Sophomore Saturday: Maya Martinson

Martinson+in+Scotland.

Martinson in Scotland.

Madeline Pale, Staff writer

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what hobbies/sports you do.

A: I do swimming and water polo, because I really enjoy water sports and they’re easier on injuries than land sports. I love to read and write, and recently submitted a couple stories to competitions. My main club is mock trial, which relates closely with what I want to do in the future.

 

Q: How is this year’s learning different from last years? 

A: This year is much more focused on grades and deadlines, and I’m finding myself swamped every night. This year meant a lot less time for extra extracurricular activities, such as Huron Players. There are no random Covid online days that I had gotten used to. Also with no masks, it’s interesting to finally see people’s faces again, 

 

Q: Which classes have you found the most interesting and why?

A: APUSH for sure. APUSH has earned its reputation as a very difficult, time consuming class, but it covers so much interesting material. Learning about the depressing and sometimes disturbing history of the U.S is fascinating to me. I think it’s both important and interesting to learn about material like that.

 

Q: Describe something that surprised you coming back to school this year that you weren’t expecting?

A: Freshman year I knew I had to start doing all these important things, but that felt like a future me problem. 10th grade I applied for NHS, started studying for the SAT, created schedules for junior year, visited colleges, and looked at college essay prompts. Whenever grades started to dip, I had to keep going…which is a lot of pressure. 

 

Q: What are your thoughts about personal project? What were some challenges you faced?

A: Personal project was both a nightmare and fairly interesting. It was sometimes painful to try to fit in the time to do essays, digital art, research, poster making, and catch up on my work for regular classes. I procrastinated a lot, but in the end, I learned a lot more about my topic.

 

Q: If you could change one thing from your freshman self, what would it be? 

A: I’d choose more clubs, and find more opportunities. I’d try to be more outspoken, and likable, someone people would remember. I’d look harder for leadership, learning, and volunteer options. Though my grades were good and I never had to worry too much, I could have done more to prep for harder classes.