Lil Naan: The Art of Balance

When it comes to extracurriculars, sports, and academics, senior Nanda Murali seems to do it all. As a member of Eastern’s tennis, Science Olympiad, and quiz bowl teams, as well as a co-president of Model UN and National Honors Society, the balance between school and fun is hard to maintain; however, Nanda manages to successfully juggle each of these activities with ease after nearly four years of experience in high school. While he recognizes that filling one’s schedule with numerous clubs and after-school activities is often difficult to accomplish, Nanda hopes that underclassmen will follow in his footsteps and put themselves out there in order to make the most out of their four short years in high school. 

Despite his lengthy resume, Nanda repeatedly emphasizes the importance of only doing things that he enjoys and is passionate about, rather than piling on activities simply to add to his transcript – something commonly done by underclassmen looking to prepare for their college applications. “Quality over quantity,” Nanda states, “if you don’t love something, don’t feel pressured to do it just to add it to your transcript,” he continues. This way, rather than being busy for the sake of being busy, students can enjoy their time in high school and build their resume simultaneously. Nanda advises underclassmen to “try new things your freshman and sophomore year and then stick with the things you love your junior and senior year,” in order to maintain the balance between school and fun. Similarly, he notes that by sticking with several activities for four years he has been able to have many leadership roles and has gained experience he believes will be helpful both in college and in the long run. He hopes that underclassmen, and even juniors, can have the same experience.  

Regardless of the precarious balance between doing everything he loves and overfilling his schedule, Nanda also highlights a motto that he likes to live by: “it’s better to regret doing something than to regret not doing it,” meaning that it is better to join a club or a sports team and test the waters oneself, rather than leave high school regretting not being part of that club or team. Nanda reinforces this motto by saying “if you’re going to leave high school wishing you had done more, you’re already lost.” Although, as a result of his busy schedule, Nanda has not had an abundance of free time, he proclaims that “I don’t regret any of [it],” and goes even further by stating that “the things I do regret are the things that I didn’t pursue even more deeply early on,” looking back as a senior. 

As graduation nears, Nanda hopes that the current underclassmen and all those who come after them will put themselves out there and follow in his footsteps by taking risks and doing the things they love unashamedly so that they too can have a positive high school experience. “Try to be the best at everything you do; be better than you were yesterday,” he says, hoping to impart some senior-year wisdom onto freshman, sophomores, and juniors. Although resume building is important, senior Nanda Murali is the perfect example of how balance and passion are key to success. Without balance, life would be overrun by commitments and responsibilities, and without passion, life would become dull and monotonous. As parting words, Nanda reminds everyone to “do what you love and love what you do,” that way one can look back on high school fondly, rather than with regret.