Outside the weight room, Maile Chung (12) prepares for an afternoon workout, shuffling through her duffel bag for Nike socks and a hair tie. Her short stature belies a bubbly energy that seems to infect everyone around her, and this indefatigable positivity also translates to Maile’s everyday actions and activities.

As she fastens her shoelaces, Maile recalls the first time an optimistic attitude helped shift her perspective on life. She abandons the sneakers for a second, bringing her hands close to her face. Maile tries to straighten her fingers, but they still remain curved inward, as if she is cupping water in her hands.

She explains that ever since she was a child, she has been unable to fully straighten her fingers, resulting in the nickname “Shovel Hands” from her peers. Instead of shying away from epithet, Maile embraced it as a way for her to excel at the trumpet.

“I still think it’s really weird how my fingers can’t go straight, but I think I was given this gift, you could say, because I play the trumpet,” she said. “It’s easier because you have to curl your fingers on the valves, and you never want to play with your fingers flat because it’s ineffective. My hands are pre-curled, so it’s like I was born to play it.”

Maile approaches high school with the same gusto, enthusiastic about activities such as spirit club and foreign language classes. But, she acknowledges the different impact each of these interests may have on her future.

“I have many different passions, but there’s always a difference between loving things. I do love food, but then I also love Japanese. With Japanese, I can definitely see myself with a future, but with food, I’m not going to become a world class chef,” Maile said. “I just love food. I love to eat it and experience all the different varieties and cultures, but with other things I have this passion that will play a huge part in my future. There’s different kinds of loves.”

While Maile may seem permanently upbeat, she readily admits how tough it is for her to remain that way. Sometimes stress, be it from academics or her social life, overwhelms her. But, Maile hopes in the long term she will maintain her positive attitude.

“I don’t know if my energy will keep going,” she said. “I feel that right now where I am with my happiness and how my positivity will hopefully lead me to a happy future. Happiness can hopefully lead you to more happiness. I hope it will bring me to a happier life in the future.”

Returning to the forgotten shoelaces, Maile quickly ties up both sneakers. She pauses for a moment, gazing off into the hedges of soft lavender blooms that surround the weight room.
“I hope to be remembered as that one short girl who was bouncing off the walls,” she said. “I would definitely like to be known for my spirit—that’s one thing I really like to do. To bring the community together with spirit and make it a lot bigger than it’s been in the past, which is kind of small.”