Kicking off our One of 360 series in the new year is Helena C.S. ’25, a senior boarding student with a passion for woodworking, art, anthropology, and more! Read more about Helena’s experience in her own words.
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!
Helena and her father at their house in Cajaiba, Brazil.
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…)!
Dressing up as the United States 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. :)
Helena with her brother and their great-grandfather in Brazil over Thanksgiving.
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.
Helena's grandmother with her horse painting! Based on an Instagram post Helena saw.
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!
The inspirational spoon at Schuyler Mansion.
Find more interesting stories about Emma Willard School on our Newsroom page.