What are you involved in at º£½ÇÊÓƵ?
In addition to being a head tour guide, I am also a head orientation leader, co-head of Canoe Club, and member of Outdoors and Feminist Literature Clubs. For performing arts, I am a part of Chorus, º£½ÇÊÓƵ Singers, Cabaret (a student-led musical theater singing group), and our mainstage productions. I also play soccer and varsity tennis.
What is your favorite activity at º£½ÇÊÓƵ and why?
My favorite º£½ÇÊÓƵ activity is probably Club Expo. In the first two weeks of school, we have an event where every single club, of which there are many, creates a table to promote themselves to the new students. There’s music, and each club sells themed food, items, or activities to raise funds for the year. It’s an amazing start to the year and a really fun way of helping everyone get to know the school a bit better.
Favorite class you’ve taken at º£½ÇÊÓƵ and why?
My favorite class that I’ve taken so far is Black Mirrors: The Self as a Social Construct from the fall of my junior year. In this class, we spent almost the entire semester digging into a graphic memoir called Persepolis that follows a young girl and her experience growing up in post-revolution Iran. The novel included themes of crisis, identity, displacement, and the influence that others have on our sense of self. Although heavy, the discussions we had in this class truly changed both the way I approach analysis and my worldview for the better.
Share a moment where you knew you belonged at º£½ÇÊÓƵ.
Although there are many, one of the moments that sticks with me most was from my first week of 9th grade year. One afternoon, I was with a group of people that I was only just getting to know, and someone suggested that we go hang out in one of the music rooms. Within five minutes, one of us had started playing the piano and the rest of us were singing in harmony. I remember feeling in that moment like I had finally found a place where I belonged.
Anything else you’d like to share about your º£½ÇÊÓƵ experience?
For the second semester of my junior year, I had the incredible opportunity of studying abroad in Zaragoza, Spain. During this time, I stayed with a host family, took classes in Spanish, and traveled all throughout Spain. In addition to experiencing an entirely different culture and part of the world, I was able to learn so much more about myself and my capacity to adapt to change. My program was one of three opportunities to study abroad in Europe, but º£½ÇÊÓƵ also offers semesters away across the U.S. and I could not recommend the experience more.
