It’s so hard to believe that I’ll be out of school in a month!  The past few weeks have been great, but also busy.  The junior class has been preoccupied with studying for SAT subject tests & AP’s, applying and interviewing for senior leadership positions, and mentally preparing ourselves for the college application process.  As I think more about the many hurdles I’ll have to overcome senior year (college applications, senior exhibitions), I start to realize the importance of finding a healthy balance between academic and social life, which will be especially imperative next year.  I feel motivated to make sure that, in the midst of all the chaos, I am still able to have fun and keep perspective.

Community service opportunities at Thacher are countless.  You can help clean up Ojai’s creeks on a Saturday morning, tutor kids during the day, take part in Habitat for Humanity projects, help out with trail work on Sundays, and/or visit elderly homes on weeknights.  Last fall, I started going to St. Joe’s, an elderly home in Ojai.  I go every Sunday night with a few other peers and we chat with the elderly folks there.  Over this past year, I have come to know and admire a few individuals at St. Joe’s.  For example, Ms. Beatrice, who hails from Columbia, traveled all over the world when she was young and is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.  Then there’s the beloved Ms. Teresa–perhaps the sweetest person of all at St. Joe’s–who just turned 87 on St. Patrick’s Day and has 12 siblings.  There’s also Ms. Mary Lou who is 96 years old but still knows how to joke! Last, there’s Ms. Jan, a die-hard fan of the Lakers and can often be found watching their games (she doesn’t miss one).  This year, I’ve learned a lot from these ladies and look forward to my last visits this spring.

I can’t believe it’s mid-February already! The winter trimester has flown by the fastest by far.  In fact, it didn’t really feel like winter at all.  Being a California native, I couldn’t complain about the lack of rain this year and I never really felt the cold of winter (although that’s probably not a good sign in terms of climate change).  Two weeks ago was Cultural Weekend here at Thacher, one of my personal favorite events of the year.  How it works is that teachers take students off campus to indulge themselves in something “cultural.”  I signed up to ride a Segway around Beverly Hills.  Although I probably looked a little ridiculous, it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had.  Who would’ve thought how responsive and smart a Segway could be?  After the two-hour tour we parted with our Segway and grabbed a bite at a sweet burger joint.  It was great to get off campus for the day and get a whiff of the outside world! I also kept busy this trimester with Varsity Basketball.  We had a great season.  We made it to the State Tournament and beat our first opponent , Temecula Prep, last Thursday which was a three and a half hour drive away.  On Saturday we faced Village Christian and played a close game.  Unfortunately, we lost and that ended our season.  Nonetheless, I had a great time this winter and remembered that due to the smallness of Thacher, I was fortunate enough to be part of a team.  It’s something I’ll definitely miss after I leave Thacher.  We currently have two more weeks of school until spring break, in which I plan on visiting some colleges in the New England area with my older sister.  I am excited to spend time with the family and get some rest as well.  Last spring I played lacrosse, but this year I have an independent project in ceramics and wheel-throwing…I couldn’t be more excited!   Hope all is well and that everyone has a strong finish to the winter.

Always,

Nu

First and foremost, Happy New Year!   It’s been a few days since we’ve returned from break but have already adjusted ourselves back to the fast-paced and busy life at Thacher.  We picked up classes last Thursday and then welcomed over 200 Thacher alums back to campus over the weekend.  I was overjoyed to see old faces and even more so when I had the chance to catch up with a few.  On Saturday, a group of juniors and I woke up bright and early to take a practice SAT test to get an idea of our current standing.  Then, during lunchtime, I helped lead a UCT sponsored student-alumni discussion on “expressing your viewpoint”.  Together, the alumni and current students engaged in thoughtful and stimulating dialogue about expression at Thacher.  Afterwards, I put on my high tops and headed to the gym for basketball practice.  After practice, I watched most of the Alumni v Students basketball game.   Then, a handful of junior girls and I were invited to celebrate Kallie’s birthday at her house, where we made pasta for dinner!  It was really fun to get off campus and have some girl-bonding time!  We returned to Thacher around 8:45 and I went to Open House.  I was able to catch up with my freshmen prefect over some delicious chocolate cookies and milk!  At 11, we checked in and then I enjoyed some alone time rearranging around the set up of my room and then watched some Modern Family.  At 1, I finally shut off the lights and let my body rest after a long day!

Earlier in December the heads of the United Cultures of Thacher Club had the privilege of  attending the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection: Philadelphia!  It was my second time attending but my experience nonetheless possessed the same intensity as the first time.  It was both humbling and inspiring to be surrounded by over 1500 students of color who all had unique stories and experiences.  I had the opportunity to share my personal opinion as well as listen to others on topics of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, and gender.  We kept busy with workshops for the entire day but afterwards we were also able to see a bit of Philadelphia’s Chinatown and even grabbed ourselves Philly cheese steaks before returning to California.  All in all, I am confident to say that my co-heads and I left the conference with a better understanding of the core identifiers and are now excited to bring back to Thacher and share with the community what we have learned in hopes of making Thacher an even better place.