Alexa Perez is a kind-hearted and capable individual who is currently a senior. She has been in Segerstrom’s journalism class since her freshman year and was editor-in-chief last year alongside Yadira Zenteno, another senior. This year, Perez is the senior copy editor of The Jag Journal. Perez joined lacrosse her first year of high school and has been on the varsity team for the last 4 years. Perez enjoys listening to different genres of music, but her favorite song right now is Cola by Lana Del Ray.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Perez since middle school, and she has always been the person to help out anyone who needs it, regardless if she knows them or not. She is someone you can count on who won’t let you down. 

Hopefully, with these questions, many of you can learn to know more about Alexa and the type of person she is. 

How has quarantine affected you mentally as well as physically?

I think mentally we all struggle, even now. Not being able to see your friends is draining because you don’t have an outlet or a getaway. I have become a lot more self-aware and have gotten to know myself a lot better mentally though. However, becoming self-aware of your flaws does mess with you because of the guilt you can feel, but I think once I learned how to accept myself, it was just a struggle with being alone. Physically, I think I’ve just gotten a lot more tired. I work about five days a week and I feel like an old person sometimes. I try to work out once in a while but I just don’t have the time to do it as much as I’d like.

How many colleges did you apply to and if you have one, what is your dream school?

I applied to 9 schools so far and I might be applying to some more later on so that number might grow. I don’t necessarily have a dream school but my top choice right now is either UCSD (University of California San Diego) or SDSU (San Diego State University). I’m going into college undecided so I do like these schools’ programs to help students choose a major.

If you could talk to your freshman self, about what you have learned about yourself and life, what advice would you give yourself?

If I could tell myself something, it’d be to stop stressing so much. I wish I enjoyed high school more because all I did was stress about lacrosse and school work. If I had taken a moment to enjoy being this age maybe I wouldn’t have almost burned out.

What is one of your favorite memories from high school?

I think lacrosse will forever hold a special place in my heart. There’s not a specific memory but I can just see my sophomore year when I think of my favorite time in highschool. We used to scream songs on the bus and were so close as a team. I was working as hard as I possibly could and

received an award for best attacker. That year I had learned about true teamwork, friendship, and dedication. I wish I could relive that again.

Is the person you were last school year the same person you are now? If not, how have you changed? 

I have definitely changed. I think being isolated gives you the time to reflect on what really matters in your life as a person. During this time, I have been through a lot and learned that enjoying life is much more important than the approval of others. I hope that more people learn to ignore what people think of you and love yourself for the person you have grown into. I learned to stop holding grudges against myself for things I had done and instead loved myself for learning I was in the wrong. In general, self-love and trying to grow into a better person has been my main goal and has caused me to change so much in such a small amount of time.