Stress: a state of mental or emotional strain resulting from very demanding circumstances. Whether it be a freshman’s first month or a senior’s last year, every student has faced stress here at Padua. Preparing for the SAT’s or finalizing a college application are just some of the many examples of stress at Padua. Padua excels at teaching young women what life is going to throw at them once they graduate, and stress is absolutely going to be at the top of the list.

“I do think the girls at Padua have a lot of stress, some more than others,” explained freshman, Alexis Weinkopff. She also points out that because we have access to our grades at the touch of our fingers, that may be the main cause of stress. “Sometimes that is a positive thing, but if you are someone that checks your grades five or six times a day, that can affect your stress level.”

Freshman, Colleen O’Brien, states that some of the stress could be due to extracurricular activities that take up a lot of time. “[Participating in extracurricular activities] doesn’t allow students enough time to do their schoolwork, but the student doesn’t want to stop doing their outside activity.” Almost every athlete that participates on a Padua sports team gets home late every night. Sports take dedication and sometimes you just can’t give it up.