Part of the class of 2026, freshman Owen Andrews gives the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a freshman.

“I feel like I lost the kind of solid friend group I had in middle school,” says Owen, discussing the tough transition that high school can be, “but I think [now] I have more friends and different groups to hangout with.”

Finding a place in a new world can be exhausting, but Owen stays active. Between soccer, volleyball, numerous clubs, and Mock Trial, Owen has curated his time at DP to be the best it can.

But that’s not to say he doesn’t still get bored. To help provide some campus entertainment, he jokes that the departments “should have a faction war.”

While community ties rein strong, questions arise for how DP handles its students internally. “I think there’s definitely some systematic issues, ethnic studies is a big step in the right direction, but things like mental health support? I think it’s a [struggle] in all school systems.”

While Owen believes Dos Pueblos has made further progress than his prior schools, the gap between what should be provided and what actually is remains large.

“The amount of work teachers have to go through [to support students] in comparison to everything else they are managing just isn’t good.”