As the year is coming to a close, it is almost time to say goodbye to this year’s seniors. Throughout their years at Prep, they have shown their variety of talents whether it is in the classroom, on the stage, on the field, or outside of school. Here are some examples of seniors that have very interesting talents.
Two years ago, Prep created intro to/AP computer science for students to take where they used Java to create projects. Senior Selome Surai decided to take the course because she had an interest in coding: “I always like the problem solving aspect of it and I’ve always been interested in technology. Put two and two together.” Selome first started coding at the age of 15 during her junior year because of random interest and continued to do it because she liked it and was good at it. She liked to design websites and still does to this day. Surai has participated in some programs that relate to coding that include the hour of code program here at Prep and the Girls Who Code program at Adobe.
From playing the penny whistle during the Examen to cracking jokes on stage during the production of Anything Goes in a pair of underpants, Eli Pasco has shown Prep his various of talents. He plays many instruments such as the piano, penny whistle, accordion, and the ukulele. Pasco hopes to start composing music in the future and finally get his ideas out on paper. Additionally, he participates in the drama program and likes draws pieces about life.
Clearly, Eli has interest in many things; however, he says that “Being interested in a lot of things is hard. I’m envious of people who have one passion and can focus really hard on it and dedicate themselves to it. But with the way I’m wired, I can’t really do that because I have so many interests.”
Similarly, Lily Dowling also has a history in music. Dowling was exposed to music at a young age because of her family’s musical interests and growing up in that environment made her start to love music herself. At the age of 6, she started to play the piano and once she turned 12, she picked up the ukulele. Lily is also a songwriter and writes about her personal experiences and hard times. In the future, she wants to continue making music and have people be inspired by her songs: “I realize that I am probably going to be broke for the rest of my life because music is a very hard industry,” Lily jokes. “But I am really excited to be broke and do music.”
Besides music, drama, and drawing, there are many other art forms that the seniors are interested in. For example, Sierra Leza is interested in the art of cooking. In the mornings, she loves to make crepes and huevos rancheros. “I’m a big fan of food that tastes good without a lot of work,” states Sierra, so she likes to make pasta, steak with potatoes and vegetables, and smoked chicken with vegetables for dinner. In addition to that, she also likes to make desserts. She learned all of these skills from her biological and step father. In the future, Leza wants to learn how to make Asian foods such as Pad See Ew, Sushi, and Pancit because she loves Asian food but her family does not make it.
In and out of school, Max Buchanan is involved in many activities: climbing/ mountaineering, hunting/survival, woodworking and building, spearfishing/diving, bow and arrow making, judo, and swimming. He has been surrounded by the outdoors for most of his life as has been doing these activities since he was young. When he was 12, he started survival and at 14, he did first month of survival and started to get involved in woodworking. Then at 15 years old, he started to make bow and arrows. At the age of 16, he began spearfishing. Max is inspired by his dad, grandpa, and Mr. Brzoska, his scout teacher. Through his experience with these things, he has learned to keep a positive attitude and to have mental toughness: “Good cheer and toughness have gotten me through the worst times of my life both in nature and at home in Seattle and these values certainly apply to my life at school and in my other sports.”