As head drum major, senior Shubra Durgavathi has been repeatedly dropped on her face during a band camp demonstration. At a leadership camp, she was once asked to lift a 200-pound man on her own, which didn’t go as planned.
Durgavathi has had her share of awkward moments.
Other band camp members quickly came to her aid, and she still has a photo of 30 other campers helping lift him overhead.
Moments like that taught her that some of high school’s biggest lessons come from the smallest, and sometimes the most embarrassing experiences.
If she could whisper one thing to her freshman self it would be to stop taking everything so seriously and don't be afraid of embarrassment. Put yourself out there, laugh at mistakes, and you’ll live a lot more.
And that has been her motto this year.
“As a head drum major, you’re in front of a lot of people all the time, and there’s no way to do that without messing up at least a couple times," Durgavathi said.
A casual shrug and a quick recovery can turn mistakes into memories, instead of embarrassing mess-ups.
Durgavathi's biggest regret in high school is being too quiet as an underclassman, a choice that left her feeling isolated. Midway through junior year, she decided to try being more outgoing and discovered she was, in fact, energized by connecting with people.
That shift carried her into college preparation. She attended University of Kansas orientation events on her own, struck up conversations and gained a valuable life mentor, who happens to be the head of the honors college.
“I would’ve never gotten a mentor like that if I hadn’t put myself out there and talked to her,” Durgavathi said.
The line of customers stretches out the door, and the register beeps steadily as senior Felipe Fernandes-Senkowski scans gas station snacks and counts quarters. Working the register is fast-paced and leaves little room to hesitate.
For Fernandes-Senkowski, standing behind the counter at QuikTrip is an experience he wishes he’d started earlier. After starting the job a few weeks ago, he quickly realized what he had been missing.
“Getting a job teaches you more time management than sitting in a classroom,” Fernandes-Senkowski said.
Balancing shifts with the pressures of senior year has forced him to plan his time more carefully, a lesson he wishes he had learned earlier in high school. Along the way, he’s also gained a new understanding of money: how quickly it is earned, how easily it is spent and how to invest it.
Working in a fast-paced environment means speaking up, staying composed under pressure and handling unpredictable situations.
"Don't be afraid to look like a fool or be different,” Fernandes-Senkowski said. “Nobody really cares.”
On the first day of freshman year, the orchestra room was alive with quiet conversations and the squeaking of chairs moving into place. One blonde curly-haired student, however, remained silent, sticking close to familiar faces from middle school.
Four years later, that same student walks into rehearsal surrounded by laughter and a sense of belonging.
For senior Stella Lindberg, that change didn’t happen overnight, and she wishes it had started sooner.
“If I could advise my freshman self, I’d say to reach out more,” Lindberg said. “I stayed in the same friend group from middle school and didn’t branch out much because I was shy.”
This hesitance extended beyond the classroom. As a member of the soccer team, Lindberg often kept to herself and struggled to feel like a part of the team. It wasn’t until she joined the orchestra and later track that she started forming stronger connections.
By her sophomore and junior years, she noticed a change. Conversations flowed more easily, friendships deepened and the anxiety of meeting new people began to fade. Now, as a senior, she feels a genuine connection with friends from orchestra and track.
“It’s not as hard to make friends as I thought,” Lindberg said. “I just had to move past that anxiety.”
As she prepares to attend the University of Missouri for pre-nursing, Lindberg plans to carry these lessons with her. Above all, her advice remains straightforward: start earlier.
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