Newman Senior Spotlight: Extracurricular Activities

We are currently in the middle of the school year, and times are getting busy.

Everyone’s focus is on the next summative assignment. Despite that, we have to prepare ourselves for college. Of course, our seniors are our front runners, and it is time to learn from their experiences. They know that a well-prepared college application covers different aspects. While none of us can do everything, it is still interesting to see which areas they focus on.

Art & Music

Petra Keeney ‘23 discloses, “I play the piano every day for 2-3 hours, and I am also a part of the Newman A Cappella group. I have gained several awards in the piano throughout my high school years.” Similar to Keeney, Hangyue (Estella) Jiang ‘23 plays the piano and is also part of the A Cappella group. She is “an IB student of music.” Ana Veliche ‘23 has also taken part in “singing in the school community.” Manal Pathan ‘23 explains how she takes “IB DP Film HL and [is] also a part of the film club.” Just like Pathan, Sam Gilbreath ‘23 is also a film student.

Keeney performs on the piano before an audience. Photos courtesy of Petra Keeney ‘23.

Languages

Pathan is “fluent in three languages and ...[is]... currently studying two other languages.” Jiang explains that English is her second language and that she is writing an Extended Essay on “how different cultural backgrounds affect an individual to acquire English language.”

Mathematics

Currently, Jiang is preparing for the Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT) with a friend. Pathan, who takes IB DP Math HL, is part of the peer tutoring club, where she works “with underclassmen as a math tutor.” Besides this, she also teaches math to middle school girls in the Girls Learning Advanced Math (GLAM) program at Newman. Veliche also tutored math and took “extracurricular courses offered online through universities.”

GLAM members solve an equation on the board. Photo courtesy of Newman Instagram.

Science

1. Over the summer, Veliche took a neuroscience course. Similar to Veliche, Xiaoyu (Sam) Yang ‘23 learned about science in the summer. He learned a lot while “taking the professor’s classes, searching for information on the Internet, or reading related books.” The summer classes got him interested in biology and in bioethics. Keeney “was a part of the medical society in [her] old school, but [she] didn’t join any science-related clubs at Newman.” Pathan discovered her love of Biology in 8th grade during her first ‘Human Phys’ class. She takes “IB DP Biology HL with Ms. Abuzir and [is] also her TA.” Pathan describes her experience in science, “I have 3 years of Biology (4 by the time I graduate), 2 years of Chemistry, and 2 years of Physics. I also have a background in Computer Science with over 2 years of JAVA Programming.”

Sport

Keeney “was on the tennis and swim teams in [her] old school, [she] continued tennis at Newman and joined the crew team.” Similar to Keeney, Pathan was also part of sport teams at her previous school, specifically the swim and track and field team. Even though she is “no longer part of such teams,” she “still [swims and] goes to the gym on a regular basis.” Additionally, in the past she rowed for the crew team at Newman.

Pathan (fourth from left) and Keeney (fifth from left) during the Fall 2021 crew season.

Volunteer Work

Yang and his friend “started a charitable organization within the Student Corps Charitable Society.” The first charity event they organized was for the Ukrainian refugees. The opportunity allowed Yang to gain leadership experience. Jiang “volunteered for a music festival and an art show.” She also “organized a charity online music concert with a partner.” Keeney did weekly recycling as well as “going on an overseas trip to do service in Nepal. I also did scuba diving and cleaned the oceans and beaches.”

Yang, Jiang, and Kat Knauf ‘23 raise funds for Ukraine outside of Copley Street Station.

Work Experience

Jiang is “working in a cat adoption center as a cat caretaker.” She takes “shifts one to three times weekly.” Gilbreath had a summer job, where he worked “as a camp counselor at an overnight camp working with kids all summer long.”

Pathan worked “as a barista at Starbucks” the summer before her junior year. Keeney is working “at a swim company that teaches younger kids how to swim in the case of emergencies.”

Other Activities

Gilbreath is a Newman Ambassador. Pathan is the “President of the Student Council and also Team Manager for the Newman Robotics Club, Clockwork Cardinals.” Chiara Celadon ‘23 is part of the Social Justice Club. In regard to student leadership, Veliche explains that “communication, external interfacing for the school, and internal community-building that the school offered through the Student Council positions and especially the Newman Ambassadors program” are really important.

Yang’s favorite activity was “taking care of giant pandas” in the summer of 2021. Jiang enjoyed expressing herself “through music performance and composition.” She also loved volunteering, where she “liked how [her] actions benefit others and [she feels she] achieved [her] value.” Gilbreath loved “filming because it’s a really good outlet for [him] personally to express my creative side.”

He also enjoyed “being a role model for kids who have learning disabilities, come from broken families, or are from different parts of the world” during his summer job. Keeney’s favorite activities were the ones she did daily, like playing piano. Two of Veliche’s favorite activities included “taking extra-curricular courses offered online through universities and trying to work on publicizing my hobbies.”

The seniors would like to pass on that they wish they would have asked for help more in middle and early high school. Pathan explains, “If you need help, ask! Don’t shy away.” Gilbreath also wished he asked for more help in the past.

Aside from this, Pathan wants all freshmen to know that “you do not have to do what others around you are doing” and that “peer pressure is a real thing, and you shouldn’t allow yourself to succumb to it.” Time management is also important. Pathan advises to “set reminders and make To-Do lists, but also don’t forget to take breaks!”

Veliche thinks that freshman year is a good time “to start realizing what I was interested in.” Keeney would like to have known “how important it is for me to understand and know the basics.” She explains, “the basics are the core of everything, and the only way I would be able to do the harder stuff, later on is if I could do the basics without thought.”

Pathan also advises everyone to “experience high school to its fullest!” On top of all this, Pathan would like everyone to “prioritize sleep and food!”