HayU Blog

Hunja

Nick

Demi

Hunja: Thank you so much for taking the time. I know you’ve been busy! You just came back from a huge Model UN conference in New York last week. How was that? 

Nick: It was really great! As you can imagine, there was a lot of socializing and interacting with delegates from different countries. This past year, I’ve learned that I truly enjoy socializing more than I realized. I made it a point to get to know every person in my class, and at this conference, that intention paid off. I had some wonderful conversations with UN delegates from Zambia and Botswana.

Spreadsheets and Structure

Hunja: When we spoke last year about college counseling, I was impressed by your organization. You had a good grasp of the colleges you were interested in, the programs that matched your career goals, and the admission requirements. Demi (Hayutin EF Coach) said you were the most organized student he had ever worked with!

Nick: Yeah, it is interesting that I don’t really consider myself a detail-oriented or highly organized person, but I think I enjoy having a structured way to operate. Take my room for example, it is not neat by any stretch, but certain parts of it are highly organized. I have a particular place where I hang my posters, and they all have to be perfectly aligned, and then under each poster, I have a LEGO set that color-matches the poster. If anyone moves the LEGO set, I have to put it right back to where it was. 

Planning and Procrastination

Hunja: Is there sometimes a disconnect between your strong planning/organizing and your ability to execute on your plans? I recall you mentioned to me last year that procrastination was a big struggle. Has the accountability of working with Demi helped you move from planning to action?

Nick: Absolutely! Procrastination is still a struggle, but working with Demi has been a huge help. As an example, since I know Demi is going to ask me about the math videos I need to watch each week, it has been a fun and helpful layer of accountability to get my math work done before our Friday sessions. It has become a running joke in my life. Whatever I am doing, I need to get my math videos done before Friday. I didn’t even tell Demi this, but I was on a date last Thursday, and I had to cut it short when I realized that I needed to get home and complete my math videos. My date couldn’t understand, but I kept telling her that I needed to get home so I could do this assignment, and she couldn’t wrap her mind around any of that (laughing).

Fitness and Focus

Hunja: What would you say is the biggest factor positively influencing your academic performance this year versus last year?

Nick: Honestly, this might sound weird, but I would say going to the gym and generally being active have been the biggest factors for me. My mom and Demi are both self-professed gym rats, and I’ve fully joined them in that. Finding consistency with this and seeing results from my efforts made me realize that I could apply the same principles to my work at school, and then I started seeing results there as well. It was also really helpful in regulating my mood, so even if I go to the gym in the mornings, which tends to make me physically tired before school, I feel much sharper and much more positive throughout my day, which really helps.

When I started out, it was helpful to have a personal trainer to motivate me to go because it was hard to stick to the routine. Now, I only see my personal trainer occasionally, as it has become something I am much more motivated to do, given how many positive benefits I've seen in my life.   

By Hunja Koimburi, M.A.

Director, Hayutin Education