Senior Profiles: Vanya G. '25

The Upper School offers a rigorous college preparatory program in an atmosphere where individual differences and perspectives are respected and celebrated. With a broad range of course offerings within various disciplines, students can tailor the academic program to suit their aptitudes and interests. Here, students are encouraged to reach their full potential and to "let their lives speak."

As we count down to the end of the school year, we asked some of our seniors to tell us about their interests at Friends and how their experience has prepared them for the next step.

Up next: Tufts University, Major: International Relations

Activities at Friends: IAAM Tennis, Student-Run Play director, Theater Program, Wind Ensemble, Concert Chorale, Spanish Club co-head

What is/has been your favorite subject at Friends?

“My favorite subject at Friends has been English. I moved to America at a young age, had practically no experience speaking English, and was thrown into Friends almost immediately, so I had to pick it up fast. I remember going from being deathly afraid to even say a single English word to being nearly fluent in what felt like weeks thanks to the amazing environment at Friends. Since then, my passion for English and literature at this school has only grown. Not only did Friends teach me English as a whole new language, but it made me deeply fall in love with it through the amazing, passionate teachers who bring so much joy, energy, and personality to the classroom every day. Through our selection of books, huge variety of electives, and our super helpful teachers who will always help you with an essay or assignment, Friends makes you see the language we speak here every day from an entirely new perspective and engage with in lots of new, exciting, and artistic ways. Personally, I owe my love for English to Friends, and I think that as an immigrant, I have a certain perspective on English that native speakers don't and Friends helped cultivate that into a specific kind of love and enjoyment of the language. All I can say is that for half the time I was at Friends and taking English classes, I can remember wanting to become an English teacher, just because I loved watching the passion my teachers here have had.”

How do you think Friends has prepared you for your next step in life?
"Friends School cultivates and maintains a deeply diverse but ever-changing and ever-growing environment of various people from nearly all walks of life. The Quaker philosophy is this school's foundation, and then it invites the whole world to come engage with it and build on it. You can meet so many new people and encounter so many new ideas at Friends while still feeling like you are in a comfortable and safe community of people learning how to make our world better. For me, Friends has helped me put my international background and multicultural identity to work in classes and extracurriculars, preparing me to continue to bring that experience with me into the International Relations field in college and beyond."