On February 27th, the seniors at BASIS Independent McLean left to complete their senior projects. Before they began their new journey, four seniors gaven some parting advice for the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who may follow in their footsteps or forge new paths as they continue their high school careers.
Being a student at BASIS Independent McLean is no easy task. It is an academically rigorous environment that pushes every student to put in their best effort and persevere through difficult times. Many high schoolers take more than 3 or 4 Advanced Placement (AP) courses at once after their freshman year. Exams and assessments are frequent, and the bar for performance is set high, meaning students must constantly push themselves to improve and refine their study and time-management skills. Additionally, BIM offers many extracurricular activities such as Debate, Quizbowl, Robotics, and more that all require significant effort and commitment.
Luckily, as students who have already lived through significant academic struggles, the seniors can offer great advice for these struggles. Indeed, former NHS president Shayan Shaibani offers a different take on the competitive nature of high school. When asked what the single most important mindset to have in high school was, he confidently responded, “Every success you make in high school is fundamentally temporary. Something that lasts longer is the people you love and make friends with, so never sacrifice your relationships for short-term successes.”
This powerful statement can be interpreted in many ways, but the message is clear. Being competitive is good. Achieving high academic performance is great. However, when that performance comes at the cost of treating your classmates and friends as competitors while trying to achieve success by yourself, the costs clearly outweigh the benefits. Community exists for a reason, and when students become blinded by striving for perfection above others, collaboration turns into comparison, and friends become competitors. Shayan concluded his message on an inspiring note, emphasizing the need to build relationships that last much farther than high school.
Another theme that was touched on by Avi Fairchild, a senior interested in martial arts, engineering, and orchestra, was the idea of opportunities. When asked the same question as Shayan, he shared that one of his biggest regrets in high school was not taking more opportunities. He states that “people shouldn’t be afraid to be more open. I think embarrassment is an unexplored emotion. A lot of the time, I gave up opportunities before I even tried because I thought I would be terrible at it.”
The idea of exploring embarrassment and taking proactive steps to take more opportunities is similar to the advice that Yalini Kathamuthu, a dedicated artist who enjoys listening to music and writing, imparted. Yalini explains that “not everything in your high school career is under your control, so don’t stress too much.” The demanding challenges of the BIM environment, when paired with APs, Honors, Clubs, and sports, causes the pressure to intensify rapidly. Yalini encourages a step back and the acknowledgment that sometimes things won’t go your way, and understanding that it’s okay. She concludes with the idea that “it’s better to grow now than fail later.” She elaborates that failing now and utilizing that failure to grow easily surmounts failing later, as the current failures you make leave room for growth into a better, more informed person.
The concept of failure was also present in Ben Rask’s mind when he delivered his advice. Ben Rask has been a student at BIM for the past four years. In those years, he has grown into a bright young scholar and has aided the younger generation through his mentorship as the former debate captain for numerous years. Ben’s advice emanates from the fear of the unfamiliar. He explains that “It’s never too late to start anything. The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now.” He focuses on the principle that even if you start late, you can still go far. To supplement this, Ben explains that limiting yourself to only the familiar stifles your growth and closes the door to a plethora of new opportunities, people, and experiences. He urges you t0 step out of your comfort zone, try new clubs, and meet new people, since you never know what’s out there for you. Ben ended his advice to me with one simple statement. “Form relationships with your teachers as they are the mentors who guide your future.” He elucidates this to bring forth the idea that your teachers aren’t just graders but mentors who shape and support your future.
The seniors of BIM have left the school to explore new things, places, and ideas while leaving their old experiences behind as advice for the younger high schoolers who look up to them. While all of the seniors will be missed, their guidance will be used to inspire the coming students to persevere, step out of their comfort zones, and strive to become better versions of themselves. The seniors’ chapter may have closed here at BASIS Independent McLean, but their impact is just beginning.
A special thanks to Shayan Shaibani, Avi Fairchild, Yalini Kathamuthu, and Benjamin Edward Rask for participating in the interviews.
