By: Gabe Kamins, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Senior linebacker Nitin Chandra refers to him as “an incredible athlete.” Team captain Zach Igwebe, who knows a thing or two about hard work, says that he “has one of the best work ethics on the team.” Spencer Brockdorff, a River Hill alum who plays football at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, believes that he has “a lot of potential.” Though the recognition is well-deserved for Jayden Simo, he knows that he hasn’t accomplished anything just yet. This football season – whenever it starts – will be Jayden’s first on varsity, and he is expected to play a significant role in guiding the Hawks to their second straight county championship. Every day he’s either lifting weights, improving his conditioning, or perfecting his technique. During the summer, he was attending daily workout sessions with Spencer Brockdorff, in which the former All-County wide receiver gave Jayden hands-on training. Once the season starts back up, he’ll be practicing five days a week with games every Friday, as well as attending mandatory lifting and conditioning sessions before games and practices officially get going. The expectations are high for Jayden, and football certainly keeps him busy.
But Jayden, a junior, isn’t just a football player. He’s also the Vice President of Alpha Achievers, an Officer At Large for FBLA, and a member of the Let’s Talk Planning Committee, Black Leadership Union, Key Club, and National French Honors Society. He also recently started a community book drive for Pointers Run Elementary School. Like many students at River Hill, Jayden likes to stay involved, whether within the school or in his community. Though he admits that the rigors associated with all of his responsibilities can “burn [him] out” at times, Jayden believes that he has found the perfect balance that allows him to be productive in each of his tasks. The secret? “Setting aside time where [he works] on specific topics,” he explained. It may be simple, but Jayden believes that with a consistent routine and schedule, anyone can be productive, regardless of the workload. Arjun Singh, a longtime friend of Jayden and the Vice President of Key Club, one of the more recent clubs that Jayden has joined, echoes this sentiment. “It’s crucial that you must possess time management skills,” he explained. Additionally, Arjun, who also plays varsity football, believes that it is important to only sign up for clubs and activities one thinks may interest them. Arjun believes that it’s good to try new things, but if one ends up sacrificing their free time which could be used to spend time with friends or family, they “have to be doing something that yields the same satisfaction of joy as what they would do in their free time,” he added.
School itself keeps Jayden, who plans on pursuing either business or premed in college, very busy. He currently takes 6 AP classes, each of which requires a hefty amount of work. Many students tend to believe that a schedule filled with challenging coursework means that they have no time for extracurricular activities. If they do decide to join clubs, try out for sports, or get involved with their communities, they often feel overwhelmed and end up dropping certain activities. Jayden advises these people to “not be afraid” because “you have the chance to explore so many opportunities before you enter the real world.” With a routine that works for him and a trial and error process in which he tries out specific activities to decide if he should become involved or not, Jayden is undoubtedly making the most of his opportunities.
So what’s next for Jayden? He’s already begun the college search, looking at schools like the University of Miami, the University of South Carolina, and the University of North Carolina, to name a few. He is also aiming to take his blazing 4.5 40-yard dash to the track and become a member of the River Hill track and field team. It would be another big time commitment for Jayden, but clearly, that shouldn’t be a concern for him.