Balance

By Annie Pham

Being afraid to open up and meeting new people before, a high school junior at Yerba Buena, Ida Nguyen never would’ve imagined herself being the extroverted person like she is today.

Ever since high school started, Nguyen wanted to be more involved with school activities, and extracurriculars rather than just having it be about grades. She always had a passion for sports since she was little because she did martial arts for 8 years.

Nguyen discovered volleyball through middle school, and found out more about badminton through freshman year P.E. 

In freshman year, Nguyen was interested in trying out for the badminton team. A friend of hers encouraged her to both try out for the team together. 

Her friend was the last push for Nguyen to get persuaded to try out. In the end, it turned out to be an amazing experience for Nguyen.

Nguyen: “My favorite sport is badminton, it’s just the most fun sport I played so far out of all the other ones I played.”

Nguyen gained much experience in her freshman year, which led to her being captain of girl singles her sophomore year, continuing into her junior year. 

Always eager to ask for advice, and improvement in skills; she gets extra assistance from her coaches, upperclassmen, and alumni. 

Alongside being captain of the badminton team, she also got the role of president of the badminton club her sophomore year, while also being a part of the class cabinet since freshman year. Nguyen manages multiple responsibilities to ensure she’s well rounded, while also dealing with her own social life and academics. 

Nguyen wasn’t afraid to speak up and ask for help because when it comes to communication for her club, there wasn’t a problem and things were always smooth.

Nguyen: “Since I became both of those my sophomore year, it took me time to adjust and get better at my time management skills

She is not all about sports though. Nguyen wanted to make an effective impact for her school, our community, and get involved in any way possible. 

Nguyen heard about Key Club throughout her freshmen year and decided to join. It was a non-profit service organization club in high school. 

With getting more involved with Key Club and attending events, she wanted to be a part of the cabinet also. 

Nguyen: “I decided to be a part of Key Club Cabinet because I wanted to make a greater impact in my school, and I also wanted to help plan events. For me, it means to be part of, to help out my community, or a way to help out my community.”

Aside from school, Nguyen is also an individual who has a fun, interesting life other than just being focused on school activities and work.

In Nguyen’s free time, she enjoys being outdoors, like hiking and the beach. She also loves to hangout with friends and family.

Considering that ever since middle school ended, Nguyen developed to be active and social ever since. She found her extroverted personality through high school and different people. Seeing the drastic difference led her to be more open.

Nguyen: “I think me now, and compared to me in middle school, I am way more extroverted than I was before. I think being exposed to different types of people, and just pushing myself out of my comfort zone, has helped me become more extroverted.”