Senior to senior: ‘how do you do it?’

I reached out to Cameron Gray-Lee, one of the most interesting and well-rounded seniors I know, for an interview about his day-to-day life. Cameron’s light-hearted nature and kindness come to the forefront of any conversation. As I got to know him better, I also learned that his memory is astounding. He remembers every joke he’s ever heard, along with many facts and tidbits about anything you can think of. Cameron also manages one of the busiest schedules I’ve ever seen, and seemingly stays happy through all of it, taking advantage of almost every hour of the day. He fills his calendar with exciting and entertaining events and tries not to spend a lot of time on screens. Cameron is truly one of the most intriguing people I’ve ever met. So how does he do it?

TH: What are your hobbies? 

CGL: I like playing and listening to music, nature, going for hikes, doing puzzles, and camping.

TH: What sports do you play?

CGL: I’ve played soccer for most of my life, and I’ve played disc golf for the past two years which has been a lot of fun. I play tennis, and I have a ping pong table. 

TH: How often do you play disc golf? How long have you played? 

CGL: During the pandemic, I played almost every day, but more recently I’ve played 2-3 times per week.

TH: How would you explain disc golf to someone who knows nothing about it?  

CGL: I actually wrote an essay about it for college. Disc golf is similar to what we call ‘ball golf,’ in the sense that your goal is to get the disc into a certain target in the fewest number of shots as possible. Disc golf is very cool because you can do so much more with a disc than you can with a golf ball. You can throw the disc in all sorts of directions, roll it, throw it upside down, and even skip it off water. You also get to be totally immersed in nature while you play, so it’s totally better than ball golf in my totally unbiased opinion. 

TH: What clubs are you in? 

CGL: I am the president of a board game club, which meets every Thursday at 3:45, in room 192 under the weird wooden fruit in the tech hallway. We play lots of fun board games and really fun board games, if the reader is interested in joining, the more the merrier! I am also in the Environmental Action club. 

TH: What instruments do you play? 

CGL: I’ve played piano for most of my life, I started on clarinet in elementary school, then transitioned to oboe in middle school. During the pandemic, I learned soprano saxophone specifically so I could play in the jazz band here at the high school since playing oboe in the jazz band would be ‘ludicrous’. I can also play the English horn, bass clarinet, and tenor saxophone. 

TH: What is your involvement with the school theater company? 

CGL: I’m in various productions throughout the year. I directed two student-written plays last year and directed one of the briefs this year. This year, I’m playing Lucian Villeparisis and Hepolito Jeunet in Amelie, the school musical. 

TH: Do you have social media, and if not, why?

CGL: I do not have social media. I’ve heard the horror stories of social media taking over people’s lives, and it’s also not something I’m super interested in. People devote a lot of time to it and it takes a lot of time out of their day, when I could be spending my time doing something I actually enjoy. 

TH: How many languages do you know? 

CGL: I’m fluent in English and Latin, or as fluent as you can be in a dead language. I’m proficient in French since I lived in Montreal in third grade.  

TH: How many countries have you been to?

CGL: I have been to 17 countries, with Iceland, Canada, and Egypt being my top three. 

TH: What classes are you taking?

CGL: I took multivariable calculus at Amherst college, AP Physics, Latin AP, and Jazz Band, and I alternate between going to chorale and wind ensemble in my plus periods. 

TH: What is your favorite class? 

CGL: I love Jazz Band because I get to play jazz, but I enjoy all my classes. 

TH: What is your typical day like?

CGL: I wake up at 8:30 a.m., drive to school, have all my classes, then go to my two-hour theater rehearsal for Amelie. Then I go home, finish up some homework, watch some TV, finish up some more homework, then go to sleep around 12:30 a.m.  

TH: How do you destress or take care of yourself? 

CGL: Really just playing disc golf. 

TH: How are the college applications going so far? 

CGL: 95% in! Just have to write three more essays and then I’ll be done with applications, and then I’ll find out in March where I get in. I applied to about 15 colleges with Yale being my number one choice. I got deferred from Yale after applying restrictive early action, but we’ll see. I’ll really be happy wherever I get in.

TH: What do you want to major in at college?

CGL: I don’t know yet. I feel there are many choices I would be happy majoring in. 

TH: How do you manage so many hobbies and interests?  

CGL: I think once you get into a routine, you get in the flow. It isn’t too stressful once you’ve been doing it for a while. All of the things I’m doing I really love doing, so there isn’t much stress because I’m actively enjoying everything I’m doing.