Seniors of CPS: Adam S.

Interview conducted by Wells R.

Wells: Hey Adam!

Adam: ‘Sup

Wells: First we’re just gonna start with some quick, rapid-fire questions to get you warmed up. Do you like the Gym Deck or Student Commons better?

Adam: I think I’m a Gym Deck traditionalist. The Student Commons are fun, but if you look at my four years as a whole, I spent a lot more time on the Gym Deck and I’m hoping to spend more time on it when it gets sunny again. 

Wells: Favorite Trader Joe’s snack?

Adam: That’s a tough one. They do these Thanksgiving stuffing potato chips that are pretty good.

Wells: I’ll have to try those! Asian Worlds or Freshman Physics?

Adam: Definitely Asian Worlds.

Wells: What about your favorite bathroom at CPS?

Adam: You know, I’m gonna shout this out there just because I don’t think it gets talked about much, but the dance bathrooms are really nice.

Wells: I agree. Not everyone knows about those ones, and they are nice! Now we’re gonna move on to more open-ended questions. What’s been your favorite CPS class, and why? 

Adam: Well, history’s definitely my favorite subject, and I’ve had a lot of fun in all the history classes, but my favorite of those was probably U.S. History. Growing up in the United States, you pick up a lot of the stuff that you learn about, so you go into the class with a baseline contextual understanding of things like the Civil Rights Movement and slavery. But being able to then dig deeper into those topics, which are personal because they’re part of our families’ stories and how we construct our identities as U.S. citizens, made history even more meaningful than others. 

Wells: That makes me excited for next year! What’s something that not a lot of people at CPS know about you?

Adam: Hmmm. I guess something people don’t know about me is that I fall asleep all the time. You wouldn’t know that unless you were tight with me, but I fall asleep at the most random times. 

Wells: That's wild! Where do you see yourself in five years?

Adam: Ideally, I’d be doing journalism somewhere. I’m thinking about sports journalism, but really journalism in general is what I’m interested in. Hopefully, I’ll still be connected with my CPS friends and covering sports somewhere, having a good time. 

Wells: What’s been one of your favorite CPS memories?

Adam: There’s so many. I’ve had this group where we’ve had monthly dinners, and we come together to cook meals and share dinner. I’ve had a lot of fun with those, but I think it ties back to a greater feeling about CPS communities. Whether it was talking with Dr. Casimir about my independent study or conversations with Mr. Mattoon during passing period, I’ve had so many individual connections and interesting conversations with a lot of different people.

Wells: And thinking about your time at CPS, what advice would you give to your freshman-year self?

Adam: Probably to value relationships more. I was fortunate to have a group of upperclassmen through sports and other activities, who I was really able to connect with, but I would tell myself to really take advantage of those friendships because they’re really valuable and cool to look back on.

Wells: And if you could say thank you to one room at CPS, what would it be?

Adam: Probably the gym. I played freshman year basketball, and that was where I started to meet some of my best friends. Now, most people know me for intramurals, where I’ve spent countless lunches in there with Godwin.

Wells: What some people may or may not know is that you are a huge sports guy. From writing articles for Radar to running intramurals to swimming, you know everything about sports. So, can you tell us a little bit about how and maybe why you were drawn to sports and what you’ve taken away from it?

Adam: Really, the reason why I’m a sports fan is as simple as anybody else. I mean, my dad was a sports fan, so I grew up watching sports. So, for whatever reason, it’s always been one of my passions. I think the reason why I’m so vocal about sports and why I do things like running Intramurals is that at CPS, since the school is so academically oriented, I feel that it’s important to contribute to the community and give people an outlet for their stress. In general, I’m just a believer that when people have outlets for exploring their passions, which for some is sports like me, they’re able to do better academically and in the things they love. So mostly, I love being able to give people that opportunity and spreading joy. 

Wells: All right, thank you, Adam, for taking the time for this interview!