, and occasionally hang out with some friends.

I have a couple dream jobs , but I would say I always wanted to design concept cars or design aircrafts, which I am doing now. I want to focus on majoring in aerospace so I can hopefully design military aircraft.

My greatest achievement was in eighth grade I was student of the year, which I never thought was going to happen. I do not even know how you get picked for that.

So far in my high school career I got the Breakfast of Champions award which was pretty cool, getting picked by my engineering teacher. Also, we went to ISU recently and we won third place for transportation technology events.

This summer I had a happy moment, it was not the happiest but it was up there. I went to Arizona with my family from California and I met my younger cousins, but I was also able to fly my drone in this mountainous kind of location that you can not get in Illinois. Over there though, the scenery is just amazing, the sunrises, the sunsets-it was all incredible.

The meaning of life is that life is something you should experience and not take for granted because it only lasts for so long.

Quick Facts

Favorite

Favorite

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Leah Holtz

Helpful / Volleyball / Sophomore

Interviewed by: Maya Gawlak Photo provided by: Leah Holtz

My best memory is probably in eighth grade, we had this dance where my friend and I would go, and we would just dance our hearts out and just have a ton of fun and eat food and see our other friends but mostly just dance with each other.

My all time favorite book is “Wonder” because again, in elementary school, I would do this thing called Best Buddies where we would pair up with people who have disabilities or learning disabilities, and we would help them learn. That is something that brought joy to me because I love to help people in my spare time.

I recently moved here over the summer. I used to live in Woodstock for nine years. My childhood was really fun. I made a lot of memories along the way. But it was sad to leave one of my best friends that has lived in my neighborhood for over a decade.

My hobbies are hanging out with friends, camping over the summer and playing volleyball because they create memories and also friendship is key to life. And being [social] just gets you into the basic skills of living in the great outdoors and volleyball.

I collect seashells because every single year my grandma and grandpa go to Florida, and they collect seashells, and they bring them back and they are little memories.

If I could change one thing it would probably be how people view one another and that it is okay to make mistakes or just be yourself and to not be judged by [others]. If you wear something that you think is good, but other people decide that it is not trending,

then they decide to just fill you with fear. I think it is unfair because people should be able to make their own decisions and not based on what others think.

My papa and my grandma have encouraged me to become the greatest of myself. Sadly, my papa passed away when I was a little baby, so he has always been there for me through glares over my phone or just red cardinals flying past my window.

If I won the lottery, I would save up for something special, probably for college or my future career. I would like to be a first grade teacher because I love kids, and I love babysitting. Plus, kids are just really funny. All during elementary and middle school, I would help out the teacher. Also, with babysitting I like to babysit younger kids and get experience with little kids to prepare me for my future.

My favorite soup would be loaded baked potato soup because I grew up eating that soup all the time. I would buy it from different places, but me and my mom would make it at home sometimes.

The best gift I have ever received was for my 16th birthday. I got a Pandora ring that had a heart on it to represent my grandma’s love, and I love it because it will always remind me of my grandma.

My favorite family recipe is my grandma’s lasagna because she makes everything from scratch and is only made for special occasions.

If I were a superhero who had powers, I would want to have a smart mind, so I know everything at the tip of my fingertips.

I am into pop music because it describes me as who I am as a person.

The meaning of life is giving humans the chance to have as many memories as possible or collecting things or making them who they really are. If they are not feeling their best right now, they could change themselves, or they could try a new style, but also it comes to the memories and just creating a family and having special thoughts or overall like items that represent you.

The best advice I have ever gotten was to never give up because giving up all your power goes a long way.

Leah Holtz posing in her car sporting her volleyball apparel.

Meaning Of Life

Rowan Ferguson

Creative / Artist / Sophomore

Interviewed by: Connor Considine Photographed

Iwas born in Camp Pendleton, California on a military base. Apparently I was one of the easiest babies ever because I would not wake up to cannon fire. I have lived in California, Kentucky and Illinois.

My favorite subject in school is about anything art related. I am in the Art Club, and usually when I am home I just draw. 2D art is probably my favorite type of art, and I plan to go into this field in the future.

