By Dr. Wendy Lawrence, Inspire Contributor

Eastside Prep is proud to celebrate the “Lifers” in the class of 2024—those students who started at EPS in the fifth grade.

Lifers: They innovate

The thing about Lifers is they understand that you can make Eastside Prep whatever you need it to be. Emmy Yang loved that she could personalize her academic path during senior year. Addison Affleck, soccer player and principle violinist, has taken three independent studies so she could focus on conservation, restoration, and environmental and cultural education. “I hope other students are inspired to look more closely at the natural world and amplify local narratives.” Oliver Crosby wrote his own theme song for the EPS podcast. Bijan Gulamani used the school laser cutter to design and make fidget toys he then sold to classmates. “EPS offers so many opportunities for innovation,” he says. Sanjana Satagopan, who had played piano her whole life before coming to EPS, surprised her parents by immediately embracing the EPS you-can-try anything philosophy and asking for a violin. She fell in love with it and has been part of multiple orchestras ever since. Emma Wang wasn’t just an EPS event planner, her innovation also expanded to attendance—she was the delegated attendance question generator in multiple classes. Sam Tippet has been involved in the Research and Development Club starting in 2022, “The school has harnessed its students’ ability to create useful products while giving us experience in design. I think this hands-on learning is a great way for students to build skills while also giving back to its community.”

When they weren’t busy innovating themselves, they watched the school innovate and evolve around them. Denver Brown appreciated how the innovation at EPS allowed the school to transition seamlessly through the COVID years and also provided a connection when students were out sick. Crosby has loved watching the evolution of the arts at EPS.

Neil Raigandhi notes that all innovations don’t necessarily work out, “I remember when EPS tried nap pods for a year. It was kind of a fun and wacky idea and though it didn’t last, it’s a reminder that EPS is always wiling to go beyond the norms and try new things.”

And sometimes Lifers innovate outside of EPS. Satagopan developed a passion for environmentalism over several years and (along with Annika Chan and Yang) created EcoLeaners, a nonprofit dedicated to combating the climate crisis by providing climate education. Satagopan hopes to continue that work, growing the nonprofit and one day visiting chapters around the world.

From left to right: Addison Affleck, Denver Brown, Annika Chan, Nayoni Chitre, Oliver Crosby, Lorenzo Da Fieno, Arya Dhuvoor, Jack Edwards, Carlos Garcia, Griffin Greenberg, Bijan Gulamani, Emerson Hinson, Max Horwitz, Chloe Hua, Filip Icev, Alexis Kelley, Josie Kranick, Cedar Lientz, Diya Nahar, Neil Raigandhi, Neta Ricker, Andrew Sadahiro, Michael Sadahiro, Xander Sanders, Sanjana Satagopan, Sam Tippett, Emma Wang, Abigail Weilbacher, Isobel Wright, Emmy Yang, Andy Ye

MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT MY FIRST YEAR WAS SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS THAT CARRIED OVER FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND EXPLORING THE BRAND NEW MAKER SPACE.” -NEIL RAIGHANDI

Lifers: They share memories and dreams

The fifth-grade year was impactful for each of the Lifers. Jack Edwards notes, “My favorite thing about my first year at EPS was being able to meet a bunch of kids who shared my passion for learning. That kind of focused environment was new to me and really brought out the best of me.” Carlos Garcia remembers the fifth-grade trip to Camp Orkila. “It was a new experience for me, and I enjoyed making new friends that way.” Raighandhi adds, “My favorite thing about my first year was spending time with friends that carried over from elementary school and exploring the brand new Maker Space.” Newfound freedom was important to Abigail Weilbacher, “The best thing about my first year at EPS was the ability to freely experiment and experience with the new environment and people around me.”

Tippett recalls enjoying Math Team, “I enjoyed hanging out with other math enthusiasts and learning from them. And competing was a lot of fun as there were engaging problems that made me think about mathematical concepts in new ways.”

And the best part of senior year? Chan notes that it’s “seeing people get into their dream schools. I like seeing their hard work pay off and I feel really proud of them.” While Wang adds that she’s cherishing all the laughs and conversations with classmates.

Sometimes those memories put things into perspective. Looking back on the past few years and seeing how much everyone has changed has been Andrew Sadahiro’s favorite part of the senior year.

