PHS PERSPECTIVE: Preparing for the changes to come in life

By Marissa Delikouras
”It’s a waste of your life to hold back from something just because you are afraid,” said Katie Hayes ‘12, reflecting on her recent decision to skydive. “I would’ve missed out on the most amazing experience.”
   Confrontation of her fear of heights was just one checkpoint on Hayes’s summer agenda. Before entering a new chapter of life as she heads off to Boston University in the fall, this PHS graduate is spending her summer working, traveling, musing about her past years in Princeton, and preparing for the changes to come.
   Sweet, eclectic, organized, diverse and happy were a few words Hayes used to characterize Princeton through her own eyes. She also mentioned the importance of education throughout the town and the value of the college preparation she found here.
   ”Leaving this place is bittersweet for me,” she said. “The amount of students who graduate Princeton High School, head on to Princeton University, and then end up living here shows that this environment is so nurturing that people can spend the rest of their lives here.”
   An education at Princeton High School helped Hayes determine her strengths, interests and future career plans.
   ”I became pretty confident that I wanted to do something in marketing and advertising,” she said. “The courses and extracurricular opportunities at PHS helped me figure this out, showing me what I like and what I don’t like.”
   Hayes will miss the security of the school environment, which she described as “a shield from the real world.”
   ”I won’t have that sort of security in college, and so many more things are up to me now,” she said.
   The job Hayes has held in Princeton year-round, for the past three years has played a significant role in shaping her personal character. At the toy store, Jazam’s, she works with an “incredible group of people, each with unique traits and offerings.” It also serves as a networking opportunity, allowing her to meet and connect with members of the Princeton community. Since customers often wish to purchase toys for their younger loved ones, Hayes “helps someone make someone else’s day, and that, in turn, makes [her] day. “ She plans to continue working here at times she is home next year.
   This college-bound student is well aware that her life will be much different in Boston.
   ”Boston University will make me used to living in a large city,” she said. “When I return to Princeton, everything will feel a lot smaller, so I will be more aware of everything that’s going on in the town around me.”
   Hayes also believes her personality and character traits are subject to change.
   ”I think I’ll end up refining my perspective of who I am and what I want,” she said.
   Even her name will be different in college, where she plans to go by her middle name, Porter, in an effort to distinguish herself from the numerous Katies bound to be in her graduating class.
   Whether it’s challenging herself to live up to her fears or attempting to bring together everything a life in Princeton has taught her, Hayes works to learn from, enjoy, and cross a personal barrier during each summer day.
   ”I’m purposely making every day before I leave an adventure,” she said.
   Marissa Delikouras will be a senior at Princeton High School this year.