My sophomore year of high school often felt like the eye of a storm, a blend of self-discovery and success surrounded by the daunting realization of future challenges and expectations. Our sophomore year at Jesuit was a pivotal year, marking the transition from the fear and excitement of being a freshman to the complexities of sophomore year. One of the main challenges of this year was discovering who we are, both academically and socially, and finding our place in Jesuit’s high school ecosystem. As I reflect on the past year, I am struck by the many experiences that have transformed my character and personality in unexpected ways. From classes to participation in extracurricular activities, sophomore year has been a journey of growth, resilience, and self-discovery.
Difference from Freshman Year
A major difference between our freshman year and sophomore year at Jesuit was the shift from fear to confidence at the beginning of the school year. During our freshman year, many members of the class of 2026 experienced initial loneliness and isolation due to attending “non-feeder schools”, meaning students who did not attend grade schools that annually send large amounts of students to Jesuit. While this initial loneliness was quickly replaced with a sense of community and brotherhood due to retreats and extracurriculars, many freshmen, including myself, still struggled to find a group to which they felt comfortable and welcomed.
However, this was quite different at the beginning of our sophomore year. Throughout the latter portion of freshman year, we began to weed out the experiences and extracurriculars that we were no longer interested in, decisions that allowed us to grow closer to members of our class who shared our same interests. These connections set the stage for the start of sophomore year, as we were no longer timid and afraid of trying new things and interacting with people but rather were excited to solidify ourselves within the Jesuit community.
Challenges
One of the major challenges of sophomore year was the transition between freshman academics to sophomore academics. While our academics freshman year were undoubtedly challenging, sophomore year presented a new challenge— AP classes. Many sophomores decided to take AP World History Modern, a class that necessitated taking notes based on nightly readings and videos. Some additional AP classes sophomores decided to take included: AP Computer Science, AP Precalculus, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics C. With the addition of these AP classes, many sophomores experienced significantly more homework than their freshman year, meaning less time spent relaxing and participating in extracurriculars and more time studying.
Another challenge of sophomore year was narrowing down your interests and finding a solid group of friends. While freshman year encouraged us to try things we had never seen or done before, sophomore year encouraged us to narrow down our interests to better succeed in the areas we had the most interest in. For example, I played three sports my freshman year, cross country, basketball, and track and field. While I would have loved to have kept playing basketball, I knew I needed to narrow my athletic participation to singularly cross country and track and field to focus my efforts and excel in those areas. I also discovered a new passion of mine, broadcast journalism and sports announcing.
I announced many of the football games during my sophomore year and it was an amazing experience, on that I will definitely extend into my junior year.
Friendships
Sophomore year further grew many of the friendships that I previously had from freshman year, but also produced new friendships that have impacted me in many positive ways.
This year, I had the opportunity to host an Italian Exchange student for two weeks. My exchange student was named Leonardo, he went by Leo, and he was basically my brother for those two weeks. I still talk to him to this day and I will be forever grateful for the limited time that I had with him. I also found new friends through broadcasting journalism and sports announcing.
Service
Service was also a pivotal part of my sophomore year. Different than freshman year, sophomore year was geared toward intensive service, meaning we stuck with one service organization that focused on one service site for the entirety of the school year. This focus on intensive service allowed us to connect on a deeper level with the marginalized people we were serving.
Personally, I served with the 24/7 service organization, led by Counselor David Williams, and focused on serving with the non-profit organization Fighting Homelessness at Austin Street Center in Fair Park. Myself and the other sophomores in 24/7 not only gave hope and happiness to the members of Austin Street Center but also instilled a sense of community and solidarity between ourselves and the members of Austin Street Center, a connection that has shaped all of our characters and values.
Highlights of the Year
Sophomore year included many memorable moments that many of us will not forget. The Mother-Son Brunch was one such moment. Every year, Jesuit students and their mothers celebrate the innate bond and love that they have for each other. However, sophomore year signifies a shift in the relationship between mother and son because we start driving and start to become more independent, a transition that made this year’s brunch even more meaningful.
Another moment was the total solar eclipse on April 8th. At around 12:50 PM, the entirety of Jesuit’s community went out onto the football field to view the eclipse. It was a moment where we got to appreciate the science and beauty of God’s creation while also engaging as a community.
Arguably the most powerful moment of my sophomore year has been the sophomore retreat. It was a moment singularly devoted to the development of our relationship with God and our classmates. We learned more about each other, engaged in kinship, and began to better understand the role of God in our lives. I grew closer to many of my classmates and the reflections presented by various Jesuit staff truly called me to introspectively look within myself.
Lessons for Next Year
Overall, sophomore year was a year of discovery and community. It has shaped many of the sophomores into who they will be throughout their last two years of high school and is the halfway point between high school and college. While it may seem hard to take the time to slow down and really appreciate your surroundings due to various forms of pressure, if I have learned anything this year it is that the most important moments in your life are right in front of you, not in the distant future. So, rather than constantly worrying about what tomorrow will bring, appreciate the small and big moments each day because they will fly by you before you even know it.