I started thinking about my gender identity around fifth grade. That is when I started researching more about transgender identity, especially since a few of my friends were already out about the topic. I originally thought I was nonbinary before realizing I was a trans male.

My family has always been supportive of my gender identity. In fact, nothing in my home has really changed aside from the fact that they know now. My aunt has been insanely supportive of me, she immediately asked what I go by, what my pronouns are, etc. She was the first one to actually call me “Rowan.” We actually just changed my name to “Rowan” on PowerSchool, so that is exciting.

The high school has been dependent on where I am. In art classes, it is more accepting, but in physical education you will hear much more about transgender additions with negative responses. It has definitely been much better about it than middle school due to the size of the school.

My average day starts at 6 a.m. and I get to school by 6:45. I usually spend the morning with my friends, doing homework, drawing, or walking around the school (sometimes one of them buys me a donut). Then I go through the usual eight periods (a ton of art classes this year). A lot of my time is spent drawing.

When I get home, I usually watch shows with my mom, right now we are watching “Wednesday” and “Better Call Saul.” After that, I go to bed. Rinse and repeat, save for a special occasion.

I like to think there is some type of

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ “Klaus”

Favorite book \ Unwind

Favorite artist \ Dina Norlund

Favorite candy \ Hershey’s Dark Chocolate

Favorite animal \ Komodo Dragon

by: Ly Martil

afterlife. But I also like the idea that you are kind of just done when you die. People in near death experiences say they feel “warm.” I do not remember anything from birth so I would assume it is just nothingness.

The best advice I have ever been given is advice from my dad, “Your best attempt will never be your first one,” and my motto is “to never give up,” Since they both go hand in hand with each other in terms of how they motivate me to move forward.

Recently, while at my grandma’s house, there was a news channel on that made a big deal about how gay marriage and transgender rights would “corrupt the standards of America” since “children NEED to grow up with a mom and a dad” that got me thinking “wow people actually think like this.” My supportive group makes me forget at times that these people are so extreme and it disappoints me.

The meaning of life is not really definitive in my opinion. Every single person has their own thing, and life is just trying to find out that one thing. Everybody believes you are meant to have this grand purpose when you are born, but I think you kind of have to find that.

I am not someone who believes in God, so I can not really see there being some “grand plan” that you have to base your life on. I believe life is all about finding its meaning, with each and every experience getting you closer and closer to that conclusion.

This meaning does not even have to be big or important in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes it is being there for friends and family, sometimes it is more living for YOU and not for someone else, and that is normal.

I suppose my meaning of life has been to find myself and learn about those around me. Right now, my purpose is to better myself at understanding others. This “purpose” is not always set in stone either.

I do believe that having a purpose changes over time to shape one massive meaning of life. It also helped to hear and know others’ meanings of life, like how there is no meaning of life, and interpreting that as a way to help define yourself.

Although if I had to give an actual meaning of life, I would say it is to better yourself to be the best and happiest version of yourself possible, nothing more, nothing less.

Meaning of Life

Although Rowan struggles with gender identity, he continues to be his best self and express that in his art, just as he did with this illistration.

Meaning of Life

Interviewed by: Jadyn Sola Photo provided by: Lauren Teeter

My ethnicities are Hispanic and Latino, and I grew up in Illinois in a small town called Dixon. I pretty much grew up in the same town up until I went to college, and then I bounced around from different places.

I like to go hiking a lot or just being outside. I like reading and sometimes watching a movie. I went to Illinois State University, and I studied Spanish education and also English as a second language.

Growing up, I struggled at first trying to learn English because, where I grew up, there was not really any ESL program, so I kind of wanted to learn that to help students who were in a similar situation. Luckily, I was in preschool, so I had a lot of time to pick up English.

Spanish is in a similar vein because I grew up in a small town where Spanish is not spoken a whole lot. I also struggled with keeping my Spanish, so I also wanted to go into that, too, the same thing, to teach Spanish to people who already know a little bit of Spanish, and that is what I am doing now, thankfully.

Meaning Of Life

Just being either with my family or being outside when the weather is nice, bring me joy in life, very simple things.

