Newsletter Four: My Senior and Final Year at Interlochen Arts Academy
This academic year has been the most challenging yet rewarding year. From applying to my first-choice college to serving as the president of the student body at Interlochen Arts Academy and receiving the highest two distinguished awards of Interlochen—The Roger E. and Mary Jane Jacobi Award, given to one graduating senior, and the Young Scholar Award.
As I write this letter, I am reminded of my first day at Interlochen when I was taken for a walk around campus. I arrived on this campus a month late in the school year; I had a difficult journey coming to the United States after the fall of Afghanistan. I am reminded of that first walk as Interlochen seemed to be an enormous place where I thought I would be lost. However, Interlochen became not only a place where I began to find and learn about myself but also a place where I began to learn about those around me.
The truth is, on that first walk, I was also worried and scared. At 14 years old, I found myself miles away from home, miles away from my parents and siblings, unsure of what would happen to them in Afghanistan. Not only was I new to this school, but I was also navigating a new country, environment, and language.
Despite these challenges, I am grateful that I kept going and searching for what Interlochen had to offer. Interlochen is an environment where one can flourish, creating opportunities and opening doors for themselves. Today, I am excited to share that Harvard University is my next stop for my undergraduate studies this fall.
Senior Year
I began the year focusing on college applications: recording my cello pieces and writing and rewriting numerous essays. I had seen many students in previous years scared of this process; I expected my experience to be the same. However, the college process for me, became a platform where I learned to articulate and express things that are often difficult to discuss. I also learned that to delve into and learn from an experience in-depth truly, you have to face it and think about it, as our minds can resist revisiting past experiences, limiting our ability to reflect on them.
I am the first person in my family to have ever applied to college, and not having anyone within your family to turn to with questions is hard. Despite these challenges, I made it. I was accepted to Harvard early action!!!
The college application process was not the only highlight of my senior year. I also served as the president of the student body, overseeing a board of 31 representatives across various art majors and grade levels at Interlochen. As president, among many responsibilities, I organized weekly community meetings featuring guest speakers and performances that brought the Interlochen community together. Additionally, I am grateful that my peers were able to see and experience all the positive changes brought to Interlochen. You can access the PDF containing details of our accomplishments and the recording of my final community meeting, which took place in the Corson Auditorium, by clicking PDF and Video.
Among my extracurricular activities—being the president of the student body, a member of the Asian Affinity and the International Student Union, and a delegate in Michigan’s Youth in Government (YIG)—I continued teaching English online to a group of girls in Afghanistan. Currently, we are close to finishing The Handmaid's Tale.
Alongside extracurricular activities, academics took great focus. This year, among my other favorite classes such as AP Statistics, I enjoyed taking the Indiana University American History college class offered at Interlochen. Through this class, I learned about the United States, wrote many research essays, and delved into American international diplomacy and relations, which I found most engaging.
Overall, My days were filled with extracurricular activities and academics, but music remained at the heart of it all, being my main focus as I majored in classical cello performance here at Interlochen. This year, I enjoyed playing in a piano quartet and a piano trio where we performed Brahms - Piano Quartet No.1 in G minor, Op.25, and Arensky - Piano Trio No.1, Op.32 in D minor. Alongside that, I enjoyed being in the orchestra where we performed various repertoires, including new works such as Edmonia. I enjoyed being the first stand for the orchestra pieces that I loved the most.
Avi Linder (the first chair) and me during our final performance at Interlochen.
These past 2 years and 9 months of my time in the United States and at Interlochen, while challenging, have been truly rewarding. I have met the kindest and most wonderful people both inside and outside Interlochen. I have learned lessons that I might never have had the opportunity to consider if I were still in Afghanistan.
I still remember my first day and first walk at Interlochen, where I thought I would be lost in this enormous place. Today, I graduated from Interlochen as the student body president with a 4.0/4.0 GPA and high honors with distinction. I also had the honor of winning The Roger E. and Mary Jane Jacobi Citizenship Award, established in 1990 to honor Dr. Roger Jacoby, the third president of Interlochen, as well as the Young Scholar Award. Lastly, I am proud to have a table named after me in classroom Mott 3. (Click to find videos and pictures)
I am beyond grateful to everyone who has been a source of support for me on this journey. I look forward to starting my undergraduate studies at Harvard this fall, where I plan to major in international diplomacy/government and thinking about taking music composition classes. I also look forward to continuing my passion for cello by playing in the Radcliffe Orchestra and participating in chamber ensembles. Currently, I am in search of a cello, as I will not have one to bring with me to Harvard. If you know anyone with a cello available for rent or sale, I would appreciate and love to hear about it.
Thank you and Khoda Hafiz until my next newsletter!!!
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