High school is hard, and is harder when you have to balance classwork with after school activities, such as sports, performing arts or clubs. Here to answer the question of how to balance it all is senior Brittany Padgett.
This year Padgett wowed us as Julia in WS’s own “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” but this isn’t her first time on the stage. While Padgett began theater toward the end of her sophomore year, she’s been singing with the Personality Show Choir since the start of her high school career. Even before then Padgett was, though in a less theatrical way, performing on the volleyball court, something she’s done since she was eight.
While theater and Personality share traits in common, each activity entails different things.
“For theater I memorize monologues depending on what we’re doing. If I’m in a show, I have rehearsal right after school. For volleyball I have practice right after [rehearsals]. For Personality, I’m one of the choreographers so I have that when I get home. So basically my days are filled,” said Padgett.
Naturally with a schedule so full, many students struggle to balance their activities with school.
“I honestly don’t know how I balance it, but I think it’s just that I like doing each thing so it doesn’t even bother me how much time it takes to do all [of the activities],” said Padgett.
As expected, juggling three after-school activities with senior year course load uses up a lot of energy, but for some it’s worth it.
“It gets tiresome, but I love doing it so that’s why I still do it,” said Padgett.
Unfortunately, things tend to overlap, and the question of which activity to choose arises.
“That actually happened a couple of times. We had a [volleyball] game against Annandale and I also had a [Personality] performance, but for volleyball…unless it’s district conference or stuff post-season then I have to go to performances [because] Personality, it is still a class,” said Padgett.
As Padgett knows, balancing a busy schedule is a challenge. She has a few wise words for those trying to balance school with activities.
“If you love it stick to it… [and] if you have the passion for it you definitely can multi-task,” said Padgett.
Life is busy. Sometimes it’s sports, sometimes it’s theater, something it’s both and sometimes it’s more. At the end of the day, the goal is to spend your days and your life doing what you love. There may be some late nights, some tiring days, but don’t worry, it’ll be worth it and most importantly, watch your health.
“Try to sleep in when you can,” said Padgett.