I would say the movie that I really liked was “Instructions Not Included.”

For my favorite holiday, I would go with Christmas. I just like the decorations of it and having that time off to spend with friends and family.

people who are not spatially aware of their surroundings. Whenever I am driving and people just cut other people off, even when I am not the person being cut off, I get really mad about that.

The number one thing on my bucket list would probably be going to Peru. I want to go see Machu Picchu.

When I studied abroad, I had no plans for spring break, but my friends decided, before we were even friends, that they were going to go to Barcelona, and then they mentioned it to me right before spring break. The day of, I bought a plane ticket and flew out there with a backpack.

Escatel speaks both Spanish and English.

Going back to my grandparents, my grandfather, who still lives in Mexico, and my greatgrandfather on my dad’s side, hanging out with them were some of my fondest memories. I used to be really scared of storms when I was a kid, and my grandfather and I were out shopping, and the storm caught us. He took off his bandana and then wrapped it around my head. We were under cover, so it was not to keep me dry. He said, “if you put a bandana on, then the lightning will not strike you.” That is something I remember fondly. I think it is worse to never attempt it in the first place because anytime you try something you are going to fail. No one rides a bike perfectly the first time, so if you are trying anything, you are going to fail at some point, and then you learn from that and keep getting better.

My biggest achievement so far has been taking master’s classes. I am the first in my family to even graduate college, not just graduating college, but also taking master’s classes on top of that.

In 10 years, I see myself still teaching, hopefully. Having my master’s and maybe even my doctorate or maybe teaching part-time at a community college.

Right now, I am really into, it is not a band, but Omar Apollo. My favorite song by him would probably be “Endlessly.”

The perfect weekend to me would be a three-day or a four-day weekend, going out. If the weather is really nice, go out and go to a lake or a river or hike up in the mountains. We do not have mountains in Illinois but just spending the weekend out camping maybe.

If I could change one thing about the world, I would have it so people are just more empathetic.

The meaning of life is to find the people that matter to you and just make their lives as happy as possible, and vice versa.

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ “Instructions Not Included”

Favorite holiday \ Christmas

Favorite artist \ Omar Apollo

Favorite acivity \ Hiking

Favorite song \ “Endlessly”

Garcia pictured with her crystals, which symbolize strength and stability.

Meaning of Life

Meaning of Life

Tanya Garcia

Joyful / Spiritual / Sophomore

Interviewed by: Ava Berardi Photographed by: Jaeden Capito

Iwas born in Illinois. I have mostly been here, but I moved to Mexico a while ago and then moved back.

I feel like I had a normal childhood even though we moved a lot when I was younger. For this reason it was hard getting myself used to the people around me.

I have a brother and two parents. I do not have a pet though.

My family has been away from most of my other family for the majority of my life because a lot of them live in Mexico.

It is kind of hard knowing exactly where I belong because I do not see them much. Also, most of my family does not speak English, so it is difficult with that barrier.

Family is really important because we are really far away and we constantly have to try and stay in touch. Family members are people who are always there for you no matter what.

My favorite food is entomatadas.

Some of my fondest memories as a kid were when my family, my parents and my brother would make trips to amusement parks and other fun places.

My first Halloween costume as a kid was a strawberry, actually. I still have the costume.

If you do not have a positive outlook on life, everything will be miserable and things will be harder for you. I try to be pretty positive and I just always try to be the nicest to people around me.

I think that true happiness is just finding ways to make life enjoyable.

Friends are people that accept you for who you are no matter how weird. They are always there for you. A good friend is someone who knows you and always knows what to say to make you feel better.

If you want to be positive, surround yourself with the right people and do stuff that makes you happy. I think you have to go along with stuff and to not let things hold you back. You have to be happy in life, you have to be happy with yourself because if you are not happy then life will not be fun.

Abandonment is my greatest fear because it is not fun to be alone and I just do not like the thought of being alone.

If I could change one thing about myself I would like to be more extroverted, I do not talk to people in my classes and I feel like that would help way more.

I would rather be able to do my dream job versus winning the lottery because you then are making money doing what you love.

