Year-round athlete (Swim, Ski and Rowing), President of National Honor Society (NHS), Student Council Representative and full time student, including 5 Advanced Placement (AP) classes, Senior Maddie Tay does it all.
Tay starts her day waking up at 5:20 am to get to swim practice before 6:00. With morning practice ending at 7:00, Tay changes and eats breakfast, with her teammates, before the school day starts at 7:30am. With a schedule filled with five AP classes, Tay’s school day is fairly busy.
“I always try to get homework done during the school day because I have little time to do it later,” Tay said.
At 2:30, the bell rings ending the school day, giving Tay enough time to head to the pool, get in a quick snack and head to practice, starting at 3:00 and ending at 5:30.
As soon as practice comes to an end, Tay heads home to shower, eat dinner and finish all her homework. Tay then packs everything up for tomorrow, heading to bed around 10:00 or 11:00pm, just to repeat it the next day.
Tay’s favorite part of the day includes going to swim practice and seeing all her teammates working hard alongside each other.
“It is definitely a close team and family, and I have a close relationship with many of the girls on the team,” Tay said.“Just getting to see them brightens my mood and energizes me to finish the day strong. We are always there for each other when we need it most.”
Along with swim practice and having the opportunity to work hard with the team, at the end of the day, Tay enjoys going to bed.
“It is rewarding for me to go to sleep knowing that I was productive that day and I gave every part of it my best effort. It is one of the few moments of calm in my day of chaos, and I get to reflect on the busy day I had, the hard work I put in and what I accomplished the past 24 hours.” Tay said.
Tay’s least favorite part of her day includes all of the homework that piles up, which takes several hours to complete, all while being completely exhausted from the school day.
Tay points out that it is okay to have good and bad days, as expectations are high for her and her fellow highly involved peers.
“It isn’t realistic to always be on the top of your game, and it helps to remember that no one expects you to be at your best every single day. When I hit a wall, I just make it through the day and try again the next day,” Tay said.
Tay explains, for her sake, attending swim practice after school helps her refresh. Adding on, going to class after morning practice helps her focus on something else.
Tay reminds herself of the importance of doing what she loves and being passionate about what she does when times get busy. Even with swim ending in approximately two months, Tay’s busy athletic schedule will continue to occupy most of her time.
“I am passionate about the things I choose to spend my time doing, such as swimming or being president of the Honor Society. I wouldn’t do these activities if I didn’t think the end results were worth all the hard work. I want to leave a legacy on Northview when I graduate, and that in itself is enough to give me purpose every day,” Tay said.
Tay doesn’t look at her busy schedule as a list of chores, but getting the opportunity to do what she is passionate about.
“In the end, it doesn’t matter what you’re involved in or how busy you are, what matters is that you are passionate about what you do,” Tay said.
