By Justin Hsieh, Staff Writer & Katy Nguyen, Staff Photographer
Every student at FVHS either has an older sibling, is the eldest sibling or is an only child. Do students’ high school experiences vary based on which category they belong to?
“Unfortunately I have not had any older siblings attend FVHS; I am an eldest child. [Students with older siblings] kind of have an advantage, depending on if the older sibling wants to help or is present and is able to provide insight. That’s something I’d do with my brother, but it kind of depends on the person and their relationship between siblings. I would probably be a little bit better prepared for my classes and know what to expect [if I had an older sibling],” said sophomore Cielo Chavarria.
“I have had an older sibling who is four years older than me go to FVHS. He told me a few clubs that I should join that looked good on college applications and some classes that looked good. So he kind of prepared me for college. [Having an older sibling] is definitely an advantage. You get a better advantage on high school and college,” said freshman Matthew Bees.
“I am an eldest child. I feel like students that have older siblings would have an advantage because the older siblings would tell them what they know and all the teachers and classes that are good for them to take. [If I had had an older sibling] I wouldn’t have taken AP Chem,” said senior Jason Tran.
“I have had two older siblings attend FVHS, one who is two years older and one who is four years older. I’ve received tons of advice from them. They give me a lot of advice on taking good classes, clubs to join and opportunities to pursue. [Having an older sibling is] a huge advantage. A huge advantage. I’m not even going to joke; it’s a huge advantage. Just get older siblings. Or join a sport and then make friends with the seniors and have them tell you everything,” said sophomore Peter Sears.
“I don’t have older siblings; I am an eldest child. I don’t know many people that have an older sibling that’s gone before them, but I don’t think they have an advantage. I probably would’ve known more teachers and had more knowledge about how they work, but I don’t wish I had an older sibling,” said sophomore John Swete.
“I have had an older sibling attend FVHS before me; she’s three years older. She helped me a lot in school. I have a lot of the same AP classes as her, and it really helps because she’s experienced it before, so whenever I need help she’ll tell me what she did and how she got through it. I definitely think that having an older sibling is an advantage because they have more experience and they can give you advice and tell you what they did wrong so you can learn from their mistakes,” said junior Janine Vuong.
