2 minute read
Carrying Their Legacy Seniors share their extracurricular high school experience
Story by Eyesha Sadiq
The electives that students pick during their high school career shape who they become in the future. With high school coming to an end, seniors reflect on how their electives formed who they are today.
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EMMA TRAN
Her love for cheerleading began in the seventh grade. Hebron cheerleaders came to Arbor Creek to perform for the pep rally. Watching from the audience, she realized she wanted to become one of them. Now, senior Emma Tran is a co-captain and flier for the Hebron Cheer team.
“My favorite part of cheer is probably competing,” Tran said. “We compete a few times in school cheer, and I also do competitive cheer outside of school. I just love the adrenaline rush, the nerves [and] the butterflies in my stomach. I love being able to react on those nerves by performing and showing off all the hard work that I’ve put into the routine.”
Tran said she hopes to cheer at the University of Oklahoma. She has gotten through the first round of tryouts and will start the second round of tryouts this month.
“Cheer has definitely taught me many life lessons that I will take with me beyond college,” Tran said. “It’s not only taught me time management skills, but also [how to] persevere. [Cheer also taught me] how to be a hard worker, a good athlete [and a] good person.”
SUHANI RANA
It was middle school night.
After being told to be in orchestra by her parents, she saw the band perform at a football game, and the moment she heard the music of the instruments during the halftime show, she knew that band was her calling. Now head drum major Suhani Rana has been playing the flute for seven years.
“Before joining band, I was a very quiet kid,” Rana said. “I think because of band, I learned that everyone makes mistakes. It’s worth going out and doing something that you would think is scary because by doing that, you’re expanding your knowledge and expanding your abilities. Also getting yourself out of your comfort zone is the only way you’re going to ever change or improve.”
When Rana joined the Hebron band, she auditioned to play percussion, but right before the first day of school, she changed to playing the flute and has been playing it since. To achieve one of the highest positions in band, Rana went through a two-phase interview to see if she was ready to take on the challenge of being a drum major. Luckily, she was just the right person.
“I was planning on just being a regular member, because I knew there were different forms of leadership [and], as a freshman, I was very unaware of all the behind the scenes stuff that goes on in band,” Rana said. “Towards the end of my freshman year, they introduced a concept of student leadership and the different roles like squad leader, section leader and drum major. That’s when I realized that I have some ideas and I want them to be heard in the band.”
If granted the opportunity, Rana said she hopes to be able to play flute with the University of Texas at Dallas band, where she will be majoring in computer science. Band has become an escape from reality for Rana and has allowed her to meet new people and travel in areas she never would have before.
“My favorite part of band is getting to know the people because everyone is so unique,” Rana said. “I love getting to talk to individual people and see their views on certain parts of band. I wouldn’t have known [facts about them] if I hadn’t talked to certain people [as a leader].”
