6:30 am. Get out of bed. Brush my teeth. Change my clothes. Drive to school. First period, try not to fall asleep.

Davening; thank G-d for this day. Second and third period. Lunch, aka, homework time.

Fourth period. Advisory, probably going to Starbucks…again. Mincha.

Last class. Bell rings. School’s done. Great, time for practice.

Serve the ball, get the rebound, and block the defense. Head on home.

Eat. Homework. Study, most probably for AP Chem. Say Shema.

Go to sleep. 2:00 am. Repeat.

This is the life that I go through almost every day of the week. Some may say that the pressure of school may get to me. Some may even call me crazy. But through my eyes, this is life, and I love it.

I love being able to sit in class and learn something new. I love being handed a problem and having to use that knowledge I gained to solve it. I love going to practice no matter how much valuable time I may be losing, during which I could be doing homework.

And for those who have not caught on by now, I, Sharona Sedighim, actually love school.

This, however, was not how I felt about it three years ago. When I first moved to California from Miami, I had no idea what was going to happen. When I first heard I was going to Shalhevet, I honestly thought it would be some YULA wanna-be (at that time, YULA was the only school I had heard of – honestly).

At that time, school to me was just busy work. But once entering the doors of Shalhevet, I knew things were different. I saw how people could be friends even though they were in different classes. The teachers were nicer than I ever expected. And the sports…that’s what really caught my interest. I had finally arrived to a place I felt was home.

Now that I am in the 11th grade, the work load has maximized. I now must devote time to my AP’s, as well as normal school work, sports, and volunteering. I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard.

SAT time is coming up as well! I am sometimes overwhelmed with the work load, but one thing, surprisingly, makes it better: being at school. At school, I am able to talk to my teachers about the challenges I have. They give me amazing advice that, usually, always helps me sort out my problems. My friends also give me faith. If I have trouble understanding a subject, they are always there to explain it to me.

Until I am a second semester senior, I will be enduring “the year.” This is the time when my classmates and I must work our butts off, have restless nights, and study like there’s no tomorrow. And, this is all happening with some friendly competition in the background; each student is trying to become the best of the best in order to get amazing recommendations, become valedictorian, and of course, to get into the college of their choice.

What keeps me from going insane is finding that one inspiration to get me through the week. For some, it may be parties on the weekend, co-curriculars, going to the beach, or even spending some time with family. To me, it’s my friends and sports. With them, I can express how I really feel, and relieve the stress I’ve accumulated from “the year.” I can stay up studying all night knowing that there is something to look forward to tomorrow. And looking forward to the weekend doesn’t hurt either!

So to those 11th graders who have had the time to read this blog, find an inspiration. I advise that you don’t stress yourself out by constantly studying. Take a little time – it can be an hour or even five minutes – to relax, take a breath and talk to friends, because they know what your going through too.

Help each other, study, have some fun. “The year” will be over before you know it!