Summets
Angel Alba | Maui High School, Class of 2026
As summer sets, a new journey awaits. Summer began two months ago and I did not expect quite an adventure during those two months. Every summer has its ups and downs but I was stuck down. I thought I would have to rot in my room all summer watching dramas. I felt like I was on doomsday until I realized my friends and I had made some plans for the summer; it was the first our “plans made it out of the group chat.” All jokes aside, this summer was by far the best but not as great as my previous summers. It has now ended; it is time to gather our supplies and engage in a new journey.
HIDOE students are preparing for a rough trip into the new school year of 2024–2025. Summer flew by so quickly; in just a blink of an eye it was time for registration and now school has begun. Summer may have only lasted two months but within those two months, it can make an impact on someone’s life. Andrea Valencia, a Maui High School student shares “My summer went surprisingly well. The highlight of my summer was traveling to California and Las Vegas, exploring new places I have never been before.” Nikki Ann Campos from Baldwin High School proclaims, “My summer was pretty good because I had summer PE, I got to meet a bunch of new people and my love for sports grew even more.”
As for Lavine Dajuio, a student at Baldwin High School, she mentions “My summer was very busy but because of that, it was very adventurous too.” Aside from the other activities Lavine did during the summer, the main highlight of her summer was “traveling to four different countries and hanging out with her friends.” Another student at Baldwin High School, Mathew Rosete further explains “My summer was okay. It wasn’t very eventful but I really enjoyed spending time with my loved ones like my family and girlfriend, Trisha.”
Exploring the world is not the only thing that can make a good summer but just spending quality time with your loved ones will always make a great summer.
Andrea agrees with those who felt the summer was short: “I personally feel like this summer felt too short!” She also suggests, “I wish we had a little more time because it feels like school is starting a lot more early compared to the past years.
I also wish we had more time since I still haven’t finished my summer assignments.” Lavine also shares “I’m kinda sad summer is ending because it went by so fast but I’m excited to go back to school but also a bit nervous since this year is gonna be busier.” Everyone seems to be down now that summer has ended but at the same time excited because Mathew further explains “I feel like summer ended too quickly but I’m still excited for school because we have a new schedule.” Nikki voices “I’m kinda glad summer is ending soon because when I didn’t have summer school I would just stay in bed and do nothing but with school coming up I would have something to do and something to look forward to.”
Summer is not just about going on adventures; people tend to at least obtain one or more skills, whether it is something simple or something difficult to master. Andrea learned a new skill during the summer which was time management. She explains “I learned I could never do everything at once and that I should take my time.” Speaking of taking your time, Lavine took the time to improve her jewelry-making skills. Even though that was the only skill she learned over the summer, it is an incredibly unique skill because people devote time and effort to jewelry making. During Nikki’s sports activities, she realized how communication skills were important to her. Even without having to take a single step out of the house, Mathew obtained a new skill for himself, which was making his drinks.
When all is said and done, time is precious and cannot be spent doing one task. Life is about going on adventures, even if it means just stepping outside of the house to take a quick whiff of the fresh air. When the time comes, take part in that journey; you will never know if it will do you good. If not, you will know by experiencing it. The title of this article “Summets” is a combination of the words “summer” and “sets,” implying summer is beginning to set like how the sun sets. Also, the day—summer—is coming to an end.
Google® Is Not Everything … is a monthly column authored by high school students. The title of the column emphasizes education is more than just googling a topic. Google® is a registered trademark. This month’s guest columnist is Angel Alba, a Junior at Maui High School. She is a Cultural Representative of Maui High’s Filipino Cultural Club, a member of HOSA, Upward Bound and the Filipino folk-dance group “La Galería: Compañía Baile Filipino.” Angel is in the Nursing pathway at Maui High School and aspires to be a pediatric nurse. In her free time, she enjoys creating blogs, building Lego structures, going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, singing karaoke, and watching dramas or any type of movies that have her interest. She is the daughter of Normalita Alba and Pablito Alba Jr.