Struggling with procrastinating his schoolwork, socializing with friends and playing school and club soccer, valedictorian Nathan Wendling kept motivated to accomplish his goal of making a 4.0.
“[This goal was important to me because] I am one to try my best, so I decided getting straight A’s would be a fair goal,” Wendling said.
Wendling showed leadership throughout high school as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes service chair, Ocean Activists Club treasurer and Mu Alpha Theta treasurer. He was also a member of National Honor Society and Spanish Club.
“My greatest struggle was staying motivated, trying to maintain all of my friendships and not letting school and distractions get in the way of that,” Wendling said. “[In my spare time I play] soccer, hang out with friends, watch random YouTube videos and go to church.”
Wendling used time management skills to balance club soccer and studying.
“Handling soccer and grades simultaneously was tough, but I had to really push myself to make the most of the little time I had. There were a lot of late nights, but both soccer and grades meant a lot to me so it was worth it,” Wendling said.
When Wendling struggled with one of his weaker subjects, AP U.S. Government with Sydney Olsen, he put in more time to meet the heavy workload, to keep an A.
“I’m strong in math and science subjects so I knew this was going to be a hard class. I studied more than any class before and barely scraped by with an A,” Wendling said. “I learned how to manage my time better because it was a lot of work.”
Wendling will attend the University of Florida to major in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
“I like building things, figuring out how things work and I like the math that everyone hates,” Wendling said.
Although Wendling met his goal of maintaining a 4.0, he realized high school should not be about how great you can make your resume.
“Spend time doing things you enjoy. Do not do something because it looks good on an application,” Wendling said.