Home

On home…

Home is a lot! I was born in Chile, but my mother’s family is Brazilian-German and my father’s family is Argentinian. We moved to California when I was seven and we’ve lived in Silicon Valley since then. I have three cats and one younger brother who turns 15 this month!

On Emma…

My experience at Emma has been really amazing. I decided to apply to boarding schools in sophomore year, and Emma was my #1 from the start! I was excited about being at an all-girls school and also really wanted to be on the East Coast. 

The most special thing about Emma, IMO, is how everyone here is always down to do something unexpectedly positive. It’s like everyone on campus is always on the lookout for something kind or exciting to do (like dressing up as a flag for Election Day…)!

On woodworking…

I’ve recently become a huge fan of woodworking! I didn’t know it when I started, but my great grandfather (98!) has been woodworking as a hobby since he was 17 (81 years!) and he was so excited to hear I’d picked it up too. I’m the only person in our family aside from him who’s shown an interest in it, so he’s really excited to be able to pass what he knows down to someone. 

I got to visit his workshop in Brazil over Thanksgiving break this year and it was one of the best moments of my life. :) 

On painting…

I would love to learn how to paint. My mother is an artist, and I grew up watching her paint, but never got into it (despite taking years of art classes!). Over winter break, I made my grandmother a painting of a horse (pictured below!) and it made me want to get better at it. 

My two favorite paintings right now are A Hermit Praying in the Ruins of a Roman Temple by Hubert Robert (my favorite painter!) and Spring in the Alps by Giovanni Segantini.

On Jestermester…

I love Jestermester! Last year, I got to go on a lot of field trips around the Capital Region [Helena was in the Look Around: The Revolution is Happening in New York Jestermester], and I credit one of those trips with helping me discover how much I liked woodworking :) and a spoon we saw at Schuyler Mansion solidified my dreams of being an anthropologist–yay!

On home…

I currently live in Troy, NY. I come from a family with three other siblings, and we have two dogs. Home is where my family is, and they’ve always been supportive and loving.

On Emma…

I discovered Emma through my great aunt Claire who is an alum of the Class of 1977, I believe. Initially, I felt it would be a significant change but I quickly adapted and now enjoy my time here. Emma Willard is special to me because of the strong community and numerous opportunities.

On track…

I’m most passionate about advancing in track. I go into it through encouragement from friends and various sports coaches. One thing that I’ve learned is that coming out of blocks is not easy, and I would like to learn how to gain more confidence in myself when it comes to my performance.

On photography…

One new hobby I would like to explore is photography. I love how one picture can capture a moment and tell a story.

On Revels…

My favorite tradition at Emma Willard that I’m looking forward to this December is Revels, because it’s a performance that the seniors put on filled with screaming, singing, dancing, and skits and I get to watch all my senior friends!

On home…

I spent my childhood in Beijing, China, living with my parents as an only child. Although I don’t have any pets, I love seeing animals in my neighborhood. When I was nine, my mom and I moved to the US and have lived here since then. My dad had to continue his job in Beijing, so I don’t see him as often. Although living far away from him, our love and care never fade. I guess this unique opportunity has given me the skill of understanding the feeling of separation at a young age.

On Emma…

I learned about Emma through my high school counselor and Emma Admissions. Hearing about Emma’s academics and history made me so interested in this place. I was never so curious about a place than the time I heard about Emma. Everything seems so fun to explore, so I went straight to the school’s website. The rich history of Emma made me fall in love with it. Let’s just say that no one wouldn’t be fascinated by Emma’s beautiful campus. What I love the most about Emma is that it provides a safe and comfortable space for young women to explore their interests in various fields. It is where everyone tries new things and discovers the talents and aspirations in themselves!

What makes Emma so special to me is the people here. Emma is a second home for many students. We have to “survive” here by ourselves, but we’re not fighting individually when we encounter hardships. Emma is a community full of interesting people and supportive adults, and the friendships I made here are irreplaceable, both with my peers and teachers. At Emma, I can always find people to talk to when I’m walking to different places on campus. Seeing them is always heartwarming to me. The people at Emma are so precious to me, especially my friends here, and that’s what makes Emma so special to me.

On music…

I’ve always had a passion for music, especially singing. I started singing Bel Canto with an amazing teacher at a very young age. Her teaching was not only about singing, it’s more about the feelings singers express. Everything is about passion. She always says, “You have to sink into the world of music!” Music allows me to express rich feelings that words can’t express. The joy, the sorrow, the anger, the shock…everything is in there. 

Besides singing Bel Canto, music, in general, completes me. I love listening to pop music. Right now, my favorite artists are SZA, Daniel Caesar, Frank Ocean…and so many more I can’t list them all. I love everything about music; it carries everything within me.