People who make me laugh are definitely my friends because they are funny and a little odd, but mostly funny.

So whenever we are with family, we make it a goal to always go out and just spend time with them.

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With birthdays, we all live really close together and it is really easy to go out and talk, and some of them have moved away so it is hard. But we try to go and visit them whenever we can. In Mexico, you can always walk wherever you need to, it is really nice.

I believe in karma because I believe that everything has a consequence and happens for a reason and I feel like mindfulness is also really important because everyone needs to have it to some degree.

The best advice I was ever given was to focus on yourself and if you are not happy in life, then in life you would not feel accomplished and you just need to find ways to make life enjoyable, which is really important.

If I was going to die and I could have one last meal, I would have orange chicken. I love orange chicken because the school does not make it enough. Every time there is orange chicken I run to the cafeteria. I always get two cups of it because I love it so much.

My favorite candy is Gushers.

If I could choose just one thing to change about the world it would be climate change because the environment is so important and we need to protect it!

My most embarrassing moment was during gym, I was opening my locker and this girl’s head was in the way and I accidentally opened it on her head, it was so bad.

I feel like it would be better to fail rather than to never try something because at least you can say that you have tried it in the first place.

If I could go back in time I would go back to being a kid because everything was so much simpler.

Some activities I am involved in are track and going to the gym. I am also really interested in art and enjoy it a lot.

After I graduate college, I would like to start my life by trying to find a job. My dream job would be a therapist.

My favorite class is English and art and my least favorite class is math.

The meaning of life is to do things that make you happy.

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ The “Twilight” series

Favorite food \ Entomatadas

Favorite artist \ Mitski

Favorite animal \ Cats

Meaning of Life

Shandon Nixon

Passionate / Teacher / Father

Interviewed by: Carrie Willig Photographed by: Jaeden Capito

Ihated science during high school. I had a teacher who loved birds, so the entire curriculum was all about birds. I have nothing against the animal, but my teacher was incredibly monotone. What I ended up learning was the importance of delivery and passion for what you are teaching. Even though my teacher was extremely passionate about birds, he did not convey that passion to his students.

I was raised in Peoria in a small town called Lacon. Back then, it had a population of 2,100 people, and I graduated with a class of only 36 others. Midland High School, the school I attended, is in the middle of nowhere. You would have to drive eight miles in any direction just to get to a town. The only thing around my high school was cornfields and more cornfields, and maybe some soybeans.

One of the fondest childhood memories I have was playing king of the hill with my sister. I would always make sure I started at the top of the hill. Those little moments with my sister always stick out to me the most.

My parents divorced when I was young, so it was her and me all the time. Luckily, my parents were awesome. They stayed very good friends after the divorce.

My favorite subject in school was history. I was always a fan of a good story, and my grandfather influenced my love for them. When I was 16 years old, my grandpa, dad and I were sitting at a table in a restaurant, and my grandpa started talking about his service in World War ll.

He was stationed at Pearl Harbor and survived the bombing. That was the first night my dad and I had ever heard him talk about this.

A year later , when he was 69 years old, he had a massive heart attack and died. That ended up being the only time I had ever talked to him about his experience in the war. When people say they hate history, it is just because they have not heard a good story. History is the greatest story ever told, it is just usually told by people who can not tell a story well.

I find sociology interesting because it provides the

Meaning Of Life

key to understanding the social world. It is like opening a secret passage, and you realize there is so much else to see. I started out teaching American Diversity here, and that is where I started exploring relations between social groups. I did not know I was developing a sociological imagination.

That was when our previous sociology teacher, Mr. Schmidt, was leaving Huntley and told me I would be a good fit for the class. I threw myself into the learning and was amazed by what it offered.

Our value system is what drives so much of our culture. If I think friendship is the most important, then that is going to drive my behavior. However, society forces us to participate in a way that is beneficial to the system by being consumers.

We always feel like we need the newest item, and that is what our value system reflects. However, those extrinsic rewards do not promote life or happiness. Intrinsic rewards, like love, do.

Oftentimes, society has us directed to prioritize things that are not in our best interests, like social media. Having these influences, as well as personal values, can make it hard to balance it all.

