CHAPEL HILL — Nicole Avila and Nathan Hrynewych, both days away from graduating from Woods Charter School in northeast Chatham County, said they weren’t 100 percent sure what they were going to study in college.
Avila listed French, neuroscience and computer science as possibilities for her studies at the University of Chicago, but also expressed interest in music and economics. Hrynewych, headed to UNC-Charlotte in the fall, mentioned journalism and engineering, but was keeping his options open.
Both of these Chapel Hill residents and graduating seniors enjoyed their four years as high schoolers at Woods Charter and spoke to the News + Record about their experiences and hopes for the future. The Woods Charter class of 2019 graduates Friday.
Why are you pursuing the college/career paths that you’ve chosen?
NA: I was applying to a lot of schools. One of the reasons I applied to so many, and so many great schools like Chicago, is financial aid. They meet 100 percent of financial need, so that was a prerequisite. I thought the location was different from where I live currently, so I wanted that different experience and the internship opportunities that they have there and the academic rigor. I know that if I go there, I could do sports as well. My parents, my mom specifically, they say, “Take the opportunities that are given to you.” I have so many opportunities here and I need to take them.
NH: I want to go somewhere in the state because it’s cheaper and I don’t want to have to fly or drive for forever when I come home for the weekends or holidays. I actually know next to nothing about the city of Charlotte. I’ve been there three times and two of them were for college visits. I figure it would be really cool to immerse myself in a new city and a completely new environment than what I’ve lived in. I figure when I get into that environment, it will be easier for me to decide (what I want to study).
Do you have a favorite memory from your time here?
NA: One time we were outside and playing knockout (a basketball game) for a whole class. It was just a nice day. Another day, it was really cold outside and the (soccer) field, it was completely frozen. We all started exploring and picking up the ice that were formed on the leaves.
NH: For a project I did in a class called The History of Human Thought, me and a group of three other students were assigned to read a book called The Bhagavad Gita [“The Song of God,” a section of a Hindu religious text] and make some sort of visual project. Right on the cover of the book, there’s a dude in a big chariot. So for our project, we made a huge wooden chariot, brought it in and then charioted various teachers up and down the hallway. We hit the walls and left a mark that’s still there, and it was really fun.
Did you have a favorite class or teacher that you enjoyed?
NA: My favorite teacher is Ms. (Suzanne) Sikes, who is my English teacher and also my research teacher, and also Ms. (Sarah) Koppelkam, who was my English 4 teacher. I just had so many meaningful experiences with them and enjoyed classes with them.
NH: Ms. Koppelkam. She was my 11th grade English teacher, and I think she had a really big positive impact on me throughout that year and still. Something we did a lot in 11th grade were personal essays. I think I wrote one analytical essay the entire year, and the rest were also personal essays recounting stories and events from your life that were important to you. For a long time when I was younger, I had problems talking about myself, I didn’t like it, I didn’t enjoy it. For a whole year being forced to write about myself helped shed some of that anxiety around that, and I think I gained a lot of self-confidence with that. The stuff that she taught me is stuff that I will remember and utilize the rest of my life.
What’s been the most important life lesson you’ve learned?
NA: You just have to keep finding the opportunities, working hard. There might be some times where you feel so dis-motivated or you think you can’t do something else, but there is always a chance, and you just have to believe in yourself.
NH: Something I’ve learned here is how to interact a lot better, interact with people more. Because the Woods high school experience is so drastically different than where I was before, throughout these four years, I’ve gotten to know everybody really well, and I feel like I can call everybody in my grade a friend, and that’s something that feels really good. Being able to branch out a lot more and getting to experience knowing everybody in a really positive way is something that I think I’m going to want to try to continue in the future.
If you could go talk to yourself as a rising ninth-grader, what would you tell him/her?
NA: Just calm down, everything is going to be OK. If you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask your teachers, and they’re going to be there for you. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for extra help if you don’t know anything. And SATs, Subject Tests, take those opportunities. You might feel afraid, but in the end, you ended up doing really well and there was no reason why you shouldn’t have taken that biology subject test. Be confident in yourself.
NH: I guess I would tell myself that the things I struggle with are very real, and they’re not just in your head, and that the sooner you speak up and make it known that you are struggling with things, the better you will feel quicker. I had some really rough years with personal stuff, and for a long time I didn’t like talking about things that were happening, and that weighed down on me. In the last year, I’ve been able to be more open with myself and others about things I’m struggling with and feel good about it. That has had such a positive benefit on my mental health. So just, your problems are real, please talk about it.
Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.