School work and extracurriculars are two typical things students have to balance. What comes with balancing school work is stress. Nearly 49% of students in school struggle with stress daily according to New York University, but students in the top 10% struggle with daily stress and keeping their spot in the top ranks, like Sophomore Katelyn Dill.

Dill, ranked fifth in the class of 2019, is involved in all Pre-AP and AP classes, which include Pre-AP Algebra II, Pre-AP Chemistry, Pre-AP Chemistry II, and AP World History hoping that these classes will give her a challenge.

“I like to challenge myself and I think that in order to reach my potential in academics, I should be taking harder level classes,” Dill said.

Dill hopes that taking these classes will pave her a path to what she might want to do in her future.

“I think by taking all of these extracurriculars and all my classes, I’m able to just figure out what I kind of want to do with my life in the future and I think I’m able to find what I’m best at and what I love doing by doing all this kind of stuff,” Dill said.

Her teachers, which include world history teacher Alejandro Garcia, describe her as one of the most hard working students they’ve ever had in their classroom.

“She’s a phenomenal student. She’s probably one of the top students that I’ve ever taught ever. She always participates, turns everything in, she’s a good writer, she’s smart, she’s friendly. She’s everything,” Garcia said.

Dill’s teachers and coaches, like her volleyball coach Miguel Saenz, think that her participation in extracurriculars has taught her the self-discipline skills that she uses in her academic classes.

“I think her school work enhances her work ethic in volleyball. I think that she has learned a strong work ethic in the classroom and understands through her academics the kind of work that’s required to be successful,” Saenz said.

Dill’s teachers give her and other students challenges knowing that it will benefit them for their futures.

“It’s very important to work them hard because in US History eleventh grade, government in twelfth grade, and even in college you’re going to be worked very hard,” Garcia said. “They got to start learning the skills that are gonna be necessary to succeed in college-level classes and in college in terms of outside of class work and note taking skills and things of that nature.”

Volleyball is one of the many sports that Dill is involved in.

“I play volleyball, soccer, basketball and run track and I come from a really athletic family so that’s just something that I’ve always loved to do and I just really like being on a team,” Dill said.

For volleyball, Dill aids Bowie’s team as the middle blocker and the right side hitter.

“The primary jobs for her positions are to hit and block. They don’t usually play in the back row so they don’t pass, they don’t play defense and they don’t serve.” Saenz said. “Her position is basically just net play and hitting, blocking, and scoring points.”

A typical day in volleyball for Dill consists of workouts that test her and her team’s strength, but they are given the opportunity to work on their academics.

“We do two days a week in the weight room and three days of volleyball work. I think it’s challenging for them to improve,” Saenz said. “They’ll come in and warm-up just before the nine o’clock bell rings and they’re already warmed up and as soon as that bell rings we get to working out and they’re lifting weights. Then we come in and do study hall.”

She is also known on her volleyball team for being a leader and putting her team first.

“Katelyn is a very smart and good athlete so she’s basically good at all the sports she plays,” Saenz said.” She’s an asset to the volleyball program. Her character is something that is a bonus. Just her integrity and she’s a “team first” type of person so she’s a leader in that aspect,”.

Dill’s teachers can tell when their students are stressed, but they tell them to relax knowing it can be a lot of work.

“I see that in everybody and sometimes I just tell, especially my sophomores ‘just chill’. Take a deep breath, calm down. It’s not all that serious and just ease into what you got to do,” Garcia said. ”Take it step by step and eventually you’re going to get to the finish line.”

Dill goes to her friends for advice with the stress that comes with her school work, knowing it will be okay in the end.

“I think since a lot of my friends are involved in the sports I’m in or the classes I’m in, if I ever feel super stressed about something I’ll talk to them,” Dill said. ”I’ll ask them for advice and for them to help me put everything back in perspective of how it’s not going to matter that much.”