The meaning of life is what makes you happy. One day I will walk away from my job and feel fulfilled, but I could never walk away from my wife or kids and feel fulfilled in any way. The love I have for my relationships and the people in my life is what makes everything worthwhile.

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ Independence Day

Favorite book \ The Celestine Prophecy

Favorite artist \ Bob Ross

Favorite candy \ Reese’s cups

Favorite animal \ Moose

Shandon Nixon boasts a big smile for his 20th year of teaching in District 158.

‘Chicago Mike’ helps thousands of people who have lost homes during natural disasters.

Micheal Lyp Caring / Helper / Volunteer

Interviewed by: Sandra Skiba Photographed by: Rae Habel

Iwas born in Cook County. I grew up in Hanover Park. I moved to Lake in the Hills probably 25 years ago. I raised three kids, and they have all graduated from Huntley High School. We now live in Hampshire but I am looking to possibly build a house, somewhere out here.

Unfortunately I did not go to college. I went to Streamwood High School. I did have a towing company, but now I do barbecuing, along with COVID-19 testing. The majority of my life just now is concentrating on giving back for others.

My happiest childhood memory was when I was 13we won our traveling baseball state championship and I got the winning hit.

The timeframe I would choose to live in would be my timeframe now. I have lived a pretty good life, so I [would] do it all over again. I have learned so much through my life.

If I could go back in time, I would visit my high school years. Just to spend more time with my friends. I mean, we just went to a funeral last week and we were all together and it was pretty awesome. It was 30 years ago, and it felt like yesterday.

If I could have a super power, it would probably be to calm mother nature because mother nature, she is a beast.

I do not think education in America is broken . I think education is what we make of it and what that person, wants to do. You can tell that by being here in school. One thing I could say is live your life with your ears open and your mouth closed, and you will learn a lot more. If you want to learn. The education in America is superb. If you do not want to learn there is no hope. What I say to my kids right now is be coachable. Cause if you are not coachable, you are not gonna learn it. nothing in life, whether it is in school, sports, at home, anything. If you are not a good student of the game, game of life, you are not gonna learn anything.

If I could change one thing about the world it would be for no one to go hungry.

If I could make the world listen, I would tell it to be kind. Love one another. Appreciate one another.

My mistake is maybe not caring for good friends or acquaintances enough, at that time. And then you [will] regret it.

It is worse to never to attempt it than to fail at

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something. I say that you should try everything. Give it a shot, give it your best shot, give it your best go.

What brings me the most joy is helping the homeless, giving them meals, talking with them and expecting nothing in return and to see their smile or their happiness or giving somebody a meal. When I was in Florida, a man lost his house and he was crying because I gave him a hot dinner that he has not had in four, five, six days. I have been doing it since 2016 and it does not get old for me.

My motto is to be kind and not judge because I know even I sometimes judge people. It catches you back later in life and you learn. So try not to judge people. Leave that to God.

Growing up my favorite memory was high school. I played on a high school football team. We were really good. Obviously kids are gonna read this in school cause it is a school newspapers: enjoy your high school years. They are some of the best you will ever have and when you talk to most adults, they will say they would brings these years back anytime. So enjoy your high school years and really bond with each other.

Things that are holding me back from what I really want to do are my donations, access to food or to help more people, because you are obviously always limited by time or money. Helping the poor, even if I had money, I can only do so much.

The biggest personal change I have made is giving back to help other people. I have pretty much committed my life to helping other people.

The meaning of life is probably live life to its fullest. Take the gifts that are in front of you and run with them and get involved in your community, get involved in a non-for-profit church group organization and live to make other people happy.

Quick Facts

Meaning Of Life

Meaning of Life

Polyna Levchenko

Friendly / Sister / Junior

Interviewed by: Grace LaLiberty

Photo provided by: Polyna Levchenko

My family is Ukrainian. They are always really supportive with anything I do. They will always be there to spend time with me when I am able to. They always bring happiness to my life and the moments we have together are some of the greatest memories I have. They are the most influential people in my life. I am always my true self when I am with them. In my family, I have a brother and two pets. My brother’s name is Dennis and he is 18 years old. I also have a cat named Toby and a bird. They are very influential too.

