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On home…

My mom was born in Chicago and was raised in Guatemala with her sister. They have a lot of family in Guatemala, and I grew up going there at least every other year. My dad was born in Mexico and moved to Chicago when he was 7. Growing up in Chicago, I felt very connected to my Mexican family, but the first time I went to my father's town was when I was 16. I'm an only child, and I have no pets.

On Emma…

In Chicago, it's very normal to talk about the high school application process, similar to the college one.  A friend and I had been researching schools in 7th grade and I had known I personally was open to, and might even prefer, a catholic high school or a private day school in the city. Our counselor told us about a scholarship for kids in Chicago, and they had many partner schools. This friend and I spent much of our time that summer researching within that partner list, and Emma Willard soon became our preferred school from the boarding list. I ended up getting the scholarship, but I was the only one of my friends who continued with the process, and the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund helped me apply to six boarding schools.

The idea of a co-ed boarding school seemed a little daunting to me because while I went to a very small school in the city, I felt more comfortable with the idea of going to an all-girls school. Emma seemed very welcoming, and even though I had never visited before attending, I tend to have a very good gut feeling about things. I had taken some tours and shadow days in Chicago schools, but none of them felt like the right match with me. Some schools were too big, some too rigorous. I later realized that Catholic schools weren't a good direction for me. And I could not shake off the good feeling about Emma.

Emma is sooo special to me in many ways. I think the people make it feel so special, but for me, something that I just couldn't live without is the teachers. If Ms. Utterback has no fans, I'm dead because she has been a support system for me just as an affiliate for two years; my advisor, Ms. Halfi, is my favorite person on campus. All of the faculty are amazing, hardworking, and so understanding. 

The theatre directors are my go-to to troubleshoot, and every houseparent I've had has been so welcoming and the perfect fit with the hall. Even people I've never had as teachers make an effort to get to know me and who I am as a person without even stepping into the classroom. My junior year, I was faced with a hard decision of being an assistant director in the winter play and possibly struggling with my course load like I had in the fall. I went to so many people that day before getting back to the director because I knew there were people who were going to tell me their honest feelings.

On theatre…

OMG, this is such a hard question…

Okay, I really fell in love with theatre at Emma. I mean that I had never done theatre before Emma, so I fell in love with the theatre and what it means to do it at Emma. I started doing scenic, which I reached for because I grew up with my dad in construction, so it felt really familiar. Then, I quickly realized I had a lot of the traits that make a person good at theatre, and I had a lot left that I want to learn. 

By my second show, I was the deck crew chief, which is a small but time-consuming position. By that show, I really grew to love the community-building, the inside jokes, and how limitless the theatre can be. That show was probably one of the most scenic heavy shows we've done in my time so far. We built a fake truck, choreographed scenic shifts, and laughed backstage as the actors sang Adele and did a silly dance. It was addicting; the tiring tech week, the adrenaline rush before the show, the nerves, and the strike when we realized everything ended. I've done four more shows, each in a different role: stage management, sound, scenic (again, but this time designing), and assistant directing. 

The people in the theatre are just top-tier; they're silly and thoughtful, and aren't afraid to sound or look weird. Without them, I wouldn't have kept going—especially in a school like Emma, where everyone does so much else already. I have become friends with the most random group of people, yet it is so perfect. Any teacher who has had me knows that this takes so much of my time, but they also know that they are welcome to sit in the front row on opening night.

Theatre has taught me to manage time, focus when possible, multitask, be friends with everyone, call the shots, design, build, delegate, make deadlines, give grace, rest, know when to push myself and others, prioritize safety, read the room, project, be really, really quiet, have fun, and take things seriously. Some of these don't make sense together, but with the range of things that I've done, these are all the lessons that come to mind. 

In the past year, I've shifted to taking theatre classes, too, and I'm working on directing a show in the Spring. Taking classes has really pushed me in ways I would have never done. I've learned how to act from the ground up, organize a full show, and source ideas thoughtfully. I've never touched a light board, never made props or costumes, and those are things that I will do. I hope my journey with theatre doesn't end, so I know that I need to become the very best I possibly can now that I have the resources. 

On hiking…

Since I grew up in Chicago, there were never any chances for hiking, and since living at Emma, I have pushed myself on a couple of hikes and I would love to keep doing it. I also recently (yeah, like a month ago) learned to ride a bike for a trip I'm planning, and I've actually never realized how much I was missing out on, so biking is definitely going to become a hobby I continue exploring. At Emma, I tried rowing as a sophomore, and I definitely want to push myself to do that far into the future because being in the water is a feeling like no other.

