The seniors’ last year of high school is quickly coming to an end. They’re getting ready to start a new journey in their lives and preparing to say their final goodbyes to their advisory teachers that have been with them since 6th grade. Senior Siyem Russom (‘25) is a hardworking and devoted student who is currently the captain of the Boy’s Varsity Basketball team. 

What college will you be attending?

“Well, I got into UC San Diego, CalPoly Pomona, and SDSU, but I chose to attend San Diego State University.”

What do you want to major in?

“I want to major in mechanical engineering because I’ve always wanted to work on something that was in the STEAM field.”

What made you come to that decision to major in that?

“Throughout high school, I’ve always been interested in the STEAM field. At the beginning of senior year, I wasn’t sure what I was going to pick, but I knew it had to be engineering. So, I did a lot of research trying to figure out what I should do and I felt that mechanical engineering was the best way for me.”

What are you looking forward to in college?

“I look forward to socialize because in high school I didn’t do a lot of socializing. So, I feel like once I go to college I can experience that more by going out with the new friends I make at SDSU.”

What is your goal that you want to accomplish in college and life?

“My goal to accomplish in college is to not procrastinate at all in order to keep more grades up. My goal for life is to find a good job that I will feel passionate about doing because I don’t want to find a job that will make me miserable.”

How has Preuss helped you over the years of attending?

“Preuss has helped me a lot over the years. I’ve been here since 6th grade, so half of my life I’ve spent being in this school. I feel like Preuss has really prepared me for what to expect in college and they have helped with my college application process.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

“Wow ten years is a long time, but hopefully I have a good income, a good job, enjoy what I’m doing, and have a beautiful family.”

When and why did you join the basketball team?

“When I was a freshman, I got into the JV Basketball team. As a freshman I was the little scrawny kid, I felt like I wasn’t that good at all. But I really enjoyed basketball and I wanted to get better and see where it takes me. Going into sophomore year, I wasn’t improving as much as I wanted. Until the end of my junior year, I started to really improve and I got into the Varsity Basketball Team. A few weeks before the basketball season started, my coach told me that I will be the captain. I was speechless in words, but I knew that I had to get better and prove to my coach that I can fit the role.”

Is there anyone who you would like to thank while being at Preuss and why?

“I would like to thank Coach R. He helped me a lot to overcome being nervous at games and being more confident with myself and what I can do. I would also like to thank all my teachers because they all had their own part in making me the person I am today.”

What advice would you like to give to the upcoming seniors?

“Advice I would give to upcoming seniors is to do your work and to be early on your college applications because it gets tough, especially research because if you’re behind it will get extremely difficult for you. But the biggest advice to take from me is to never procrastinate and to get all your work done on time in order to not be stressed out all the time.”