Everyone has a story. The beauty of being a freshman is being able to start over, and truly learn something about yourself and what you want to do with your life. High school is faced with new challenges and experiences everyday. For freshman, Despina Baxevanakis, she is excited to accept the challenge.

“When I first got to high school, I was really excited to meet new people and the usual “freshman” things,” Baxevanakis said.

Adjusting to high school is not an easy process, but Despina makes it look easy. Niles West is known for their many clubs and activities, so there is always something new to try. Despina was excited about a variety of things.

“I am already in the Greek club, but I am very excited about trying out for the soccer team in the spring. I’ve been playing for so long, and high school soccer seems like it’s going to be a good challenge for me so I can push myself to get better,”  Baxevanakis said.

Working together on a team is one of Despina’s strengths, as well as being a leader, learning something new in her English class (her favorite subject), and Greek dancing.

“I’ve participated in Perifania Dance Troupe for three years because it impacts my life in so many ways,” Baxevanakis said.

Being Greek impacts Despina’s life everyday and shapes her personality and character.

“I think being Greek opens me to so many opportunities to be with other Greek people. I never went to Greek school like most kids I knew, so I didn’t have a lot of Greek friends to grow up with,” Baxevanakis said.

Religion is also an important aspect of Despina’s life.

“Being Greek Orthodox affects my life and culture, that’s why I joined the St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Youth Association. It also gives me a chance to hang out with more Greek people,” Baxevanakis said.

It’s only been one semester, but Despina is loving every step of it. Her cheery personality puts a smile on everyone’s face, and creates a friendly environment for everyone around her. She lives by the philosophy “live in the moment, because everything else is uncertain”. She believes “if you don’t do anything with yourself now and what you want to do, you don’t know how your future is going to be.”

Despina’s friend agrees, “Living in the moment is definitely the best way to live life to the fullest and part of being Greek is living life to the fullest. Despina and I have been friends since middle school and she definitely defines that,” sophomore Elizabeth Tsirikolias said.

Most of Despina’s friends would agree she has a unique and spunky personality. She plans to put good use to her strong qualities.

“My eight grade teacher got me really excited about maybe becoming an English teacher or possibly something to do with sports like a soccer coach or sports medicine,”  Baxevanakis said.