On softball…

Technically, it’s not a new thing for me. I played softball for four years in elementary school before, but I’ve dropped it since then. It’s not because I don’t enjoy it, but I couldn’t find the right opportunity to play this sport later on. Last year I tried out for softball at Emma, and I’ve never been happier playing a team sport before (swimming, I’m sorry I count you as more of an individual sport). Although I didn’t get onto the final team, I still had a great time keeping this hobby up.

And Revels!

Revels is my favorite Emma tradition. It was such a magical experience in the cold and snowy winter last year. Walking through the tunnel and seeing everyone with full glam made me, and maybe everyone, feel like the main character in a fairy tale. The unique feeling mixed with nervousness and excitement ready for my first Revels was so memorable. I can’t wait to see all my senior friends dressing up and acting their characters out this year!

On home…

I was born in Saratoga Springs, NY and I really love it. I live with my parents and they’re my biggest supporters and my favorite people. We love to watch movies together and cook (if we don’t get on each other’s nerves too much). My mom and I are currently watching all of the Studio Ghibli movies and loving them!

On Emma…

My parents knew about Emma, and thought if they ever had a daughter it would be a great experience. I had a family friend named Caroline, and she went to Emma and said wonderful things about it. I stepped onto campus for the first time during a tour and felt like this was my place. I applied and got in and have loved it ever since! 

Emma is so special because of the community and people here. Some of my closest relationships have been formed here, and I know there is always someone I can count on. Whether that be teacher or friend, I’ve always felt really accepted here. 

About music…

I’m really passionate about all kinds of music. My dad is a music producer, so growing up I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of music and a lot of instruments. I played piano for 4 years and quit during COVID after not really connecting with it. After that, I started guitar with help from my dad and I absolutely fell in love. I’ve since gotten back into piano and dabbled in drums, and it’s my absolute favorite thing. Listening to music, playing it, producing it, everything. It makes me really really happy. 

On art…

Definitely different forms of art. I love to create things, but I tend to keep it a bit safe by sticking to the things I know well like painting and photography. There’s so many different things to try. I would love to try pottery or get back into darkroom photography! 

On Revels…

Definitely Revels. I always get super excited when that time of year rolls around, it just feels straight out of a Christmas movie. My freshman year it started to snow right when we were coming into Kiggins and it felt super magical. I love seeing everyone come through the doors (especially when they’re my good friends!) and hearing the crowd go nuts. I’m so excited for my class’s Revels. It’s going to be so so so fun.

On home…

I am from Chicago, IL. I have three dogs, a parakeet, and around nine (I think) chickens—at one point, we had around 30, and when you have so many chickens at one time they all kinda blur into each other. I have an older sister, Isabel, who graduated from Emma in 2023! She was a lantern bearer in her Revels. She’s a bit of an odd little critter, but we’ve grown really close and I like spending time with her because I feel like I can relax and truly be myself around her, now that I'm immune to her judgment, due to my years of experience with it. 

I am a proctor on the ninth grade hall this year, and it has been a blast! Besides the questionable late-night screaming, the energy in the hall is so much fun!! I love my little freshies and I can't wait to see what they do at Emma in the future!

On Emma…

My experience at Emma has been wonderful! I first learned about the school many years ago, when my sister was in 8th grade and applying to the school to be a day student (we actually used to live in the Albany area for a few years), but then we moved back to Illinois, so she wasn’t able to go. We both really loved what we saw and knew about the school, and so when the opportunity for us to go as boarders came up a few years ago, we JUMPED at the opportunity. 

What makes Emma special for me are the people and the connections that I've made. I have met some of my greatest friends here, and I am so so excited to spend our last year at Emma together! 

On acting…

Something I’m really passionate about is acting. I have been acting in plays and musicals for a long time now, and it is really important for me. It has been the one thing throughout my life that I have consistently enjoyed doing, and I am so excited to do more of it in college.

Something I’ve learned from acting and theatre has been that making things weird is possibly the most fun one person can have, and I think everyone should be a little weirder, all of the time.

On jam…

I want to make my own jam really bad because I just really like jam on toast like A LOT and I want to be able to create my own fruit jam concoctions. I'm thinking like a beautiful mango+apricot+peach situation—might even dabble in a jelly or two! Who knows! 

I’ve also been thinking a lot about rock tumbling...like imagine my power…no one would have a better rock collection than I—not only because they’d be shiny and beautiful, but because they’d be tumbled with Love ❤️❤️❤️

On Revels…

My favorite tradition at Emma is Revels!! There is just something so enchanting about the energy on Revels night, and after having been in the audience so far, I am SO EXCITED TO BE IN IT THIS YEAR!!! 

(Everyone pls send me your revelizations…I'm very Interested in what you have to say….)