Samantha Lee
The pool is nothing new to freshman Samantha Lee. In the water since she was four months old, Lee attended Stanford Swim Camp to hone her swimming skills.
Lee was surprised by the extensive hours of training she was thrown into at camp. Training included three swim workouts each day and two sessions of dryland to fill in the extra time. With all the exercise, Lee had to refuel with food and says, “We ate before practice, which was bad because I got hungry afterwards.”
Although the food situation was unfortunate, Lee enjoyed her independence living in the dorms, free of parental supervision. While on campus, Lee spotted two Olympic gold medalists, Maya DiRado and Simone Manuel, who are both competing in Rio. With the Olympics happening this summer, Lee says, “It inspires all of us. It definitely does for me.”
Additionally, the variety of swimmers who attended the camp motivated Lee. Swimmers came from different corners of the country, including China and the Middle East. However, Lee found it challenging to socialize with other swimmers due to the agenda of the camp. “[Stanford] should have had more bonding activities,” says Lee, “so we could talk more to other people.”
About her swimming future, Lee says, “I hope to get a Junior Nationals cut and the Olympics is a big goal. But I might want to swim in college.” Lee is excited to be a member of the Aragon swim team for her first season.
Nick Hudson
Just like students travel to Hollywood to learn more about movies, junior Nick Hudson traveled to Washington D.C. to study international relations. Hudson spent a week at Georgetown University, exploring numerous facets of the ever-changing international system. “We had about 10 lectures and we met with congressman, Eliot Engel, who ran the Foreign Affairs Committee,” says Hudson.
Hudson’s interest in international relations began with a Model United Nations (MUN) camp. Since then, Hudson has enjoyed playing many governments in hypothetical situations. “In certain governments you can play your cards in a way that is very effective in exploring options,” Hudson describes. “It is similar to a game of a Risk.”
Because international relations is immediately impacted by current events, Brexit was discussed by a speaker. “They voted on the referendum just before the camp happened. The person who talked about Brexit was against the leave decision,” says Hudson, “mainly [because] it will not help the economy in the next years [and] they will not have the same trade deals.”
However, not everybody shared the same views because Hudson’s week was filled with a variety of perspectives. Students traveled from countries all over like Portugal, Venezuela, and Argentina. Hudson’s discussion leader was from Singapore and he says, “It was interesting to hear what she had to say because Singapore has very strict laws, like spitting out chewing gum on the floor is illegal.”
This year Hudson is sharing his passion for international relations as vice president of the MUN club.
