For Lauren Napier (12), the question isn’t whether or not to work out — it’s what type of workout. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it’s hot pilates. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s cardio and weight-lifting.

“There are a lot of studies that show working out releases positive hormones, but also it makes me feel accomplished after, and it makes me feel like I’m actually doing something and I’m doing good for my body,” she said.

Her weekday routine begins at 5 a.m.: workout, breakfast, school, basketball practice. By the time she gets home, it’s past 6 p.m. Just as she pushes herself physically, Lauren also pushes herself in other areas of her life by setting high expectations for herself and trying to make the most of every opportunity she has been given.

“One of my goals is not being the best in everything, but just being the best friend that I can to my friends, and treating others the way I would wanted to be treated, so being the best daughter that I can and the best sister that I can because I’m lucky to have those relationships in my life,” Lauren said. “Might as well do my best to help them and be there for them just as they are for me.”

Her mindset transfers to everything from schoolwork, exercise, community service, friendships and lifestyle.

“Just a part of what I said before, how I always try and be the best that I can for every aspect of my life, in school, in sports, with my relationships with my peers and my family. I guess you really only get one chance to get it right, so might as well work for it,” she said.

The catchphrase “YOLO” emphasizes how Lauren lives her life — capitalizing on every experience possible.

“YOLO is kind of an overplayed statement, but honestly if you really think about the truth behind it, is that you truly do only get one life, and you’re here already so might as well live it to the fullest,” she said.

She takes this into consideration when spending time with her friends.

“I love hanging out with friends and doing not dumb things, not even crazy things, but just experiencing new things that we haven’t done before, never doing the same thing twice,” Lauren said.

One memorable instance where this has played out in her life was on her vacation last summer to the Cayman Islands.

“During the summer, I went to the Cayman Islands with my best friend and her family, and we got on a boat,” Lauren said.” It was a stingray cruise, and all of a sudden we were in the middle of the ocean where there was this shelf, so the water wasn’t very deep. It was about three feet deep, so you could stand. They were like, ‘Okay, jump in.’ And we were like, ‘Uh, no.’ They were like, ‘No, no, it’s fine,’ and so all of a sudden a bunch of wild stingrays surrounded us, so that was kind of facing a fear that we all had, but it was very memorable because obviously none of us got hurt. It was just on a whim, and it’s something that I’ll always remember.”

Lauren believes that in order to live life authentically, she has to embrace her emotions.

“I wouldn’t say that I ever put on a facade for anyone,” she said. “I’ve noticed that a lot of people see it as weak to show your emotions, to show that you’re either super happy or super sad, or just need someone to talk to, but I don’t really see that as the case. If there’s a problem that I’m having, I’m not afraid to talk to my friends about it or my teachers about it,” she said. “If I’m really stressed, I’m not afraid to admit that my classes are getting too hard or that the workload is too much. So I guess I’m just not afraid to show the emotions that I have to everyone around me.”

But while Lauren expresses her emotions freely, she keeps her problems in perspective. She and her close friend Isabella Spradlin (12) started the club Amnesty International to help others step back and understand the larger issues beyond their day-to-day concerns.

“So many people are suffering across the globe from things like hunger and lack of water and injustices, and so we were just kind of fed up with hearing like, ‘Oh, this test is impossible’ or ‘I hate this teacher’ or blah blah blah,” Lauren said. “We knew that we wanted to start a club that would teach people that our problems may not seem so large when we think of it in the grand scheme of things.”

Isabella called Lauren the “force” behind the club.

“Lauren is super self-disciplined,” Isabella said, noting her friend’s 5 a.m. gym outings and organizational skills. “She does it for herself. She’s not doing anyone to impress anyone.”