Halfway There: Sophomores Reflect

Every student undoubtedly has a unique Stuyvesant experience. Second-term sophomores are now halfway through high school, a position that gives them a unique perspective on the past and upcoming two years.

Sophomore Subyeta Chowdhury summed up her time so far at Stuyvesant as “pretty great,” she said. Like many incoming freshmen, she entered Stuyvesant expecting to be “bombarded with so much work that [she] wouldn’t be able to breathe,” she said. However, she was pleasantly surprised that, while she was given plenty of work to do, the large amount of work resulted in a useful byproduct. “I was able to develop time management skills because of it,” Chowdhury remarked.

Sophomore Jeff Huang also acknowledged that the sometimes-difficult workload and tight schedule of a Stuyvesant student are heightened by participating in extracurricular activities. “Towards the end of SING! season this year, I would get home at 8:30 p.m., sleep from 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. or 3:00 a.m. and wake up to study,” he said. Huang does not regret his participation in clubs, though, acknowledging that the wide range of extracurricular activities is one of his favorite things about this school. “Hey, if you don’t have dark circles at least once, are you really a Stuy student?” he joked.

Other sophomores’ feelings about their Stuyvesant years are decidedly more mixed. Natalia Velez-Rios described Stuyvesant as “exhausting,” due to early mornings, long commutes, and many hours of study time. She conceded, though, that Stuyvesant has plenty of great features, too. “I love all of the teachers I've had and the new subjects I've been exposed to,” she explained. Her favorite teacher thus far is Assistant Principal of English Eric Grossman, who teaches her European Literature class. “I always look forward to his class because he creates such a welcoming environment,” Velez-Rios said. “It feels like our own little community.”

The consensus among sophomores seems to be that they entered Stuyvesant expecting academic rigor and intensity. What sophomore Michael Russo did not expect as a freshman, however, was the prominent social scene within the Stuyvesant community. “I'd been told that everyone’s super focused on work and anti-social, but that's not the case at all,” he observed. One of Russo’s takeaways from the past two years was to “surround yourself with the right people,” a principle that has helped him enjoy his time at Stuyvesant.

The sophomores’ attitudes about their futures as upperclassmen are also varied. Chowdhury looks forward to taking more elective courses and earning leadership positions in clubs, but expressed some anxiety concerning these new commitments. “It kind of daunts me, because I am planning on having a full schedule next year, but I’m not sure how that’s going to play out with all the time-management stuff,” she said.

Velez-Rios, too, is eager to choose from an expanded range of courses, but is less enthusiastic about the added pressure that comes with junior year. “Juniors are always complaining about staying up late,” she elaborated.

Russo, on the other hand, is very much looking forward to the extra workload he will face as an upperclassman. “I usually can't motivate myself to study in advance or at all for certain subjects,” he admitted. He hopes to improve his work ethic and ability to self-motivate by the time he graduates.

Huang is concerned about the looming college application process. He is excited, though, to strengthen his friendships over the next two years. “I’m certainly looking forward to furthering the connections I have made so far, and having more involvement in extracurriculars,” he said.

Though each sophomore has individual goals, the vast majority of people all came to Stuyvesant for the same reason: to prepare them for the world. Chowdhury aims to one day be a pediatrician and to meet this end, has taken related electives in the past two years. She also wants to grow as an individual during the remainder of her Stuyvesant experience. “I hope that, by the end of all this, I realize what I really want. I hope I know what I need to prioritize in my academic life and my personal life,” she explained.

Huang is also interested in medicine and healthcare and has already taken related courses at Stuyvesant. “Hopefully, I’ll make more connections with people within that field in the next two years. Now, as summer begins, I’ve started to look at volunteering and internship opportunities at local hospitals,” he said.

Velez-Rios has made it her mission to leave her comfort zone in her remaining time at Stuyvesant. “This year, I was a lot braver than freshman year,” she recounted. “I did SING!, I'm doing [Stuyvesant Outlet Showcase] (SOS), I quit track. I was scared of doing these things last year.” She hopes to apply this newfound courage to class participation in the coming two years.

While each sophomore follows a unique path through Stuyvesant, they can agree that their time at Stuyvesant is going by fast. “The past two years flew by so quickly,” Huang exclaimed, awed. “It’s crazy to think that it was over two years ago that I received that fateful acceptance letter.”