According to Google, a symbol is defined as “a thing that represents or stands for something else.”  While the thought of a literary device after the AP Literature exam has passed may cause some of my fellow juniors to groan, I believe that symbols are important not just in prose passages and Petrarchian sonnets, but also in the rest of life.  If I had to think of one symbol that represents junior year, I would pick the little bubbles that we have to fill in on standardized tests.  I think that it’s safe to say that between SATs, ACTs, SAT IIs, AP tests, and many practice tests for each of these, my classmates and I have all spent far too much time this year filling bubbles that we are told will have a big influence on our college choices.  During the rapidly approaching summer break, I am looking forward not only to taking a break from these bubbles, but also from the bubble of being a student and from the broader bubble of affluence in Silicon Valley.

While I do enjoy learning in an academic setting, I am excited to explore the world in other, less stressful ways in the upcoming months.  I can’t wait to play tennis and bake and read books for fun.  My Saturday mornings will hopefully be filled with sleep, instead of SAT prep.  At my summer internship, I look forward to working with people whose concerns go beyond test grades, people who are trying to solve global issues like disease through new technology, people whose broad outlook on life I hope to emulate someday.  I am looking forward to working at a local food bank, and not only because it will fulfill my PACT requirements.   Spending a few hours helping fill grocery bags with food left over from Costco for grateful local families certainly helps to put a bad test grade or summer job rejection into perspective.  I am also looking forward to spending some time hiking and rafting in Yellowstone National Park this summer, but you don’t need to get out of California to get a different perspective on the world.  Any new experience in a part of your community that you don’t normally visit can broaden your view on the environment around you.

Maybe a few of you will be lucky enough to get out of our Silicon Valley bubble by traveling to a different culture and getting to experience new foods, new customs, and new ways of life.  Whatever you do over the summer, enjoy it.  Have fun, but save some time to get out of the Menlo bubble and reconnect with yourself.  Ironically for my fellow juniors and me, we will be expected to transition next year from mechanically filling in bubbles to writing deep, reflective personal essays for college applications.  In my current stressed and sleep-deprived state, I am not sure if I could successfully complete this task.  But after a summer to rejuvenate, step away from the school-year bubble, and learn about the world (and myself) in different ways, I think I will be much more successful.