On Ring Week (and May Day)...

Honestly, Ring Week and May Day are tied. I love Revels for what it can do to connect alumnae, but as a student, Ring Week is so funny, and is a beautiful tradition of having an upperclassman feel like a sibling. Every year, watching the juniors in costumes is a laugh until you are the one in them. It's also nice to feel like you are becoming an upperclassman when you start talking about it. Planning the proposals, being surprised by the costumes, and anxiously awaiting the ring at dinner is so exciting and a little more intimate than Revels. 

May Day also feels really special to me; the celebration of Spring on campus feels so exciting and beautiful. I was in the dance as a freshman, and my dance partner has become one of my really close friends. Voting for the May Day court is also exciting because you don't know who is in it until it happens. I just love how cutesy it feels, and it reminds me of how quickly the year goes by.

Really, some of my favorite traditions are my personal ones. For three years, I convinced a senior to let me on the triangle just to enjoy the first snow. Flying kites with my friends. I've carried bubbles around campus since I was a sophomore, and the happiness of them throughout the day is what makes Emma fun. Going to the Hispanic Heritage party at the Egg, watching all the interesting plays at REP. Going to the Clark and MASS MoCA every year. The first Farmer's Market in May, the first day it's warm in the spring, and everyone enjoys the inner campus. The day the cherry blossoms bloom in the front loop—those are the little traditions that mark my school year.

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’m from Cohoes, NY and I live there with my mom, dad, two cats (Nic and Newt), and two dogs (Pippa and George).  I’ve always had pets growing up, from various types of fish to a bird; it often feels like our house is a zoo, a bit chaotic, a few TV remotes destroyed, and a lot of hair, everywhere but a lot of fun! 

Family is something I hold close to my heart, from ‘framily,’ friends who are basically family, board game nights filled with shouts of victory and loss, to summer camping trips and adventures. I owe so much to my family, and framily: all that I am is because of them and the communities that they led me to.

On Emma…

I first learned about Emma through my peers who were applying at the time, but Emma wasn’t my plan initially. My journey to Emma was rather different from most of my peers. I started in December of my freshman year, just a couple of weeks before winter break. I was anxious to start at such an odd time, in a place I didn’t know. 

I had only been on campus once, for a tour a couple of weeks before my first day, which added to my nerves. Emma’s campus may be gorgeous, but it can also be rather daunting and confusing as a new student. However, the moment I stepped foot on Mt. Ida for my first day my anxiety melted away as I was met with smiles and “hellos” from people I passed in the hall, even though I didn’t know them. I felt a warm sense of community that my peers, teacher, and proctor quickly welcomed me into.

For me, that is what makes Emma so special. While it can be tough and the days have felt long and filled with work, the people who make up EWS have made it all worthwhile. The most special and magical part of Emma is the people; they each bring their magic to Emma Willard and allow you to find yours. I am eternally grateful that I somehow managed to be lucky enough to live in the same universe as such wonderful people, go to the same school as them, and most of all call them all my dearest of friends. The other special thing about such special and magical people is that even after Emma, they carry this magic with them. 

For my fellow members of the class of 2025, I can’t wait to continue watching everyone's magic grow with each new space they enter and each new wonderful adventure they embark on. One of the many privileges of being at Emma is getting to know everyone and experiencing their magic in ye grey walls.

On art…

It’s so hard to choose just one thing, but what is most present in my mind at the moment is art. I have done art for as long as I can remember, from haphazard collage pieces to masterful stick figures. I loved making art, especially outside of school. My small elementary school self found it rather restricting and frustrating in art class when we all had to follow the same steps and create the same pieces of art, so the freedom that came with doing art at home was much needed and very welcomed. 

I don’t exactly remember if there was a specific moment where I got into making art, I just remember always doing it. My dad has taken art classes for as long as I can remember, some of his paintings are up around our house, and often when I did art at home I did it with him. We’d sit opposite each other at the table, intently focused on our respective pieces. We still do art together now, when we have time, and I certainly still do art on my own time. 

Art is one of my favorite things in the world, because there is no world without art, it’s how we express our uniquely human experiences and emotions and connect with each other and ourselves. Art has been an outlet, a way to connect with both myself and my emotions and other people. 

Art has taught me a lot about myself and what I need to work on, like letting go of a sense of constant control and just adapting to where the piece and world takes me. It has taught me to take a step back, because that is often when we see the true beauty of our work and ourselves. I could spend forever listing all the things doing art has taught me and there's still so many more things to learn from it and about it! 

