Bryant Seniors Face College Applications

lot smoother.”

According to Garcia, students should try to plan where they want to attend college during their sophomore or junior year so that, when the time comes to apply, the process will be less stressful.

“Junior year [is a good time] of exploration and research. Your senior year, that’s when you have to start making some decisions, and so if you have a lot of that work done ahead of time, then it probably makes that process a little bit easier,” Garcia said. “Some students aren’t thinking that far ahead, and I totally get it. They just started high school,why are they thinking about college, but it doesn’t hurt to kind of take advantage of those resources along the way.”

One of the best resources a student can have when applying to colleges is an admissions counselor that can guide them through the process.

“Whatever school they’re applying to, I would hope that they would have an admissions counselor, and I’d hope that they would know how to contact that person because your admissions counselor really is your connection to that university,” Garcia said. “They are your person to ask any and all questions to, and I think I really would encourage students to utilize that because that’s kind of what we’re here for. And it really can help make the process go a lot smoother, can really kind of relieve a little anxiety when you know you have someone you can just email and ask a question to. So I hope students would take advantage of that.”

Throughout all the obstacles, essays, sleepless nights and self doubt, students might just be waiting to reach the finish line, but once they get there, they may feel a sense of relief. According to James, things look better from the other side.

“College applications are very stressful but once you hit that submit button it feels like a huge weight lifted off your shoulders, so it will all get better eventually,” James said.

STORY BY: DEEYA ROHANT

n the U.S. there are nearly 30 million adolescents participating in sports, according to Weinstein Legal, and high school students account for an estimated two million sports-related injuries.

Junior Katelyn Morton is a football manager who assists trainers in dealing with sportsrelated injuries and believes some sports injuries can leave athletes out of commission.

“Long term [injuries] aren’t obviously nearly as common, but there are some that [athletes] can’t play an entire season because of ACLS, tearing ACLs, or meniscus and shoulder things too,” Morton said.

Morton has helped several students at Bryant who have experienced sports-related injuries, like junior Gideon Motes. Motes injured himself this past summer at a football game just before school started.

“I got picked up and slammed,”

Motes said. “Separated my shoulder from my collar bone.”

Motes’ injury required physical therapy and left him with a permanent shoulder bump. Despite his shoulder injury, he continued to play during the season.

While some athletes injuries can be helped with just physical therapy, some injuries can result in athletes having to have surgery like senior Traylon Russ. Russ tore his meniscus at this years Salt Bowl.