With graduation less than two weeks away, many seniors are starting to put less effort into their final projects and tests of high school. However, Rebecca Ly is one of the few seniors who haven’t succumbed to senioritis.

With an outstanding 4.2 GPA this semester, Ly has maintained her high grades with a difficult schedule including AP Calculus AB, AP English IV, AP Biology, and Honors French IV. She maintained an unweighted 4.0 GPA up until last semester where she had her first B+ in one of her hardest classes, AP Calculus AB. The class was a challenge for Ly who said, “I was used to getting As on tests but I was getting like 45% on my Calculus tests.”

Despite the B+ in Calculus, she has been able to work herself up to an A in the class this semester. In addition, Ly has proven to stand out in her other classes. At the academic showcase, she received an award for Christian Lifestyles, World Religions, French IV, and AP English IV.

“I was so shocked, I was not expecting to get them at all. Especially the English one because I feel like a lot of my classmates are very good writers and they seem to contribute more in class discussions than I do” Ly says. While she is more quiet in the classroom, her writing has proven to stand out in class. Looking back on her experience as a writer, she says, “I got a C- on my first essay and I cried… I think I’ve improved a lot as a writer thanks to Mr. Krantz.”

It’s no surprise that she did well in both of her senior religion classes since faith is Ly’s number one priority. Since last October, she’s been serving as a Sunday school teacher where she teaches kids in her parish about different Bible stories. She’s even a part of her church’s worship team and youth group.

Despite her Sundays being mostly dedicated to her faith, Ly still had time to participate in three different sports, including swimming for two years. She was a part of the Cross Country and Girls’ Tennis team for all four years, earning a Varsity letter in both. Giving advice to other students with busy schedules, she says, “You just have to learn how to prioritize. Whenever I’m in season, I don’t really have time to hang out with my friends or anything like that. I prioritize school the most and then my extracurriculars.”

Most would be surprised to know that Ly, who was voted “Most Creative” for both prom court and for the yearbook superlative, used to dislike art. “I used to not like art at all, until freshman year I took art foundations with Ms. Erickson and after that I found out that I was pretty decent and I had a lot of fun doing it. So now I try to draw or paint whenever I can.”

To relax from her busy schedule, Ly journals, saying “It helps me when I’m stressed or overwhelmed because I can just write all my feelings down or paint.” Her journals are not your conventional writing entries since she utilizes her creativity by drawing and designing beautiful designs in them as well. Below is a slideshow featuring some of the pages from her journal.

One of the biggest lessons Ly has learned from high school is to not stress too much.

“Have more fun while you still can because as you grow up you have less and less free time,” she said. “You should take care of yourself, make time for yourself, and spend more time with the people you love.”

She also encourages other students to try out new activities, like she did freshman year with tennis and art. “Try new things, even things you’re not sure if you’ll like or not because you might find that you’re either really good at them or that you really enjoy doing them and ultimately discover a new hobby,” Ly said.

Rebecca Ly will attend University of Portland next fall where she will be majoring in biology. She hopes to go to medical school to become either a dermatologist or optometrist.