I would love to learn how to use more mediums, like spray paint, that seems like a fun and abstract way of painting or doing more mural work. I recently worked on painting the mural in the Mount Ida Food Pantry, which everyone should go see and volunteer at, with a handful of other Emma Willard students, and I had a blast! It was challenging as I had never done art like that before but it was so rewarding. I would love to experiment with murals further, especially another collaborative one!

On learning an instrument (potentially)!…

I would love to learn how to play an instrument. I have no idea which instrument, perhaps the bass guitar or cello, or maybe the harmonica, or maybe something more unique like the accordion or bagpipes. Who knows! I think it would be great fun to be able to whip out a song from my repertoire at random moments and rock out to my epic skills. I am, however, definitely not musically inclined, so it would likely be an extremely uphill challenge, but a challenge I would someday like to pursue nonetheless!

On Revels (and more)... 

Choosing my favorite Emma tradition feels a bit like trying to pick a favorite child or pet. I, of course, love Revels with my whole heart, and it was truly one of the most magical experiences of my life. Ring week is also one of my favorites. There's something about strolling to class and seeing a herd of smurfs trekking to Hunter out of the corner of your eye or hearing an inflatable unicorn shuffle on stage at Morning Reports that really brightens up those dreary February days and warms the heart. 

I will say, two more unlikely traditions rose to the accusation this year and solidified their place amongst some of my most beloved traditions. The first being Emmaween, it has always been a blast, but getting to work at the haunted house the seniors put on every year was truly a highlight of the night. Even if my voice was a bit hoarse the next day, and I was a wee bit bruised from falling out of the trash can I was hiding in (and then jumping out of at underclassmen passing by), it was nonetheless joyous, I didn’t want it to end! 

The second being May Day. I do enjoy May Day normally, but getting to be a part of the senior lip sync dance this year made it all the more incredible. Despite the long rehearsals in the hot dance studio in Slocum, the moment when we finally learned the last bit of choreography, ran the whole dance through, and finally got to perform it in front of the roaring cheers of the community made it all worth it, especially pulling of multiple epic stunts where we did a cheer lift of some of the other dancers.  

On home…

I am a 16 year old, only child from the Bronx, NY. I live with my mom and dad and grew up  around my grandma and some cousins who were like my siblings growing up. I do not currently have any pets but I love animals and had my fair share of fish growing up.

On Emma…

I learned about Emma through a scholar program I entered in seventh grade. When I first toured campus I was absolutely blown away by the architecture, but honestly I was not that interested in boarding school until I met the Emma community, and saw all the fun traditions and the campus life.

I have met so many amazing people in my first two years here and hope to keep meeting more! This is what makes Emma so special for me, the friends I have made and the chances to get to know another great person you have never talked to before even if you're a bit more reserved. 

On the arts…

I have always been passionate about the arts. Whether it's performing or visual, taking a class or making a craft I saw online there has never been a time in my life where I was not being creative in some kind of way. It all started when I was young, maybe three or four years old and my mom decided to sign me up for a ballet class after school and I loved it. After a few years, though, I thought maybe it was time to try sports.

I tried soccer, tennis, volleyball, but none stuck, wanting to stay active found my way back to dance, and ever since it's been one of my favorite forms of art. I currently take dance classes here at Emma, have performed in a few school events and am excited for the spring showcase coming up in May. 

My experiences have taught me that art has so many different forms and ways to express yourself, which is why it stuck with me for so long even though I have changed a lot since I was four.  Just because you are not good at or don't connect to one form of art you should not immediately dismiss it, which overall is a good mindset to have when going into any type of field or hobby. 

On baking, learning to sew, and reading…

When I am at home, I often bake and cook for myself and my family,their favorite being a sugar cookie recipe I have re-made a couple times in the past year. I love to try new recipes and I am on a journey to learn how to make home-made pasta.  I am a novice at sewing, knowing how to use a sewing machine and creating a few projects during jestermester(Create stuff)  but I am still learning how to hand sew.

Last year I got into reading/ listening to books and love murder mystery books, trying to read as many as I can find. I am currently reading “First to Die” by James Patterson.

On Emmaween…

My favorite would have to be Emmaween. My family was never big on Halloween, if i was celebrating, it would be with other people trick or treating with a last minute costume that my mom picked out.  Emmaween gives me the chance to celebrate the way I wanted to when I was little with decorations all October, haunted houses(which I tried once- never again), and fun themed school days and dinner with costumes. Last year me and friends dressed as pirates and it was probably one of favorite costumes I have ever done but I have so many ideas already for next year.

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!