From balancing homework, to out of school responsibilities and stress, junior Samantha Lau does it all.

Lau was born in Sacramento, California in 2005 and later moved to Maryland. She has two siblings and is the oldest child. She o speaks multiple languages. “I have two siblings, one younger brother and one younger sister. I was born in California but when I was little we moved to Maryland. Although I am not fluent yet in Chinese, I have been learning and going to Chinese school since I was a child. I also have learned a lot from the Spanish classes I have been taking since middle school,” Lau said.

Lau manages to balance school work, sports and extracurricular activities. She is currently taking five AP classes that include AP Biology, AP Computer Science A, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish Language, and AP English Language. With being an athlete it is difficult to find time to do homework. “Being an athlete is definitely a large commitment so sometimes it is difficult to find time to do my homework for my classes,” Lau said.

Junior year is known to be the hardest and most important year of high school due to the curricular and expectations. Lau thinks that to an extent, junior year is the most difficult. “I had a lot going on this year, especially with the large amount of AP classes I am taking. There is a lot of pressure to make junior year look the best in terms of activities and grades for college so that just adds to the list of things to think about this year,” Lau said.

For those who are a student athlete, homework can be a lot sometimes, but Lau believes the amount of homework given is fair. “This is probably an unpopular opinion but I don’t think teachers provide too much homework. For me, I think all my classes give a fair amount of homework, it is just a combination of which classes I’m taking and all my responsibilities that make it seem overwhelming at times,” Lau said.

Lau is a junior captain on the varsity poms team and is a dancer outside of school. She has been dancing since she was seven years old. She has many responsibilities and feels as though it is overwhelming. “It is very rewarding being able to lead a team to success and be the one that they rely on. My experience has been so fun, I love being on a team. As a captain my responsibilities are to choreograph dances for performances or competitions, take care of logistical aspects, and lead some practices. Especially when I have a lot on my plate, poms does get overwhelming because of the sheer amount of time and commitment it requires,” Lau said.

Lau sets aside time to do multiple activities to relieve the stress. “I always set aside time to do the things I enjoy to relieve the stress of all my responsibilities. Whether it be watching a TV show, going out with my family, or especially during the winter, taking the day off to go snowboarding I find time to put aside my responsibilities for a break,” Lau said.

Aside from sports, Lau is involved in extracurricular activities. She is in multiple clubs such as Red Cross Club, Model UN and Science Olympiad. “I participate and lead many clubs at school. I am Co-president of the Red Cross Club, in which we conduct volunteer opportunities and most recently, the school-wide blood drive. I am also part of competitive clubs such as Model UN and Science Olympiad. I am FrostMUN director general and treasurer of those clubs respectively. I love being a part of these clubs because it gives me a chance to explore my academic interests outside of school and in a competitive environment,” Lau said.