As the school year progresses, Senior Mia Perfetti gets a little rest from her marching band practices. Mia is the Drum Major for the VHS marching band, meaning she is constantly attending rehearsals and performing the show, The Doors We Open. Mia thanked the marching band and said, “I’m happy about all the people I got to meet and how even though they were a variety of ages and backgrounds, we would all come together to do one thing.”
Mia is one of the most hardworking people I know and has inevitably risen to the top of every activity she participates in due to her outstanding work ethic and unresting mind. I was excited to peek into her mind for the second Senior Series.
Mia started off by talking about how she doesn’t regret anything from her high school years and that, “every mistake was a mistake that was supposed to happen.” She said she is inspired by her past self and doesn’t let herself stay stuck in the past. Mia moves forward with only lessons learned, not regret. This mindset will be helpful as Mia enters college and for all the freshmen. Transitioning from school to school gives you an opportunity to leave all your embarrassment behind and focus on not repeating the same mistakes twice.
Mia has gotten to where she is now by taking good care of herself. She said one of the things she works on most is having a balance between academics and life outside of school. She prioritizes her physical health and spending time with her friends along with homework. She credited Mr. Rizzo with teaching her some of this balance. Something she reminds herself often is, “Let myself relax. I don’t have to be productive all the time.”
When talking about things she learned during high school, Mia immediately mentioned friendship and how she has learned about how to be a good person through interactions and arguments with friends. Mia holds her friends close, and when asked said, “One of my biggest concerns about life after high school is that I will find it hard to make friends.”
While Mia is sad about leaving, she told me a quote she resonates with is, “If there was anyone to ever get through this life with their heart still intact, they didn’t do it right.” She said, “When I left Germany I felt this because I was leaving people and would never see them again. And when I get a bad test grade I remind myself it is not that bad and there will be other sad and happy moments.”
Mia encourages students to live their lives to the fullest, take risks, and enjoy all the highs and lows of high school. Her advice to freshmen is, “Don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s okay if you fail because it means you are learning, and don’t spend all your time doing homework. Focus on other important things, like making time for people you care about because you don’t have unlimited time with them.” Mia said she will never forget the football games she played and the friendships she made and is excited to move on to a new chapter in her life.
