Dillon Huang

Having previously struggled in John Conlin’s JAVA class, senior Dillon Huang eagerly anticipated the return of a test on which he felt he had performed well. After seeing his grade, which was impressive, Huang remembers Conlin taking a moment to clap for his success. 

Prior to beginning high school, however, Huang wasn’t expecting to necessarily find the most joy in his classes — he was more excited for the extracurricular activities and clubs he could join. And he was especially interested in the competitions and trips to other high schools. 

Like he anticipated, playing beach volleyball during the AP Chemistry field trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was one of Huang’s favorite moments from both senior year and high school in general. It was a “full-circle” moment for Huang as he had played volleyball for MVHS freshman year, but decided to let it go his sophomore year and beyond. In that moment, he felt like a freshman again — relatively care free and without responsibilities. 

Like his feelings regarding freshman year’s relative ease, before senior year Huang was excited for the promise of a laid-back second semester. He anticipated both the hopeful security of college decisions and the freedom that he expected for himself. 

Now enjoying the promises and relaxation of second semester senior year, Huang realizes he would tell his freshman self to relax and focus on improvement. 

“Go with the flow and know that everything eventually will work out,” Huang said. “If you make a mistake, it’s OK. Learn from those mistakes and try to be a better version of yourself and don’t worry about what anyone else is doing.”