1. “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

This was the song I listened to every time before I played in my water polo games. It was my game day song and it never failed to disappoint. In a way, I feel like it gave me a boost when playing my games and showing my opponents what I got to prove. 

2. “Toosie Slide” by Drake 

During my second semester of sophomore year, this song was on the repeat every day. It made me just want to drop my backpack and start showing everyone my moves. There was a certain dance to this song that went viral and I remember practicing those moves because I was that into it.

3. “Go Off” by Lil Uzi Vert, Quavo, and Travis Scott

On March 3, 2021, I got my driver’s license and it meant a lot to me. This was the first song I played when driving by myself and the song is all about racing and going fast. It hyped me up and made me feel comfortable driving day by day. I felt like my driving would get so good when this song would be played.

4. “Freshman List” by NAV

I would always play this song during my freshman year of high school. It made me feel that you can start with nothing and make it something with hard work. NAV really represented in the song that high school is a journey and you will learn many things along the way.

5. “Bad Az To” by Andy

This song helped me through the beginning of my senior year when I had a recent death in the family. It’s my favorite Persian song and it means a lot to me. During family events, Andy’s songs would be played all the time. It helped me complete homework and live my life with peace day by day.

6. “Young, Wild & Free” by Snoop Dog and Wiz Khalifa. Featuring Bruno Mars

This song had me singing in the car every morning driving myself to school. It’s a song that makes me look back to all the good memories of high school. Realizing life went so fast and now I’m graduating out of nowhere. I’m glad I cherished every moment I had with everyone.

7. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”  by Simple Minds

This song came out in 1985 but it’s still a banger nowadays. I listened to this song when I was down and had problems with friends. Losing them is even harder but this song got me through moving on and not looking back. Working on myself and being a better me is the path I took.

8. “Voodoo Doll” by Saint Luna

This song was such a vibe during my junior year when COVID had us all quarantined. My cousin is a drummer in the band which made me like this song even more. The beat and guitars all playing at the same time was just the perfect combination all around.

9. “Till I Collapse” by Eminem. Featuring Nate Dogg

This song is my favorite gym song by far. Some days after school, I would go to the school gym and this song would play all the time. Nothing beats lifting weights with your buddies and having this song play in the background. Made me feel like I was not even feeling the pain but rather enjoying it.

10. “Ridin’ Solo” by Jason Derulo

This song made me realize that you don’t need many friends in high school but rather one or two really good friends. Even then, you can ride solo and you will make friends without even trying. Improving yourself is the best thing you can do for the body and mind. You learn to love yourself even more and this song helped me with that process.