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Finding your place in an unfamiliar space: George Huo
THURS. | 01-06-22 | FEATURES
Being a teenager can be difficult by itself, but can be even harder for some if they feel isolated by their classmates.
Huo is a Rose student with big ambitions and an inspiring drive. He is currently taking AP US Government, AP Physics 1, Chinese 1, AP Calculus BC and AP Chemistry. This is an impressive class list for anyone, but especially for a freshman.
The majority of these classes are filled with older students and upperclassmen which can cause feelings of discomfort or exclusion for underclassmen due to the age difference. Luckily, Huo feels accepted by his classmates.
“The age difference is really not a big deal as it doesn’t impact learning and they treat me kindly,” Huo said.
Researchers from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the Yale Child Study Center found in a national survey that around 75% of students’ reported feelings related to school were negative. The majority of students in the United States report experiencing feelings of stress, boredom, exclusion, and tiredness in their place of learning. They do not believe their school experience has much bearing on their future, and they do not feel accepted by their classmates or teachers. Thankfully, Huo has found a home here at Rose.
“The thing about the Rose community is that it's a lot larger than I know,” Huo said “I don't even really know a very small fraction, [but] or those I know I think they're very nice people.”
One main struggle that a lot of students have, especially those who have a large age difference with the other kids in their class, is the struggle to fit in. Whether this is intentional or not, it is a growing issue in schools and can have an effect on students’ learning, meaning that there is great importance in finding your place. That means finding somewhere you feel comfortable and a community you can call home.
Photo by Katharine Gauland
“Finding my place means just to be who I am.” Huo said. “I found my space by just going with the flow.”
Huo is no stranger to difficulty; he has been taking advanced courses since sixth grade and has always worked hard because he is pushing to achieve his dreams.
“The best part [about taking advanced classes] is just getting to learn a lot,” stated Huo. “I didn't really see anything negative about it,”
“It’s really just to prepare me for the future so I can achieve my goals,” Huo said.
Huo’s sister, Lily, also took advanced classes in high school and has been a source of motivation for him.
“I don’t really think anyone inspired me to be a hard worker; I just chose to do it myself,” Huo said. “If I could say one person, maybe my sister.”
Being a hard worker can be as simple as finding your passion. Once you find something you want to do and make a plan of how you can accomplish it, the rest will start falling into place with hard work and determination.
“I really just found something that I really want to become like a math professor, so then all I know is that I just have to work to accomplish my goals and that’s really my passion,” Huo said. “As a math professor you get to contribute to the most fundamental knowledge.
“The reason is because as a math professor you get to contribute to the most fundamental knowledge,” Huo said. “Also you will usually always have food on the table.”
