36 five day weeks. 180 school days a year. 1 year of high school down, 3 years to go.

For a freshman, those days seem never ending. Each year seems to drag on even more with the weight of tougher exams, more difficult courses, and more responsibilities. You want so badly to be the oldest in the building. You want to drive to school, leave during lunch to pick up food you actually want to eat, stress less about testing and about the work for next year that you won’t have to do in the high school because you’ll be somewhere new with newer people and more interesting classes. You want to be older so bad that you forget to enjoy your time with your friends when you can.

While many students want to wish away their high school years and just enjoy being a senior, many current seniors are grateful for the years that they have had as it offered them the time and opportunities to transform into someone new.

Three senior students, Nicholas Bisaccia, Molly McPoland, and Christina Alexandrov, reflect on their time in New Providence High School and how they have transformed in the last four years.

Nicholas Bisaccia, a bright student and ambitious baseball player who will be continuing his career at Seton Hall university, states that “Physically I have gotten much stronger and mentally I have become much more mature and tougher. I am much different now then from my freshmen year.”

As Bisaccia looks back through his years of training, he states that he has “grown in so many different ways to be a better person overall” which has helped him “be more successful in the classroom and on the field. I became a better athlete as I improved and took my game to another level.”

Like all athletes, Bisaccia has struggled with his inner turmoil. Athletes are known to have high personal standards and sometimes low self-esteem as they try to push themselves to be the best they can be. Failure is not an option and when it does arise, athletes especially struggle to work with it.

However, while many may state that self-criticism is problematic, Bisaccia uses it to fuel his training and progression:  “Sometimes it takes honesty to get better and starting to improve my weaknesses made me much better in the long run. There have been many bad games along the way that allowed me to self reflect and see where I could do better. This helped me achieve the awesome moments of going to a State Championship and playing college baseball.”

It can be difficult to be patient when all you want to do is be at your best. It’s difficult to listen to others and have to do the small things first to build up a foundation for when you get to do the big people work. But in the end, it’s all worth it.

“Because of all the hard work and time I put into to baseball and the classroom, I achieved my goal of playing college baseball which still motivates me to this day,” Bisaccia states.

Sometimes strength is more mental than physical.

Molly McPoland, a well rounded student and highly motivated musician, states:  “My transformation journey began freshman year during marching band preseason. The time and effort required were unlike anything I had done before, and it sort of acted as an introduction to high school.”

It’s no secret how grueling marching band summer practices are. After spending hours in the basking heat, there are sometimes extra practices at night, making sure the students know their music, positions, and how to work in perfect harmony with each other. But these long hours have led to numerous high placing awards and several outstanding performances.

McPoland says her transformation through marching has allowed her to have “a lot more self confidence in my capabilities, and I am generally much more organized in terms of my goals and aspirations” as it also encouraged her to “[accept] my limitations, and [decide] where I wanted to go in life.”

But just like Bisaccia and several others, the moments of self-doubt can be trying and difficult to overcome. When people doubt their abilities, it’s often because they don’t want to make any room for mistakes. However, as many people have learned through their transformations, mistakes need to be made in order to grow and become the person you strive to be.

“Since my idea of myself was morphing, at times, it was difficult to have a sense of self in the moment. However, the end result made those struggles worth it,” she said.

While mental and physical transformations are both exhausting, there are also many individuals who experience both at the same time through the four years of high school. But what are the outcomes of such transformations and how does the person changed overall?

Christina Alexandrov, a strong willed athlete with a bright young mind, states that through her transformation, “Physically, I was able to get fitter, while mentally, I think I got kinder and able to manage my time more effectively.”

For Alexandrov, she began her transformation journey while being heavily overwhelmed and stressed about her schoolwork, her athletic achievements, and living the high school dream with a good social life.

Alexandrov states, “I had to push myself in order to keep up with a load of schoolwork and sports.”

With so much to do and so little time to accomplish everything, Alexandrov noticed that she was beginning to lose sight of what she really wanted. She noticed that the stress came when things weren’t in proportion, like when she had too much homework and not enough time to sleep in or go on a run when she wanted to.

So how was she able to transform her schedule to fit her needs?

“I gave myself rest days in which I still felt productive like taking notes on a subject but spending part of the day with family and friends,” Alexandrov said.

And while she is “content with the person I am now, I know I can change to be an even better person.”

So were these transformations worth it?

Bisaccia, McPoland, and Alexandrov think so as they all state that they have no regrets, but they do have advice.

Bisaccia:  “The best thing I could say is believe in yourself and work hard to achieve your goals. Believing in yourself can take you places you would never imagine and outworking your competition in an area of your life has so many benefits that you may not realize.”

McPoland:  “Keep pushing. Things may be hard now, but we all have to struggle for results in order to truly appreciate them.”

Alexandrov:  “It comes naturally and when you are ready to be a better person. Don’t force change.”

So for every freshman, sophomore, junior, or younger, take your time and don’t rush the process of trying to get older. You’ll get your senior year, it’s not going anywhere. Take the time and become the person you want to be proud of. Allow the transformation to happen on its own and eventually everything will work in the end.