Advice from '28 to '22

BY GRACE CHAI '23, N. RAZBAN '23, EMILY XU '23 

Oftentimes, when we think about giving advice, we imagine an old, wise soul doling out nifty bits of information to a young person, but what if the roles were reversed? Well, here is the crossover you never knew you needed: Spectrum staff interviewing sixth graders on graduation advice for seniors! We interviewed them on a variety of topics, so adjust your cap and get ready for wise words from elementary school scholars. 

On Friendships 
Elliot - Good at networking  
“I don’t really have a lot of experience with graduating, but…just try to make friends as soon as you can [in college], ’cause if that person has other friends, you can make friends with their friends [instead of] spending half the year trying to find friends.”

Kianoush - Pensive yet blunt 
“Be prepared to possibly never see your friends again.” 

On Making Smart Choices

Tyler - Trusts in aging
“Make good decisions [the way] an adult would.”

On Improvement 

Bowen - Future Self-help Author
“Make your time at college better than it was in high school, make it more enjoyable and make it better than it's ever been. It's final: you're not going to school after college. Make something you're happy with and try your very, very, very best!”

On Self-Care 

Ben - Well-rounded and wise 
“I don't feel qualified [to give advice to seniors]. But, make sure you take care of yourself. Be yourself once you go to college. Don’t stress.”

Minho - Realistic and parental
“Eat your vegetables in college. Don’t panic, but don’t get crushed by a huge workload.”

Matei - Go-with-the-flow mentality master 
“Don’t really think about it too much; have fun and don’t think. That’s life; if you mess it up, just go with it. Meet with friends, and keep your sanity.”

On Academic Achievement 

Alex - Wise words for the daydreamers
“Just try to focus on school. When you get to college and higher grades, you’re going to need to pay attention a lot because in life, you’re going to need most of the tools you learn from [the] higher grades [and] up. In elementary school, [it’s alright to] mostly have fun, but [you should] still try to learn. If you’re in higher grades, you should pay attention more.”

On Sushi 
Anoushka - Prioritization Queen  
“Eat sushi because sushi is good.”

On Reaching Your Maximum Potential 
Aidan - Diehard Darwin Devotee
“Think of it as the next step in [your] life, [you] will have reached a maximum potential that [you didn’t] think [you] were capable of. [Make use of] opportunities to [reach your personal goals]. Continue to [learn], and you can [think about specific goals you want to reach] later in life. For example, in biology, you can continue to learn and make new discoveries. Hard workers reach their maximum potential earlier than other people.”

On Staying True to Yourself 
Megha - Straightforward and fun-loving
“Enjoy your time in college.”

​Lily - Appreciative of the little things
“Even though you’re graduating, it doesn’t mean that there’s no time to have fun, play around, and be a kid for a bit longer. And remember to eat a ton of candy. That’s important. And just to be happy and do what you love; that’s what you’re doing all this for. Do what you love and be happy doing it.”

Juniors: On Graduating Next Year 

​Emily - Was-a-COVID-Baby-so-Still-Feel-Like-a-Freshman Syndrome
“Imagine: it’s your freshman year, and you walk through the doors of Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, breathing in the stuffy high-school air. You close your eyes, taking in ABRHS’ aura, noting that, overall, it’s one of youth. You smile, trusting that your high school experience will be much like that aura: bittersweet, with flashes of extreme stress flooding your senses at the most random of times. 

You open your eyes. It is the summer before your senior year. You have indeed experienced the highs and lows, the late nights, the sudden outbursts of intense communal stress known as ‘AP week,’ the walking-to-Dunkin’ free periods that have morphed into the walking-to-Lower-for-Chipotle free periods, the occasional nap in class, and plenty of friendships found within the walls of ABRHS. In a split second, three-fourths of your time at the high school has elapsed, and, through it all, you’re happy to say that high school hasn’t been all that bad. Then, you realize that in exactly one year, you’ll be graduating. Heck.” 

Grace - When in denial of aging, wax poetic.
“High school may seem like a blur in the grand expanse of time, but when you zoom in on the memories worth remembering, it makes the whole world burst into color.” 

Nakisa - Good at concealing feels
“Quite frankly, I’m terrified, but it's fine!”

Well, there you have it: a comprehensive interview with the bright young minds of tomorrow about everything from academic advice to musings on the meaning of life. We hope you were enlightened (or at least a little entertained) by this collaboration, and congratulations to the Class of 2022! Or, in the words of one sixth grader: “Nice, you graduated. Enjoy your life.”