Akira Mapp is a Senior who writes for the News section of The Peak. He plays soccer for Mountainside and works when not in school. When he has free time, he likes to play his drums and hangout with friends. He’s passionate about soccer and learning. Akira was interested in journalism when he was approached for an internship in sports journalism. To Akira, independent means having the capability to do things yourself, and being a team player means being there for people who need it. Under pressure, Akira thinks he’s grown overtime and learned to work better. His determination motivates him, he wants to achieve big goals. Akira’s main passion is soccer. He devotes his time to learning more. His academic strength is science, he’s always liked science and it’s his most consistent class. If choosing quality over quantity, Akira says “for me, it’s always been quality over quantity.” He defines quality as “doing things well and to the best of your ability.” Akira enjoys studying soccer, video games, and technology. He reads a lot of sports news, paying attention to different sports to widen his knowledge. His favorite writer is Stephen A. Smith from ESPN, Akira loves his enthusiasm.