One moment, a loving set of arms pulled me out of the water, the next, I was staring at the pitless, endless black line for what seemed like eternity.
I started swimming not because of passion, but for survival. Little 5-year-old me had been frolicking upon the mini step in the kiddie pool and, like a scene in a movie, I carelessly fell off the little ledge that had guaranteed my safety in the water. Needless to say, I had almost drowned. Out of fear of plunging beneath the water without the ability to resurface, I learned to swim.
Standing on the edge of the pool and staring into the blue body of glowing water fills me with unexplainable joy. Now, when I swim, the water’s gentle, predictable flow carries my body length by length down the pool. I see my reflection on the surface of the water when I push off the wall on my back, and a clear image of me in a field of true passion reflects upon the once still sheet of the pool.
Submerged under a sea of repose and seeing the pool lights flicker upon the surface of my friend’s goggles, lighting up their vision and body with absolute luminous radiance, is like seeing a light bulb flicker on top of somebody’s head as a mind-boggling idea seeps into their brain. The unspoken tranquility that you find in the pool is unmatched. Suspended in watery monotony, perpetual boredom transforms into moments of priceless enlightenment.
Spending hours on end in the pool, and getting to know an incredible community of dedicated athletes has allowed me to prevail over all my moments of weaknesses and has led to some of the best parts of my life.
The experience of having felt this joy and appreciation for my passion isn’t unique to me. It is the people who share this momentous emotion who inspire me to continue pushing in all aspects of life. Thus, I’d like to highlight the fervent sentiments of a group of outstanding individuals who excel in their own respective passions.
Senior Enrico Lagattuta has been playing the trumpet for over half a decade and has dedicated copious amounts of time toward his instrument. During his freshman year at Oak Park, the fiery musician would spend his lunches practicing pieces the band was working on, pushing him to excellence.
“I just find it fun to play difficult pieces,” Lagattuta wrote. “I just get better and I push myself to play harder and harder pieces because I just think it’s fun.”
Lagattuta has been playing with the band all throughout high school, and has also been with OPHS’s jazz band and marching band. Not only has he earned respect from his peers, but also admiration from 12 year OPHS band director: Zachary Borquez.
“Rico back there, marching band all 4 years, jazz band all 4 years,” Borquez said. “I don’t know his future plans, but I see him as a passion player.”
As a musician of all three– jazz, marching band, and wind ensemble–there’s a fine line between the skills it takes to excel in each. Wind ensemble primarily features strictly composed music and jazz music is all about improvisation. With a technically composed piece, dynamics, solos, and all backing parts are written out with clear instructions guided by the composer of the specified piece. Contrary to this style, jazz fundamentally focuses on a musician’s ability to come up with a solo on the spot, only with the guidance of base melodic chords.
“Learning to play something that sounds good from nothing but your own thoughts is very time consuming,” Lagattuta wrote. “and getting the muscles in your lips to sustain the air speed for high notes is incredibly strenuous.”
Regardless of the difficulty, whether it be composed or improvised, Lagatuda feels like there’s no better path he could’ve taken.
“I asked if [my friend] wanted to practice improvising and he said sure,” Lagattuta wrote. “And we just started playing [on top of my car]. That’s when it really hit me, it feels like I had taken the right path by choosing to continue on with music. That moment still makes me smile to this day and it shows how amazing music can be.”
Contrary to the melodic abstracts of music, a traditional study takes the heart of senior Richard Xun. Xun has been recommended by numerous teachers regarding his love for mathematics. As someone involved in numerous math organizations, he’s accomplished countless feats in the complex field of numbers.
Math has always had a special place in his heart, influenced by his father’s research in epidemiology and biostatistics. Whenever he got the chance, whether over dinner or on the car ride home from school, his father would share his fascinating findings. Xun would spend long hours during the summer practicing and experimenting with math worksheets in his dads office.
“It’s kind of always just been in my life and has always been one of my main interests,” Xun wrote. “Math is my third language.”
Many studies have shown that out of all the subjects offered by schools, math is most hated. Xun however, doesn’t see math in a burdensome way, but rather sees the beauty in how the intricate numbers function. He compares math to a playground.
“Math is beautiful,” Xun wrote. “To me, [it] is more than just numbers and equations, it’s a playground. When I get to actually apply math to the world around me, every problem becomes a puzzle where the freedom of expression gives way to such subtlety and elegance that I find captivating.”
Xun has expanded his interests outside of school, and has attended a couple of math competitions in which some include the AMC competition series with four counts of AIME qualifications. (For reference, only 5-16% of competitors are able to make it to AIME.) Xun was also the president of Math Honors Society last year and is hoping to continue helping other students with problems in math this year. Additionally, he is the president of the Math Circle at OPHS, and president of the Data Science club at OPHS.
