Silas Petersen

After attending La Salle for the past four years, senior Silas Petersen has two large pieces of advice he has taken away from high school: prioritize what makes you happy, and know your strengths and weaknesses. 

Over the years, Petersen has learned from experience that both of these are key to having a good time in high school. 

“Know your strengths and weaknesses,” Petersen said. “Sophomore year I took Honors Biology and Honors English, and I found out I suck at Biology. I didn’t go into any honors sciences after that. Just know your boundaries and [recognize] you don’t want to over push yourself.”

Though Petersen wasn’t involved in any sports, he created the first Ultimate Frisbee club, and although it didn’t last longer than a year, Petersen enjoyed its short lifespan. 

Not participating in sports gave Petersen more time to do what made him the happiest: being with his friends. 

“First, I prioritize what really makes me happy, which is hanging out with my friends and prioritizing relationships,” Petersen said. 

The importance of not stressing yourself out about one assignment, and instead enjoying life is something Petersen strongly believes in. Sometimes you won’t get a perfect grade in a class, and that is okay. It’s okay to spend time with your friends instead of studying for a small quiz. 

“Find what makes you enjoy life, and do that,” Petersen said. “Don’t bog yourself down with unnecessary schoolwork… I can’t tell you how many seniors I’ve talked to, and they regret taking a class just because they spent so much time studying and they regret not hanging out with their friends… and 20 years later, they’re not gonna remember studying for a test, they’re gonna remember times they had with people.”