The person who brings the most joy to my life is my mom. Spending time with her always brings me joy and some of the greatest memories of my life. She is a role model to me. She is always on top of everything and knows how to do everything.

If I were to choose between being a dog or cat person, I would say I am definitely more of a cat person, especially because I have one. They are my favorite animals. I remembered when I was a kid, one year for Halloween when I was little, I dressed up as a witch. It was a costume that my mom picked out for me and I loved it.

True happiness is when you just find something you really like to do, that is when you are happy. Reading books, watching Netflix, and spending time with my family brings me true happiness. I also take naps and listen to music to relax.

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ “Titanic”

Favorite book \ “People We Meet on Vacation”

Favorite artist \ Taylor Swift

Favorite candy \ Reese’s

Favorite animal \ Cat

If I could go back in time, I would probably go back to when I was younger because I miss the times when everything used to be fun.

If I could choose one thing to change about the world, I would want people to be way nicer to others. This is because people can be so mean and should learn to be nice. It is not that hard. I would want the world to listen to that.

If I had a million dollars, I would use it to definitely give back to people and make sure to donate to Ukraine.

The best advice I was ever given was to never give up. The advice I would offer my younger self is to just take care of yourself to just make sure you are happy. One piece of advice I would give to freshmen who are coming into high school is I would say that freshman year is really easy, so just do not like stress out at all.

The motto I live by is honestly, who cares? This is because if there is honestly something you do not want to do, who cares?

My philosophy of life is I feel I always try my best with whatever I am doing, no matter what. I believe it is worse to never attempt something in the first place because then in the end you never know if you are able to do it or not.

One thing on my bucket list is to travel the whole world. I really want to move to London; it is just a thing in my head and I want to see how it is. I hope I can live there in 10 years and do something I like such as writing and possibly earning money for doing this.

My favorite song is any Taylor Swift song because I love her new album and she’s my favorite artist. Her old songs have always been songs of hers that I love and ones I can never skip.

My favorite food has always been sushi, even when growing up.

My dream job is to do something that would involve writing or creating a website.

The meaning of life is to live to the fullest and not regret anything.

Polyna Levchenko, in front of the Red Raider Stadium enjoying the game with her mom.

Meaning Of Life

Lucas Sciascia

Artist / Creative / Senior

Interviewed

by: Sarah Christenson Photographed by: Jaeden Capito

Iwas never truly adventurous as a kid. I liked to stick around my house. I loved to play in the mud. It is so weird, but I would always show my little sculptures. My mom would be like ‘yeah that looks good,’ but it made me happy.

Even though I am now more 2D based in art, I still think back to those memories. Just covered in dirt and my mom saying ‘you are gonna have to wash that off,’ while I am just happily giggling and running away from her.

When I was younger I had bad social anxiety. I have gotten better. Being in bigger schools has helped so I am more comfortable around people and just talking in general.

I would be that kid that would hug my mom’s legs and hide. I would not even say my name.

I am in Technical Theater. I am really into that. I also do a lot of art in school and out of school.

I never feel like I am good enough. It helps me know that there is always something to improve on. Then someone is like ‘you are so good’ or ‘you are like, really good at this and that. Can you help me?’ And I think I am not good enough. I can not do that.

I look up to my siblings a lot. I saw them struggling with schoolwork and sometimes my parents would get on their back. I did not want that.

I was afraid of ruining my relationship with either my siblings or my parents by going through those fights and everything. I am always in a constant state of needing to be better.

I have a love-hate relationship with my art classes. As an artist, I never really created original characters. It was always fan-art. These are the characters I bonded with. These are the characters I love. So I want to draw them.

I want to express myself in ways that I can not do through talking because people just misconstrue my message, but I can do it through art. I can make those characters feel what I am feeling.

Having to do things that I do not like in art classes is a good thing. I love it. I love challenging myself. But I hate it

because it is challenging.

But seeing my art improve through the years is good. That is why I keep coming back to art. I also love just seeing new people and I love sharing my interest.

