Starting at Oviedo his freshman year along with his two brothers, Aiden and Brody, Colin Aysun has been making waves academically ever since he started high school, eventually leading to his placement on the Top Ten rankings for GPAs at Oviedo.
From the outside, this accomplishment might seem like something that came naturally, but C. Aysun’s experiences shows that this was anything but easy. His success came from discipline, preparation, but most importantly persistence.
“Navigating a new environment [at the start of high school] where expectations for learning outcomes rose while balancing extracurriculars [brought new struggles],” C. Aysun said.
Like many students new to high school, there’s a higher workload and expectations that high school brings; C. Aysun persisted and rose above these challenges. While adapting to the new academic standards of high school, he also had to learn how to manage time for his extracurricular activities.
Besides academics, C. Aysun’s other passion lies on the field with Oviedo’s track team for which he’s been running for since his freshman year.
“I’ve been running my whole life and couldn’t imagine living without it,” C. Aysun said.
Track has been an essential part of C. Aysun’s life since he joined the team with his two brothers A. Aysun and B. Aysun. Running for Oviedo has reinforced his ability to push through discomfort and difficulty and taught him consistency and time management, which have all served him well in his academic life.
His Honor Graduate sponsor, Art Woodruff, said C. Aysun is always fully devoted to any activity he commits to.
“Basically anything he does he took seriously, whether that was cross country, physics, [or] computer science,” Woodruff said.
C. Aysun names his brothers as a major source of motivation to strive for the best in academics and extracirculars as well.
“My brothers and I have always competed, holding each other accountable with homework and other activities,” C. Aysun said.
B. Aysun cites track as a “major factor” in why C. Aysun strives to do so well
“I think Colin has a very methodical approach to managing time with assignments and extracurriculars,” B. Aysun said.
Compared to his brothers, C. Aysun feels he operates differently in terms of how he handles challenges.
“I believe that I try hardest when improving my craft or learning a new skill … [though not in] the smartest way,” C. Aysun said.
Along with this, C. Aysun’s other struggles include having to overcome the “thought of perfection,” or not being able to have every assignment come out exactly the way he wants it to, which he overcame by building a specific skillset.
“[I used] consistent study habits, active recall and reviewing frequently,” C. Aysun said.
These habits have helped him save time and retain information better, leading to his placement in the Top Ten. After high school he will attend MIT to pursue aerospace engineering.
