Senior: Xavier Chew ‘19

“What makes me happy? Time to make myself better; I want to always be better than yesterday’s Xavier. I write lyrics and rap, that’s how I cope with stress from the outside world. I started when I was a freshman. My dad and I were waiting at a bus stop, and he just started freestyle. I’m thinking “wow he’s actually really good” so i started writing. I performed a rap to all the freshman at the air force academy high school. I was really nervous. It was a song about my experiences with my best friends and why we fell apart. It was so cheesy, but I liked it. Then people told me I was actually good and I should give it a shot. I haven’t stopped exercising my lyrical abilities since then.”

Junior: Molly McElligot ‘20

The best advice I’ve ever gotten was from my YoungLife leader Allie. I was talking to her about how some folks didn’t want to be friends with me because I was ‘different’, and she told me that because of that experience, I have to learn from it and do my best to never make anyone feel ‘different’, no matter who they are. This something I take with me everywhere I go now, and what motivates me to be the very best I can be. I think you have to be the best version of yourself (and by that I don’t mean the perfect makeup and brandy Melville outfit version). I mean being the most compassionate, kind person you can be. I feel like I usually don’t fit in with the  crowd. I don’t play sports, my body is more curvy, I am passionate about women’s rights and the environment, and I attend marches and am very vocal about it.I think they’re is 100% percent room for improvement, but I believe I am very good version of myself. Possibly not the best but there is always something more I can do for myself, others, and the world”

Sophomore: Humza Ali ‘21

“Any improvement like getting a higher test grade than my last or beating my personal best from the past are my inspiration. Anytime I see a noticeable improvement towards a goal of mine, it drives me to put in more effort next time. Like right now, I’m working towards having a 4.75+ GPA.  I want to have good grades so i can have a successful career. I want to go into medicine. Helping people and having a useful skill set that can save someone from dying is something that’s worthwhile, especially if I’m going to have to go to school for a long time.”

Freshman: Haven Lisek ‘22

“Before I graduate, I want to try at least 4 clubs that I would’ve never joined without being pushed to. I do choir and cheer, but I think I’d most likely do Model UN, Spanish club, Investment club, and robotics club. I just want to try something new. I think something about having so many options at LT intrigued me and these few caught my eye. It might be stressful to join them all, but I think it’ll be worth it in the end if I’m learning new things and meeting new people. [Meeting new people] would be my goal.”