Between the leaves and stems of her mother’s house plants and her grandmother’s garden, junior London Castro found one of her greatest interests: science. As high schoolers, many students are pressured to find a career or field that they want to pursue throughout life, and lots of people struggle with this pressure.
London, however, has her goals for her future profession set in her mind, and she is working hard to achieve them. This year, she began the KCTC program provided by Forest Hills, and she spends half of every day doing what she loves.
“I’m in [the] agriscience [program],” London said. “So we study plants and animals. We do a lot of work in the greenhouse and take field trips to Frederick Meijer Gardens and other places like that. There’s also a class cat, and we have bunnies and chickens.”
Although there was never a definitive moment that began London’s interest in agricultural science, growing up, she was surrounded by both plants and people who encouraged her love of wildlife from a very early age.
From her grandmother’s orchids—which are now her favorite plant—to the flowers she could always find somewhere in her house, London was surrounded by the natural world her entire life.
“[Science] has just always really interested me,” London said. “I like plants and animals a lot, and growing up, I always had flowers or houseplants around my house because my mom loves them and is really big on [always having some].”
Many people struggle to find a way to continue with their hobbies during, and especially after, high school. Fortunately, London does not face this issue. She has found that her love of biology and plants translates easily into her future dream career, and she is working hard to get there.
Through college and into her life, London hopes to grow both her love of plants and animals and her understanding of agriscience as a whole.
“I really want to go to college out of state,” London said. “That’s really big for me, but also it’s really expensive, so maybe working for [a scholarship] is important. I’ve been looking at this one college, [University of Hawaii at Manoa] in Hawaii, and I really want to be a wildlife researcher.”
KCTC has not only been a major stepping stone in London’s way to achieving her dreams, but it is also positively impacting her school life now. Entering a program like KCTC is a big change, and it can be challenging to leave halfway through the day, adjust to a new building, and meet new people.
However, for London, the change was extremely welcome. She was excited for a fresh start and a switch in her everyday routine, and starting KCTC was everything she wanted it to be.
“I feel like you would expect [KCTC] to be harder [than regular school],” London said, “but for me, it’s way easier. I have a 96% in that class, which is crazy for me because I don’t usually get grades that high in school. It also breaks up my schedule really nicely. I get an hour for lunch, and then I get to leave school at 2:15, which is nice.”
While London has certainly found her place at KCTC, it is far from the only thing that takes up her time. Whether she’s taking a nap after school, listening to music, hanging out with her friends and family, or one of her many other hobbies, London’s schedule is full of things she loves doing.
One of the most important of these is her nails. Designing and doing her nails is something London has been doing since she was in eighth grade, and over the years, it has become an integral part of her routine, something she loves and never forgets to do.
“In eighth grade, I started getting acrylics done every month,” London said, “and that lasted into the summertime of this year. But I wanted to start actually keeping them healthy, so now I do it myself. I just think it’s sort of a creative freedom for me. It makes me feel, not really super different, but more like myself. It’s some time I get to take out of the day for me.”
Doing her nails gives London a way to spend time with and feel like herself within the busy days that are jam-packed with school and extra-curricular activities that don’t leave much time for self-expression.
Another self-care technique she utilizes to focus on herself is her haircare routine. After two giant chops and years of straightening, London has revitalized her hair twice by using silk pillowcases, rosemary oil, and scalp massages.
“So a long time ago, I cut my hair to [chin length],” London said. “It was a bad phase. But then I started to grow it out and purposefully used very little heat on it. Then, I was oiling my hair and massaging for five minutes every night. That really helped because I grew my hair to waist length in just a year. But then I started straightening it again, and it wouldn’t to grow past a certain length. So last year, I cut it to [shoulder length]. Now I’m trying to regrow it again. I’m doing the same thing as before, but I’m also using different kinds of hair products.”
Luckily, in her hectic schedule, London still finds time to do the things she loves and feel more like herself along the way. From haircare to listening to music to doing her nails, there are many parts of her life that help her escape the stresses of school.
Even so, KCTC has provided her with the high school experience she has always wanted. Not only is it improving her academic experience, but she has also found friends and companions who make her excited to go every day and who will stay with her through school.
“Everyone at KCTC is so welcoming,” London said. “Everyone talks about how hard junior year is [academically speaking], but I was more worried about the social part of the year. KCTC helped so much with that. I have lots of friends there, and it just feels like a safe space. No one is really ever judging you.”
