“High aspirations, low expectations.”

Through the trials and tribulations of high school, this core philosophy has served as a guide to life for Priyanka Taneja (12). Priyanka picked up this motto from one of her two brothers, to whom she attributes key facets of her personality.

“I enjoy [being a middle child],” Priyanka said. “My older brother always had to stress because he had to do things first while my little brother always has attention on him since he’s the baby of the family, but since I was in the middle, I naturally had to become more independent and find my own way.”

While Priyanka describes her relationship with her younger brother as mostly “joking and messing around,” she credits her older brother as a mentor in her life, always providing her with advice and encouragement on all the problems she encounters.

“I probably wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my older brother. He’s the best person I know,” Priyanka said. “Because of all of his experiences, he has a lot of perspective on things, and he’s always encouraged me to do all the right things for all the right reasons.”

Not only has her brother served as a source of support in making the right decisions outside the classroom, he helped Priyanka find a way to connect with her work inside the classroom.

“Up until like middle school or freshman year, I really didn’t care about anything, especially school,” Priyanka said. “My older brother would always get on my case, but he wouldn’t be getting on my case to get good grades to get into college. Instead, he would send me articles about something related to what I’d be doing in math and other stuff like that. He still does that today, and because of that, I became interested in school. While my parents pushed me to get good grades, he would always tell me not to worry and say that as long as you work hard and try your best and are interested in what you’re doing, you don’t have to worry about the grades. So I kind of took that to heart.”

At first developing as a way to bond with her brothers but then becoming a reason for her to get out and unwind with friends, outside the classroom, Priyanka enjoys hiking in her free time.

“My best memories have been created while I was hiking, whether it was with my brothers or family or friends,” Priyanka said. “The stupidest stuff happens while we’re hiking. Sometimes we get lost or we end up in the wrong place and find a really cool place instead. I’ve become really close with my brothers because of hiking because it’s where we have our best conversations since it’s just me and my brothers.”

With the advice of her brothers and the outlets she uses to relax and wind down, Priyanka continuously found ways to counteract the pressures of high school, creating fond memories she can look back on in the future.

“For me, it all comes down to having perspective on what’s important in the grand scheme of things. Actually learning something is definitely way more important than the grade I’m going to get and so on, but it’s really hard to see that in the moment,” Priyanka said. “But things like hiking, which gives me a moment to just slow down and reflect, or talking to my older brother, who shares his experiences and realizations with me, or just messing around with my friends, who have made high school way more enjoyable than I thought was possible, have helped me stay above the stress and adopt a perspective that lets me enjoy the little moments.”