Students Participate In Elections

Walking down the math hall toward the auditorium, the PA system announced that all seniors must attend a presentation organized by the Harris County Precinct 4 staff. After 30 minutes or so, the presentation concluded, and only one thing remained: those eligible to vote were allowed to pre-register. The staff passed out a form in hopes that it would be filled out by the time they returned. 

“I’m deciding to vote right as I turn 18 […] mainly because […] now that my citizenship status has changed, I feel as though it is my duty to do so for the country that has housed me for the past 18 years,” senior Mai Nguyen said.

Her decision was final,  seeing as she took the time to fill out the pre-register form before this presentation.

On the other hand, senior Yanna Hinojos finalized her decision after the presentation concluded and the form was passed out.

“I’m choosing to vote to have the experience of voting at a young age since I have that opportunity,” Hinojos said.

Deciding to vote now is an important decision for both seniors.

“My main reason for voting now rather than later is the 2016 election.” Nguyen said, “The entire year I anticipated Hillary Clinton to win the presidency because of all the predictions made but I was sorely disappointed…”

Despite her disappointment in the last election, Nguyen is voting this year in hopes that events will not be repeated.  

“I never want to feel that unsafe in my own country again,” Nguyen said

Hinojos shares similar sentiments, “I want to be safe as a woman in this country so I want to participate,” Hinojos said. 

Her longing for a safer country has accumulated over the years.

“As many incidents have happened in the previous years leading up to this one, there are many reasons [as to] why I feel unsafe.”

Ultimately, this election is an opportunity for young voters to voice their opinions and pick a person who they think would be the better choice.

“I want to participate in shaping the government because after living through the pandemic and the repeal of Roe v Wade and witnessing tragedies such as that of the Apalachee high school shooting, I feel as though those who are in power aren’t using their positions for the greater benefit of their constituents,” Nguyen said.

Despite their different motivations, both share a common hope for the outcome of this election, leading to their decision to vote this year.

“I want a smooth as possible future for myself and the people I love,” Nguyen said, “and whichever candidate is elected I hope they will ease the problems of this country.”

This hope is also shared by Hinojos who is aiming for the same future for her country and the people around her.

“I want a good future and a candidate that will lessen our burden and ease the problems of this country,” Hinojos said.

Senior Progresses Through College Applications

A dimmed lamp, a notebook, and a couple of pencils sit on her table inside her room as it is the only part of her house with light shining through the corners of the door. Within the silence, senior Leyna Bui hovers over the submission button for her hundredth practice test over the year. She is reluctant to submit it after taking countless notes and studying previous tests. When she builds the courage to submit, she only sees the score on her screen rise by a single digit despite studying for hours.

 Colleges such as the University of Texas at Austin now require SAT scores again, which adds pressure on students, making them face challenges of balancing school work and trying to increase their SAT scores. Bui’s understanding of the new requirement helps colleges determine a person’s knowledge with many applications coming to the university. 

Despite this decision, she was not as affected by the new requirement since she initially aimed for a high SAT score. She focused her application on UT Austin. 

 “Fortunately, my original SAT score is high enough for the UT Austin requirement,” Bui said. 

However, her process of aiming for a high enough SAT score for UT Austin heavily added to the workload she already had with AP classes. 

“Studying for the SAT is not just a simple sit down for a weekend and get an immediate grade increase,” Bui described. “It takes months to get it up by a few hundred and the studying has to be effective instead of just rereading notes.” 

Despite retaking the study extensive test, she ended with the same score she originally had. Although it is not the only college she is applying to, other universities like Rice have no SAT score requirement. 

“Because my SAT score is not high enough for Rice, I will most likely not be submitting my SAT score and go for a holistic review,” Bui said. 

Despite her challenges in achieving a higher SAT score, her hard work paid off for UT Austin and Rice University. 

However, Counselor Denae Aquil recommends other ways for students to take for their college applications.

“Things students choose to do on their own time, whether that is if they volunteer with church, or if they don’t have much of a choice if they have like things at home that they have to help with those.”

Aquil believes that joining clubs at school and finding something outside of school is important for students’ applications to stand out rather than just SAT scores. However, joining clubs is something Aquil believes is done by students at the last minute.

“When they first get here, some kids immediately jump into everything, and then some don’t get involved in anything until it’s time to do college stuff, and I think they end up regretting that,” Aquil said. 

To ease the stress with SAT and college applications, getting involved in activities earlier will allow students to be focused on their SAT towards senior year.

“If you focus on getting involved in activities earlier, then the entire time you won’t feel such a huge pressure towards the end.”