Out of 484 students in the junior class, Diya Papudesi is currently the projected valedictorian of 2027. Among the top ten juniors; she describes herself as funny and determined. Papudesi wants to work hard and have fun at the same time, which keeps her motivated to put forth her best effort.
What have been some challenges that you have had to overcome?
A: “Sometimes it’s hard to find a balance between school and my personal life, because you’re only in high school once, and you’re only 17 once, and I just want to make sure I’m not sacrificing all my time with my friends to do it. But then, at the same time, I want to make sure I’m still trying hard. That balance can be hard.”
Q. What has been a good criticism or piece of advice that you have received?
A: “The same way of studying isn’t going to work for every class. Being a slacker and just hoping for the best, sometimes you have to put in an actual effort and use different methods. My Physics professor at ACC told me this. I think taking college classes in high school is just so helpful, because you get to see what really being in college is like, and how professors don’t really care that much. You’re expected to just know by looking at the syllabus or whatever.”
How would your reaction be to failure, like a bad grade?
A: “Usually, it’s my own fault because I’ve just taken too much on my plate and I haven’t been able to fully focus on all my things at once. I try to take a step back, figure out where I went wrong, cut back on things, and then work on it. Like, if I got a type of problem wrong, consistently, I focus on that, even if it’s not necessarily going to be tested on again, just because I wanna know and understand what’s happening.”
Can you describe any memorable moments in the school year, or over the years? Any memorable academic moments?
A: “I’ve just been having a lot of fun around my classes, especially because once you get to a higher-level class, everyone wants to be there. Calc last year was so much fun, because everyone liked math, and the teacher was great, and it was, like, everyone wanted to be there, but no one was just there for the grade. AP Euro too. Everyone was super passionate, and it was fun to have those discussions about what influenced things.”
Do you know of any class that you like and want to explore more about?
A: “Right now, I’m taking AP Bio, and it’s super fun. It’s probably my favorite class this year. It’s just very interesting to learn about. I’m also drawing, it’s very fun. I think it’s nice to have a few classes that you’re having for personal enjoyment and not just for GPA.”
How would you describe the relationship with your teachers at Glenn?
A: “Mostly, they’re pretty good. I love a lot of my teachers. I feel like a lot of the teachers at Glenn are very passionate about teaching, and they’re good at it which is really important in a teacher. Because regardless of how knowledgeable your teacher is, if they don’t want to share that information, they’re not going to be very good at teaching. But a lot of the teachers here are really great, and they make just learning so much fun. Like Ms. Lane, Mr. Riley, Ms. Lopez.”