“I’ve dedicated much time to [math],” Xun wrote. “The logic comforts me. It’s also natural to me in the sense that I can do most basic algebra purely subconsciously? It’s weird to think about.”
As Xun continues his journey navigating through the maze of numbers, he leaves some wise words for those who are also interested in working in the field of math.
“Math is cumulative,” Xun writes. “Your fundamentals will define you. If you don’t understand why something works, ASK. Your teachers will be glad to help, or you can even come to MHS after school or Wednesdays during lunch to find help. Be proactive when it comes to identifying issues and fixing them. Best of luck to everyone on rocking those math classes this year.”
Very similar to math, yet different, science is also a base-type field of study. Junior Bhavya Shanmugam has taken interest in computer science, and has been diving into the many features this area has to offer.
Shanmugam has been with Science Olympiad since freshman year and has contributed to three to four events for this program over the three years. Shanmugam was the secretary of the OPHS Science Olympiad club during sophomore year, and is currently vice president.
“I’m pretty open to anything,” Shanmugam said. “I know I want to do something science-related [as a career], but I’m not in a rush to find a specific area to focus on. I figure that computers can assist in any field of science, so I have a lot of options to choose from when the time comes.”
Outside of school, Shanmugam has dedicated her summer time to conduct research by using an adaptive machine in order to test different types of methods for training a new model.
“We tried to train ChatGPT on a dataset and a criteria that we had created. We found that it worked surprisingly well,” Shanmugam said.
Despite her love for all things science, Shanmugam finds that when certain projects don’t work out the way she would’ve imagined, it can be upsetting, especially when the time put in doesn’t seem to equate to the ending result.
“It can be frustrating when things don’t work out even after it seems like you’ve tried everything,” Shanmugam said. “But I’ve come to understand that the feeling of success when you finally solve a problem, debug a program and more, is amplified when you have to struggle to get there.”
With science being one of the highest areas of study and one of the areas with a more extensive list of job opportunities, Shanmugam has taken a specific interest in computer science and aerospace engineering. Ever since 8th grade, she’s been fascinated with all things science.
“I’m pretty interested in computer science, especially in the context of astronomy and aerospace engineering,” Shanmugam said. “I’m fascinated by how computational techniques can be used to map the flight of satellites, or predict celestial events.”
Science, like math and music may be hard to understand at first, but once familiarized, can easily become a language to the heart. Very similarly, the English language uses an array of beautifully crafted sentences to tell a story, not only through words, but through the heart.
Literature can be used to navigate diverse cultures and perspectives, and this is something Senior Christina Cook excels in. English teacher and Veritas club advisor Mrs. Wall-Smith describes her as a passionate writer and a dedicated worker.
“She lead[s] many of our class discussions with insightful participation,” writes Wall-Smith. “She researches above and beyond our topic to bring in other relevant information for the class’s education.”
Finding outside perspective allows Cook to explore different aspects and angles of an argument that could be an ongoing debate within the classroom. With sources scattered across the web, Cook is able to find numerous websites affirming or negating the topic at heart.
“I think it adds nuance to conversations,” Cook writes, “If we’re hearing one perspective in a unit I find it interesting to find sources that argue against it or even at times strongly support it.”
Outside of the classroom, Cook sets time aside for herself to read about current events, listen to podcasts, and read fictional literature pieces. Reading not only allows Cook to explore diverse topics, but also serves as a way to help her relax from life in school.
“Reading helps me focus on something positive,” Cook writes, “[it] allows me to dive deep into a reality that isn’t my own, which at many times is very refreshing.”
Finding something that’s meaningful to Cook has not only inspired her 10th grade English teacher Mrs. Wall-Smith, but the students around her as well. Cook is able to spark incredible conversations within the classroom and impresses her teachers with the continuous effort she puts in every assignment, no matter the circumstances.
“She pours her heart into the discipline because she’s genuinely curious,” Wall-Smith wrote. “Christina rarely misses a class and goes above and beyond for even the most simple of writing tasks.”
Cook has a mutual respect for Mrs. Wall-Smith. The inspiration her 10th grade teacher brought upon her two years ago has stuck with her and continues to motivate her towards her career goal.
“She [Mrs. Wall-Smith] has really helped me grow as a writer and influenced me to love the English language,” Cook wrote. “Without her passion for teaching and connection to her students which truly comes from a pure heart, I probably would still doubt myself as a student.”
Being a TA for Mrs. Wall-Smith has also allowed Cook to learn even more within the classroom, and inspires her to be a teacher herself.
“She has helped my confidence not only in English but myself,” Cook wrote. “[Being a TA for Mrs. Wall-Smith] has been a huge privilege and has allowed me to take extra notes on her teaching methods and what it means to be a teacher. I hope to be a teacher someday.”