Lifers: They take pleasure in the small and silly things

Sure, the classes are important, but there’s a lot of bonding and friendships in the small and silly moments. Gulamani remembers the “water wars,” which unsurprisingly involved getting each other wet, Cedar Lientz loved Jenga in the Middle School Commons, and Emerson Hinson says that water-bottle flipping on the first fifth-grade overnight helped with the nervous excitement of the new fifth graders. Isobel Wright and Chan both loved being welcomed to the school with fun traditions like the “classcot” in fifth-grade history class. “It was just something really cute that I think brought a lot of joy to the year.” Michael Sadahiro thinks it’s odd that he’s walked in on two haircuts happening at school. Filip Icev remembers the time a senior taught his PreCalc class, discussing the optimization of penguin populations with such sincerity that Icev didn’t realize it was a prank until the next day.

From left to right: Addison Affleck, Denver Brown, Annika Chan, Nayoni Chitre, Oliver Crosby, Lorenzo Da Fieno, Arya Dhuvoor, Jack Edwards, Carlos Garcia, Griffin Greenberg, Bijan Gulamani, Emerson Hinson, Max Horwitz, Chloe Hua, Filip Icev, Alexis Kelley, Josie Kranick, Cedar Lientz, Diya Nahar, Neil Raigandhi, Neta Ricker, Andrew Sadahiro, Michael Sadahiro, Xander Sanders, Sanjana Satagopan, Sam Tippett, Emma Wang, Abigail Weilbacher, Isobel Wright, Emmy Yang, Andy Ye

Lifers: They shine outside of classes, too

They all found a way to fit in—each in their own way. Garcia was a student ambassador, member of the Latinx affinity group, an active fan of many EPS sports teams, and part of the Ultimate team. Griffin Greenberg was a member of GLAM and a thrower in track. Hinson sang in the Chamber Choir. Gulamani, also an Ultimate player, founded the EPS fantasy football club. Lientz was a Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor. Diya Nahar was most involved with The Eagle Eye and especially enjoyed onboarding so many new members this year. Wright co-leads the EPS Community Book Club.

Lorenzo Da Fieno says his favorite things about senior year were the bittersweet nostalgia and the frisbee state championship. Brown also glowed about that championship: “Our team is really tight, and it is a great group of guys.” The Ultimate team is a common thread for many Lifers with Arya Dhuvoor noting that his seven years on the team have helped create some of his closest friendships.

In addition to volleyball and Ultimate, Josie Kranick has been involved in Student Leadership Council since her first year in the Upper School, serving as both a grade-level representative and the Community Outreach co-chair. Andy Ye has been involved through his many art electives, even creating (and gifting to EPS) a painting to celebrate the school’s twentieth anniversary.

Lifers: The rest of their Lives

So, what’s next? Their dreams for the future are at once grand and simple, abstract and practical. A true interdisciplinarian, Hinson wants to “explore engineering in college while also continuing to engage with the arts.” Kranick plans to major in Business Marketing and work on strategy for skincare brands. Sadahiro hopes to inspire people through animation.

Da Fieno echoes a sentiment a lot of EPSers feel, which is the desire to change the world in some way: “I want to make my mark and I want to do it by sticking to a strong moral code I developed here at EPS.” Lientz hopes to go into psychology or social work, giving her life meaning through dedication to something greater than herself. Dhuvoor plans to choose a life of science to make sure future generations can enjoy the world. Affleck notes that she “would love to be an urban ecologist someday and get to weave my loves of storytelling and botany together.”

e, who still remembers how exploring the new EPS campus was exciting, is happy it’s finally time to relax (now that college applications are finished). Nahar is looking forward to studying applied math next year, but says the best thing recently has been watching all her classmates get into college!

Weilbacher plans to be an architect, but she also hopes to “simply experience.” She says, “I want to experience anything and everything I can and continue to develop myself around those experiences. I never want to stop working on myself, pushing myself to improve each day, big or small.”

Sadahiro, who has provided homemade cookies to many classes throughout his years here, hopes simply to stay in touch with his friends. Yang wants the same. Edwards has a very EPS-y answer: “I want to continue to learn for the rest of my life.”

And Greenberg, who plans to teach, is clear: “No matter what, I’m getting a cat.”