I just want people to feel comfortable around me. I do not want them to think that I am weird or that I am unapproachable even if I have a RBF.

I would want to have more time with my grandpa. I wish I had more time to speak with him.

I would also like to have one more time with a bunch of my older pets. One in particular was a dog named Archie. We only had him for a year. I wish that both of us could have spent more time together.

I do not think there is one set thing that makes me happy. It really depends on the day, but for a good day I wake up and spend time with my cat. I get to go to the classes that I love.

As a senior, I am able to take these classes I love. I get to go to medical classes and then I get to see what my life would be like if I choose that path.

Middle school was tough. High school has gotten better, but it is still tough.

There are days when I am not good and where school is just not my priority. Sometimes I am not the priority. Through therapy I have definitely improved. Those days have been coming less and less. I am coming to realize that I am not defined by those mental illnesses that I have been diagnosed with.

I am most afraid of everyone turning their back on me. I have had a history of not being able to keep friends. In middle school I had a strong friend group, but then high school happened and we drifted.

So far those friends are everything to me and they have stuck with me through highs and lows. I am just afraid that it is going to be another case of them leaving.

My least favorite class is history. Not because I hate history, I just hate learning about the same thing over and over again. As for my favorite, it has to be between Biomedical Innovations and 2D Design I.

A saying I believe in is to just keep going. It really does get better. You will find people that stick with you. They will help you through it, but just keep going.

The meaning of life is spending time how you want to. I know this kind of sounds weird, but the meaning of life can be so different for everyone. If you like something, do it. Spend time how you want to spend it. Do not let other people live for you. You are the one in control. You are the one who is gonna face these challenges because you are you. You are not your mom. You are not your dad. You are not your friends. You are you.

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Lucas stands holding their portrait proudly. They have spent hours smoothing out the pastel across the giant black paper.

Philip Furman

Caring / Chess / Sophomore

Interviewed by: Zoe Emerson Photographed by: Ly Martil

My name is Philip Furman, and I am a sophomore at Huntley High School. I am 15 years old. My parents are from eastern Poland; I was born here.

I live with my mom, dad, and sister, who is my twin and is also a sophomore.

Inside school, I go to class, study, and talk with my friends. Outside of school, I have clubs or sports. I am on the Chess Team, and the Robotics Team. I also play volleyball, and recently there has been an open gym, so I have been going to those.

I really like nerdy stuff, like good old physics and chemistry. I really like history too, and I am a bit of a history buff. That is what got me into playing chess and doing robotics.

My favorite subjects would be science and history because those things just come naturally to me, and I enjoy them a lot. My least favorite subject is literature because that sort of creativity does not really appeal to me, and oftentimes, a lot of the books we read are sort of boring, or I have already read them before.

I want to go into applied sciences and be a quantum physicist with quantum computers. If that does not work out, I could always teach.

I used to play chess a little bit on and off when I was a little kid, but that was just with my dad and just something to do. In my freshman year, Caden, Zaid, and I would all play chess together. It was something like “oh shoot, this is fun to play.”

This year, because last year I did not really have the time for extracurriculars, I joined the Chess Team, and now I am on the varsity team. It is pretty fun.

I taught myself how to play chess and used YouTube. There are chess YouTubers. There is this website called Lichess where you have practices and lessons you can do, and it has really taught me a lot.

I think chess is fairly intuitive as a board game because there are not that many rules. You can really play the

Meaning Of Life

game how you want it.

Obviously, there are openings and strategies and tactics that you are supposed to follow. But realistically, as long as it is a sound and logical plan, you can really do almost anything. The basics are fairly easy to get down. Once you get to around the intermediate level, you cannot really improve unless you really apply yourself, but that is how it is with everything. Practice makes perfect.

Imagine any sort of sport or activity where it is fairly competitive and intense. That is basically what the feeling is when playing. You are focused, and you are just playing chess, and it is a fun time. Sometimes you get to talk with your opponent. Sometimes you win or lose, but at the end of the day, you were playing chess.

