College

By ThreeSixty staff and Morris Martinez

When Xaye Thao-Pha started changing oil as an intern for Alexander’s Imports in Minneapolis when he was 18, he was already pretty certain about his future career.

He was good with his hands and he liked working on cars. “I use my hands for everything,” he said. As a senior at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, he started excelling in his auto mechanics classes in his senior year.

By Maranda Gorr-Diaz

As high school athletics become more competitive, many injured athletes rush their rehabilitation and come back early in hopes of achieving an athletic scholarship.

“College scouts, once they actually know that your injured, they’ll cut you off at that point, because than they can get someone who’s good and didn’t have a leg or an arm injury,” said Mychal Frelix, a linebacker and freshman at the University of St. Thomas.

By Kelsey Dornfeld

If Renee Huset, a junior at the University of St. Thomas, hadn’t gone on a study abroad trip to South Africa, she wouldn’t have had a huge herd of zebras surround her on a safari.

“If that wasn’t cool enough, my friend Rachael told me to look to my left and I saw what looked like a scene from ‘The Lion King.’ Around a big watering hole were zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, and likely more animals I didn’t recognize running around carefree. It was amazing,” Huset said.

By Paris Porter

To get a perfect score on the SAT test, most people believe that you have to spend an unusual amount of time studying.

That wasn’t the case for Sam Peterson, the Chaska High School senior who scored a perfect 2400 on the SAT last year. “I bet I spent about 15-20 hours preparing for the SAT,” he said.

What Peterson doesn’t mention is that he loves learning and has been taking Advanced Placement classes and doing a lot of homework since sophomore year.

By Dymanh Chhoun

This is my last semester at Normandale Community College, where I am going to be the first in my family to graduate with an associate degree.

Next year, I plan to continue my studies at the University of Minnesota. I have a B average, but getting here hasn’t been easy for me.

By Mai Cha Vang

“Women want to learn to become leaders, but they don’t call themselves leaders.”

When I heard a speaker say this at a recent conference, I saw myself as I was in high school: Ambitious without recognizing it, hard-working but not confident enough to go after leadership jobs. College has changed me.

By Angelica Birch

I regret to inform you that despite what you think, you do not have it all figured out.

Sure, you’re a good writer. And your 3.5 GPA isn’t too shabby. Sure, you’re going to graduate high school with honors and get a full-tuition scholarship.

By Levi Ismail

When I first made my way into my dorm room at the start of my freshman year, I saw four lofted beds, and I began to get worried.

There’s no way I could have three roommates, yet there were four names on the door, and mine was one. Later, I learned that the university had run out of dorm rooms and put the overflow – including me – into what had once been student lounges.

I’d heard stories about roommate problems. How would four of us ever get along?

For high school seniors, May is the time to choose a college and start making plans for next fall. From roommates to classes, the adjustment can be a challenge.

This month, ThreeSixty writers offer lessons they’ve learned about making the jump to college without falling on their faces.

By Lisa Fan and Lisa Fan

With Valentine’s Day this month, love, crushes, and relationships are on the minds of many teenagers. Teen dating can sure get complicated, so luckily, college students at the University of Minnesota were willing to share their dating experiences and advice for their younger peers.

When asked what advice they would give their 16-year old selves if they had the chance, there were a variety of different answers. One recurring theme in the students’ advice was commitment. But their advice about commitment probably isn’t what you’d expect.

By Twin Cities teens

September’s Your Turn writing contest asked teens to give their opinion on what the next president could do for American youth. Here is a collection of the advice they have for President Barack Obama.

By Twin Cities youth

Several of September’s essays contained illuminating points about what teenagers care about right now. We liked them so much that we put together a list of their quotes.

Immigration
I want Barack Obama to open the border for three reasons. First, most of the Latinos want jobs. Second they want a life that Mexico can’t give us. Third, Latinos are not criminals; we just want a better life for our kids such as education, jobs, and things like that. — Luis Pacheco, 14, Harding High School

By Twin Cities youth

More than 120 students around the Twin Cities submitted essays to September’s Your Turn on what they would tell the presidential candidates about how they can help American youth. The responses were incredibly diverse and ranged from calls to end the war in Iraq, a solution to teen homelessness, and a request for an iPhone.
The winners this month were Global Warming by Rachel Mosca, Dear Mr. President by Claire Mahoney, Senority means nothing by Matteo Alampi, Hopes for the future by Chris Ulrich, and Asking Barack Obama to lower gas prices by Mai Der Yang

By Nissan Brown

For most students, a typical day consists of school, parties and hanging out with friends. Travis Symoniak, a senior at the University of St. Thomas, wakes up every morning and goes to his job as executive director of Minnesota College Republicans.

On evenings and weekends he’s out knocking on doors and helping with campaigns as a volunteer. “I’m kind of a geek in politics,” says 20-year-old Symoniak. He helps out candidates running for office across Minnesota. Some days he’s coordinating a campaign; other days he’s planning an upcoming event and organizing volunteers to pass out campaign literature.

Political parties and campaigns rely on young activists like Symoniak, people with the time and energy for the relentless demands of long campaigns.