"I'm worried about you guys. You're pushing yourselves too hard and forget to live; you need to enjoy being a teenager and do activities outside of school."
 
I stood there astounded and bewildered, as my counselor told me the last thing I was expecting to hear during orientation. I mean, am I trying too hard? Did I take too many courses in one math subject? Well, as I sit here days after, I begin to realize that she made a definite point; some adolescents are trying too hard to impress college admission officers and forgetting to enjoy being a teenager.
 
But me? OK, maybe I am slightly insane for taking Honors Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry and AP Calculus AB for only my freshman year at California High School, and maybe more insane for even thinking about developing a Minority Vocational Engineering and Scientist Training Institute in a rural, agriculture-driven village in Bulacan, Philippines.
 
But I believe my counselor was right. I think to myself, when was the last time I did something because I loved to do it, not because I wanted to impress a college admission officer? Let's see, last autumn during my eighth grade year at Pine Valley Middle School, I spent my whole semester developing a photovoltaic solar sun tracker for my science fair project. 

Sure, it was about three times as tall as everyone else's board, but did I enjoy working on my experiment? Sadly, I didn't get the exact fulfillment I was hoping for, nor did I believe I learned anything about myself during the process.

This iota of guidance from my counselor is advice I want to give to any other students like myself who are trying so hard and end up never pursuing an activity that they truly enjoy doing.

This school year, as I begin my trek as a freshman, I intend on truly being myself and this time, do hobbies I actually enjoy and spend more time with family and close friends.