Struggling to fill his courses and looking for a fun elective with his friends, William Wenrich-Quinones chose to take Newspaper Journalism and join the Spotlight staff. Now, Will reflects on the time in class spent struggling to understand the “New York Times” games or CNN 10, as well as the fulfilling hours spent working on his many articles.
“I loved it; I just got to do something I love with my best friends,” Wenrich said. “I also got to meet new friends and interview people I would not have met before.”
In the short span of a year, Wenrich has contributed five articles, his personal favorite being “Artificial Intelligence impacts learning and education,” an opinion article about the influence of artificial intelligence in school.
“It was something interesting, and was genuinely impacting myself and my classmates,” he said.
In class, he enjoyed a work-play balance with his friends, the classes spent outside being a favorite highlight for him. Some of his fondest memories were spent in journalism with his long-time and new friends.
“I enjoyed all the good times and laughs with my best friends [seniors Thomas Morris and Luke Fisher],” he said. “[I also enjoyed] getting closer with other classmates [including sophomore Avi Shah and junior Talan Canzano].”
In addition to The Spotlight, Wenrich participated in Varsity Soccer, National Honor Society, Student Council and Angel 34 in school. He was also elected the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) president for the 2023-2024 school year.
Outside of school, Wenrich is an avid pickleball player and an amateur ice cream connoisseur, with peach being his current favorite flavor. He plays pickleball daily, and enjoys good competition. His favorite players are the John brothers. In college, he plans on continuing his pickleball hobby.
Wenrich will attend Northeastern in the fall and plans on majoring in economics. However, he is unsure if he will stick with this major as he thoroughly enjoys history and business as well. He knows how unpredictable the future is and accepts it.
“I’m honestly not nervous,” he said. “I believe that everything will work out in the end, and worrying only makes things worse.”
Throughout high school, Wenrich developed a strong work ethic and learned the importance of studying hard. However, he believes incoming freshmen should focus more on the fun in life.
“Love life; you only get one,” he said. “Cherish the time spent in high school; it goes by so fast.”
