The Pulse: Can you tell us your name, grade, and what academic programs, clubs, or leadership roles you’re involved in at ITHSA?
Ethan: My name is Ethan Mason. I’m a junior, and I’m in Student Council, Orchestra, NHS, and tennis.
The Pulse: How long have you been a student at ITHSA, and what drew you to the school?
Ethan: I’ve been a student here my whole time in high school. I think I chose ITA because of how much variety it has in classes and how much happens there. I feel like I have a lot more options.
The Pulse: What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
Ethan: Something that might be surprising about me is that one of my biggest hobbies is making music. I produce music for fun, and I’ve been working on some creative projects lately!
The Pulse: What academic subject do you enjoy the most, and why?
Ethan: Out of the core classes, I think probably my science classes, usually, which right now is physics. It’s really hard, but it’s also pretty interesting to me. Counting electives, I do really enjoy orchestra class since I really like playing the violin and have been doing it for a while.
The Pulse: Is there a class or project at ITHSA that challenged you or helped you grow as a student?
Ethan: My first AP classes in my sophomore year definitely challenged me a lot. I think AP World especially challenged me to think a little more about my responses to questions and challenged me to do work on a higher level than before, which definitely has helped me know what to do in my AP classes this year.
The Pulse: How do you balance your academic responsibilities with extracurriculars or leadership roles?
Ethan: What’s really been helpful to me for balancing everything has been prioritizing things and also using my available time. I try to be mindful of what I care a lot about and have a lot of impact for me, and what doesn’t, so that I spend more time and effort on things that matter more. I’ve also learned that using as much spare time as I can helps me not have too much work to do after school.
The Pulse: What study habits or strategies have helped you succeed academically?
Ethan: I find that writing things down really helps me remember them, so I like to make flashcards and note sheets summarizing all the important information and then quizzing myself with them.
The Pulse: What leadership roles do you currently hold, either in school or outside of it?
Ethan: I’m currently a member of the Youth as Resources Board in Kenosha County, which awards funding to youth-led service projects. I’m also taking part in the Student Council and in my Boy Scout Troop as one of the oldest Scouts.
The Pulse: How do you define leadership, and how do you try to practice it at ITHSA
Ethan: I think leadership is best defined as trying to help guide other people, not just to get something done, but to help them learn something and improve themselves from it, so that they can help be leaders in turn. I think there’s a lot of ways you can try to do it, and I think I take steps to do that all the time, even with little things like working together with other people to understand classwork better.
The Pulse: Can you describe a moment when you had to step up as a leader?
Ethan: I think one of the moments I’ve had to step up the most as a leader was in my Eagle Scout Project, which I completed in early 2025. I set up Little Free Pantries at the public libraries. I had worked on it for a long time, and the planning and fundraising involved were really challenging for me, maybe even more than the actual execution of the project. I think that it helped me figure out how to present ideas and communicate with people, and gave me the chance to see a lot of different opportunities in Kenosha.
The Pulse: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through being in a leadership role?
Ethan: It’s really hard to choose, but I think the most important thing I’ve learned is how to communicate to other people when planning and teaching things. Spending time doing things that required me to talk in front of others, send emails, or plan events led to me getting a lot more comfortable doing those things again, which are skills I’ll definitely need in the future.
The Pulse: How do you think your academic work and leadership involvement contribute to the ITHSA community?
Ethan: I hope the work I do could be a good example, or that I have helped other people understand things better and grow on their own.
The Pulse: Is there a teacher, advisor, or administrator who has influenced your growth as a student or leader? How?
Ethan: I think my AP teachers have all been really great. They’ve challenged me to work harder and think more about things, and the result of them sometimes pushing me past my comfort zone in terms of the work I do is that I’ve gotten a lot better at a lot of hard things in school recently.
The Pulse: How does ITHSA support students who want to challenge themselves academically?
Ethan: The variety in classes is a really good way for students to be supported when they want a challenge. There are a lot of AP classes, and there are also options at colleges or in eschool, which are all really great things for people’s different paths. Personally, I’ve taken some AP classes, and I’ve also found that I really liked using eschool to take care of some electives more conveniently with my schedule.
The Pulse: What has been your biggest challenge at ITHSA, and what did it teach you?
Ethan: I think my biggest challenge has been juggling different activities and responsibilities. Sometimes I’ve definitely let certain things eat up way too much of my time, and it gets especially bad in the spring, when it feels like there’s just so much going on all at once. Managing that has taught me, though, that sometimes things need more or less effort than what I’m putting in, and that I shouldn’t expect everything to be perfect or spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to make things perfect.
The Pulse: How do you handle pressure, especially during exams, projects, or leadership responsibilities?
Ethan: I handle pressure really well when I can take some breaks in between things, even just for 15 minutes. I think that really helps me refresh my mind. With that said, I also think sometimes you just have to push through whatever it is and get it done so that it’s not all put off too late.
The Pulse: How would your peers describe you as a leader and student?
Ethan: I’m not really sure how I’d be described, but I hope that I would be seen as someone who helps others or provides support and an example. I hope that people around me would think that I help build a good atmosphere.
The Pulse: What academic or career goals are you currently working toward?
Ethan: I’m currently starting to look at colleges and scholarship opportunities to decide what I want to apply and aim for. It’s a little intimidating at this point, but I have a while, and I’m excited.
The Pulse: How has ITHSA helped prepare you for life after high school?
Ethan: I think by learning about responsibilities and time management, ITA has helped me prepare for what it’ll be like when I go to college and beyond, and have to manage things like that myself and find space for all the important things.
The Pulse: What skills have you gained here that you think will matter most in the future?
Ethan: Time management, prioritizing things, and managing stress have all been super important skills that I think I’ve gotten better at thanks to my time at school so far.
The Pulse: What advice would you give to students who want to succeed academically while taking on leadership roles?
Ethan: I’d say always try to communicate as clearly as you can, so everyone’s on the same page. Don’t take on too much responsibility yourself, since leadership is about everyone working together and learning from it. Just because you’re leading doesn’t mean you should do everything. Also, plan way ahead of time – I’ve pushed so many things too close to the deadline in some of my leadership positions!
The Pulse: What does being a Hawk mean to you?
Ethan: To me, being a Hawk means being a good example at Indian Trail and trying to make the school and community proud of the things I do.
The Pulse: Is there anything else you’d like the ITHSA community to know about you?
Ethan: I think like I’ve said already, I really love making music, and I recently became an Eagle Scout, and I think that’s about it!
The Pulse: If you could sum up your experience thus far at ITHSA into a quote, what would it be, and why
Ethan: That’s a really hard choice, but I think I’d say it’s really about learning by doing. For so much of high school, I think I’d say that “Life is the best teacher” applies so well to me.