I feel like I am a beginner to intermediate player. I have fairly decently gotten the basics down, but really, it is about gaining experience and really learning the tactics and strategies.

I know I will continue playing chess, to the very least through high school and potentially outside of high school. My personal goal is to potentially reach the lowest master rank probably before I graduate college. I try to improve as much as I can here and potentially try to succeed outside of school.

The meaning of life is to keep on going. You were put into this world, so you might as well try.

Quick Facts

Philip Furman strategizes during a game of chess, hoping to defeat his opponent.

Meaning Of Life

Nicolette Tindle

Caring / BMX Racer / Freshman

Interviewed by: Emma Christenson Photo provided by: Nicolette Tindle

Iam Nicolette Tindle but I go by Nicky. I am 14 years old, and I am a freshman.

If I could change one thing about the world, it would be inequality. I would want everyone to be equal because people should not be judged.

I feel inequality has a bad impact on people, causing them to choose their life based on prejudice they face. And that should not be it, they should want to live how they want to.

I was born in Hoffman Estates.

To describe my upbringing, I would start off with both of my parents living here their whole life because they wanted to stay in Illinois to stay close to family. Then we realized that Hoffman Estates was too far away from our family, so then we moved to Hampshire. After Hampshire we wanted a bigger house so we moved to Huntley.

The activities that I do in school are Silver Cord and Best Buddies Club. The activity that I do out of school is BMX racing.

I have a brother who is 12 years old. My brother and both of my parents live with me, and I have one dog named Savannah.

If I had 24 hours to live from right this second, I would spend it by gaining different adventures with my cousins. With my younger cousins, we would go do Disney activities. And with my older cousins, we would probably just go to a football stadium and watch a football game.

If I had a million dollars I would donate it to St. Jude’s because I have two cousins who are there right now. One has really bad cancer. I am not sure about the other one because he just went there.

If I had to have dinner with five people (living or dead) it would be my great-grandma, my great-grandpa, Simone Biles, Abraham Lincoln, and my best friend.

Some things about my extended family are that I am super close with my aunt, my uncle, and my two cousins. My

Quick Facts

Favorite film \ “Working Moms”

Favorite book \ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Favorite artist \ Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan

Favorite candy \ Skittles and KitKat

Favorite animal \ Dogs

grandma and I are also really close, I see her all the time. Family is my number one thing, I prioritize my family.

To fail at something rather than never attempt it in the first place because then you can learn from the mistakes that happen and do different things to improve on those mistakes.

My favorite subject in school is PLTW, my biomedical class, and then my least favorite is Spanish 2.

My favorite toys as a child were the Baby Alive dolls because I felt like I had a child and I liked to take care of it. I felt like a mom.

True happiness is feeling welcomed everywhere. You have some sad days but you are happy and you enjoy stuff. I have said that I am happy before but actually at that time I was not truly happy. So I would want to truly feel happy when I say I am happy.

My greatest fear is losing my dad because he has medical conditions and his dad passed away when he was 16. I do not want that to happen to me.

Something about my background is I am in a family of four. I have lived with my parents and brother for my whole life.

Some interests that I have are making bracelets and art in general.

When I was a kid for Halloween my favorite costume was probably a blue Icee. My dad made it and I liked it because I remembered that whenever we would go to the gas station I would get a blue Icee.

The biggest personal change I have made is telling myself that I am perfect and that no one can change that for me.

My happiest childhood memory is my vacation in Florida with my dad’s whole family, especially because it was like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am never taking that back because I got to meet family that lives all around the world.

Some of my favorite memories were the different locations I went to because that was a memory that I would not be able to have again. We went to Florida, Arizona, Texas, Maine, St. Louis, and Michigan.

If I had one superpower it would be to fly because then I could get to places faster.

What I think happens after we die is you go up to heaven and you watch over your family and then you can help them through situations.

My role models when I was growing up were my dad and my aunt just because they showed me to be myself and I can always get through everything.

When I grow up, I want to be a pediatric nurse.

The meaning of life for me is just being able to enjoy life, and being there and having feelings about what you are doing.

Nicky Tindle staring down at the ground, thinking about which BMX race move to perform next.

Mea ning of Life