Kendall Lindsey is a senior at Apopka, who has recently been accepted into her dream school of Duke University. Although her last year at Apopka has been very different with her decision to do LaunchED, she has continued to work hard with her participation in sports and AP classes along with doing debate.

What was it like getting accepted into Duke University/ is that where you want to go or are you applying to more colleges?

It was quite a funny story. I had gotten surgery two days prior to my decision and I couldn’t speak. I hadn’t told my parents that I was going to get my decision that day. So when I walked into my mom’s room crying and mumbling, she was scared that I was hurt or something had gone wrong. But no, I had just gotten accepted to my dream school.

What are your plans after high school, do you know what you’ll major in?

I’m still unsure where I’ll be attending college, but I want to major in public policy, economics, or botany. After undergraduate, I want to attend a top 5 law school (Harvard, Yale, etc.). I’ll practice law for a few years then hopefully run for public office. Maybe I’ll land in the Oval Office some day.

What has your senior year been like so far/ are there any specific classes you enjoy?

My senior year has been somewhat uneventful since I’m doing Launch ED, but because of the free time working from home affords me. I was able to rejoin the swim team and join the water polo team—I’ve had lots of fun on both. As far as classes go, I have been enjoying AP Calculus. I went into that class thinking that it would be a huge challenge, but it turns out that Mrs. Anderson makes it enjoyable and it’s satisfying when concepts click. I also enjoyed Macroeconomics with Russell—his classes are always interesting.

Are you involved in any sports/ extracurricular activities, if so what do you enjoy about them?

I decided to return to swimming this year (which I had to quit after my freshman year to pursue debate), and I joined water polo. I really liked having a team atmosphere again, it was nice to have a group of people to work and bond with. On top of that, the main motivation for my participation is to get in shape—quarantine and virtual school hasn’t been kind to my metabolism. Overall, I’m really enjoying having fun and getting out there with the rest of the girls, who, despite me being new to the team, treat me like family.

What advice would you give to the juniors now who are upcoming seniors?

The stress isn’t worth it. Obsessing over a 4.0 GPA, taking 7 AP classes in one year, or whatever else is how you come to regret your high school career. I threw away my four years: I never went to prom/hoco, football games, after school activities, I never really hung out with my friends because I was so busy maintaining perfect grades, winning a debate tournament, or whatever crazy goal I had set for myself that week. And guess what? I’ll probably be going to the same college as someone who had fun and enjoyed high school. You don’t need to be perfect. High school is about striking a balance, especially when you have one year left, juniors. Find a way to take a few AP classes while attending senior activities and having FUN. Achieve your goals and set some time apart for yourself. Another thing, start studying for the SAT (use Khan Academy practice exams and buy prep books if you can) and write your Common App essay over the summer. If you’re ambitious and applying to a bunch of out of state schools, those applications will hit you HARD.

What are some of your favorite memories from high school?

My favorite memories largely come from debate. The way we do awards in debate is super nerve racking: all of the finalists go on stage and they slowly eliminate from last to first, so that has produced some fun memories. Namely, at the University of Pennsylvania, I got to see the look on my teammates’ and coaches’ faces when my name wasn’t being called. After each person was called off stage, their smiles grew. I ended up in second place at a national debate tournament and I couldn’t have been happier at that moment. Another fun memory was in Texas at the National Speech and Debate Tournament—the whole team had gone to a zoo. It was just an all around fun experience to be with your best friends so far from home. Ruby and Nate had fallen asleep in a small theater watching a movie about sea turtles and Alanis and I woke them up. I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life.