During her time at EHS, Adedoyin Ayeni ‘23 spent her time divided between multiple clubs and responsibilities. She was also one of the Class of ‘23 Seniors of the Month. Ayeni currently attends Boston University while being a learning assistant for students in need.

EE: What were your favorite moments from your time at EHS?

AA: I was part of a lot of extracurricular activities. My favorite moments were the times that I got to spend in those extracurriculars because that’s where I met most of my really close friends. A lot of my time was spent in FCCLA, so all of my friends from there and our conferences and things like that, and then also in marching bands. That was kind of my favorite moment.

EE: How did you handle the transition from EHS to Boston University?

AA: It was really different, because EHS was really diverse in terms of culture, but Boston University is not as diverse. It was a little bit of a culture shock to have that, since everybody at home is from different cultures, and they all celebrate everybody’s different cultures. But here it’s kind of the same demographic. And yes, it’s diverse in terms of being a PWI (Predominantly White Institution), but there’s not as much diversity as I was used to at home. It was kind of an adjustment getting used to that.

My professors were not necessarily as open to understanding cultures as everybody is at EHS; all the teachers are really open to understanding where you’re coming from. They understood different cultural backgrounds because those are the students that they’ve been dealing with for years and years.

At BU, it’s a lot different, it isn’t necessarily as kind or as welcoming in terms of that. You have to go out of your way to get to know them, and it’s very self-pacing. It’s very much “you get what you put into it”— as opposed to EHS, where your teachers follow you around, but nobody is begging you to submit your homework here. They really don’t care. You have to do everything on your own. I think I made sure that I made myself present in whatever I was doing and made myself known to my professors. I would go to office hours, and I had to get used to asking for help, which is something that I didn’t necessarily have to do at EHS because the teachers were so willing to help you anyway.

EE: How did your time at EHS help you navigate your future?

AA: I feel that at EHS, a lot of the teachers were really kind and open to everybody’s different futures and their wants. Even though I had an idea of what I wanted to do in the future, the teachers helping me to understand how my impact has an effect really shaped how I move at my college now. I remember Mr. Ross was very open to just listening to the ideas that I had, or if I had an issue. Specifically, I remember when I had a conference [to attend], I could not pay for it, and he was very understanding about it. He found a way to help me pay for it. Being able to have people who support you and really have your back helps me in college now.

EE: What are your current passions, and did you figure out your passions in high school?

AA: I don’t have a lot of time anymore to do the things that I really love. I think high school really did teach me what I wanted to prioritize and what I didn’t. I would say one of my biggest passions is advocating for people, and that’s something that I really did get from going to EHS. There are a lot of people who are not going to be as accepting of you in the outside world, but being taught how to speak out for myself and speak up for myself and other people at the same time at EHS kind of taught me to have that type of passion for helping other people.

I’m an LA for chemistry, which is like a learning assistant, and they’re basically undergraduate students who help students. They hold office hours, run the discussion/recitations. I was able to advocate for students when I got there because I was taught how to advocate for myself and for others through high school.

EE: How do you balance both school and your extracurriculars?

AA: I think one of the biggest things for me was understanding you are allowed to say “no” sometimes. Even though you’re a part of that many clubs, knowing how to delegate tasks and being able to say, “Hey, I physically cannot do this at the moment. Can you help me out?” is important. During high school, I did FCCLA, Marching Band, Eagle’s Eye, and NHS. I was in everything, so being able to tell people when I’m stretched thin or having a planner to understand I can’t do this at the moment, and being able to say no, is really important.

EE: Do you have any regrets about your time in high school?

AA: I honestly would say that I don’t have any regrets from high school. I really did take advantage of everything that EHS had to offer. I would say that one thing that I think a lot of people kind of regret is taking advantage of the college courses, because my school doesn’t take AP credit unless you get a five on everything. The ones that I got a four on, I got no credit for. Which is why I wish I had instead taken advantage of the dual credit program that we have at EHS. Other than that, it doesn’t really affect me as much because it’s just one class.

EE: What advice would you give the students who currently go to EHS?

AA: Don’t be so eager to grow up, or be eager to get out of EHS and go to college, because it’s really different. Just value the people you have around you at EHS because it’s going to be really hard after you graduate to get back together and all be in the same space. Valuing the people you have around you, that’s not just your friends, but also your teachers, who are there to help you all the time. Everybody who’s so welcoming and eager to sef
e you every single day, cherish that, because it’s really different at college.

Once everybody graduates, it’s really hard to go and see people again. I haven’t talked to my closest friends in literally months, and yesterday was the first time in three months that we all got on a FaceTime call together because our schedules just don’t align. So enjoy having that time together, and even though it seems stressful, take it all in and really value the time you have with each other.