Becoming an upperclassman comes with a lot of perks. New leadership positions. Harder and more exciting classes. Being the top dog in town. It also comes with a lot of new stresses. As for sophomore Noor Sarwar, there are a lot of things to be scared of and excited for.

“I’m excited to sit on the other side of the assemblies because we get to actually see the people when they’re doing stuff down there,” Sarwar said. “I definitely think I’m getting more opportunities like officer positions, like in Model UN — I’m secretary now.”

With becoming a junior, there are many more responsibilities, meaning a lot more that Sarwar will have to balance next year.

“[I’m worried] about standardized testing, ACT, SATs as well and prioritizing like college applications,” she said.

As for workload, it greatly expands. Especially for students that are dedicated to taking academically challenging courses.

“[I’m taking] AP Lang, AP Bio, APUSH, and Honors Accelerated PreCalc,” Sarwar said.

After having two years of high school experience under her belt, Sarwar knows things now that she didn’t when she first entered high school. Now, with her new experiences, there are things that she would do differently if she could restart.

“I wish I was way more involved in activities and that I prioritized,” Sarwar said. “Like specific stuff instead of trying to do every single thing, choosing what I like to do and stick with that.”

For incoming freshmen, high school can be intimidating. Much older students, many more people, new challenges, and much more. Luckily, they will have upperclassmen, such as Sarwar to guide and advise them through their first year so they that can enjoy their high school experience as much as possible.

“Definitely choose what you want to do,” Sarwar said. “Not what your parents like, what teachers like, what college applications like, but what you want to pursue.”