High school can be a very overwhelming and confusing time in our lives. Sometimes, it might even feel like we’re getting trampled down right along with all of the people in the halls. Finding one’s own niche in these four years is a sort of lifeline, the thing we hold onto to get through the years meaningfully. In the case of Cyrus Orczeck, this niche is the rifle team.

Cyrus Orczeck is a junior who joined the rifle team his freshmen year, making this year his third season. When asked why he decided to join the team, Cyrus said, “I wanted to meet new people with similar interests, and I was always interested in the sport and wanted to be a better shot.”

Joining the team did reap benefits for Cyrus as he said that being a member helped him with his overall high school career, noting, “Being on the rifle team taught me the importance of communication with those who are helping [and] teaching me, such as coaches and teachers, and that you should be open when you are struggling with something so that you can succeed.”

Rifle isn’t the only thing that Cyrus finds enjoyment and meaning in, though. He’s also a vo tech student. He commented, “I’m in the Electrical program at tech because I’ve always enjoyed working hands-on and being able to see the final result of my work.” Rifle and the Electrical program are both very tactile skills, and so it seems that Cyrus makes sense of his surroundings through very active, first hand experience.

He also said that he “wants to own his own electrical contracting business in Pittsburgh”. Finding his niche in high school has, very fortunately, set him up for a clear path to pursue after graduation.

Cyrus’ hobbies outside of school prove just as hands-on as his ones in school do. He said that he likes, “mountain biking, photography, painting, drawing, and building and repairing computers”.

These hobbies are not simply just ways to pass time, though. They help Cyrus to unwind mentally. He agreed that his hobbies impacted who he is as a person and said that he “can express [his] thoughts through [his] art”, and that “working on computers is kind of calming”.

Joining the rifle team his freshmen year was the beginning of Cyrus creating a clear, personal path for his life in high school that allowed him to hit his mark.