by: Tanvi Ambekar

Opinion Editor

Junior Luke DeGraff is kicking off the year with an academic and athletic load many high schoolers would shy away from. Balancing rigorous courses with a year-round rowing season, he is charging into his second-to-last year of high school with an unmistakable determination to make the most of every day. 

With AP Physics, AP Environmental Science, and Spanish 4 Honors stacked into his schedule, along with almost daily practices and weekly regattas, DeGraff certainly has his work cut out for him. Despite this, he approaches the school year with optimism, determined to enjoy the challenge of finally being an upperclassman. He especially loves his AP Physics and Spanish classes, even wishing he could have taken AP Psychology or AP Biology if his courses “weren’t already pretty loaded.”

Rowing, however, remains the core of DeGraff’s routine. He discovered rowing through a summer program in middle school, and to his surprise, he fell in love with the competitive nature and team spirit the sport inspires. After the summer, he began rowing in his free time and went on to win the annual San Diego Crew Classic in March of his freshman year. As he recalled, his favorite parts include “spending time with my friends in the hotel rooms, during car rides, and eating food.” His coach was also extremely supportive throughout the process, and it became increasingly likely that rowing was to be his sport. 

Although Los Gatos High School does not have an official school rowing team, DeGraff rows with the Los Gatos Rowing Club, a private organization that affiliates its teams with the school to better reach high school students. Consisting of nearly 80 people, DeGraff’s team may seem too big to foster close relationships, but he said he thoroughly enjoyed the energy and “team unity” the sizable group brings to every regatta they participate in. This collective passion, combined with his natural competitive spirit, has led to DeGraff being a dedicated and talented team member for five years. 

Amidst the chaos, DeGraff still finds time for his hobbies. One of his longest-standing hobbies is baking, which he has been doing since before he can remember. He acknowledged:  “As a rower, I am pretty busy, so I just bake whenever I can.” Although he usually bakes alone, he finds the process to be a calming break from the mayhem of student-athlete life — and it can result in some delicious creations. His favorite so far is a lemon poppyseed cake he baked from scratch a couple of years ago. 

Overall, DeGraff strives to blend academic rigor, athletic commitment, and personal passion without losing his drive. His ability to handle a heavy course load while finding time to spend on hobbies he loves shows that high school doesn’t always have to be chaotic: it just needs to be the right mix of challenging and fulfilling.