“Stand tall and proud. Sink your roots into the earth. Be content with your natural beauty. Go out on a limb. Drink plenty of water. Remember your roots, and enjoy the view!” Something about this redwood tree poster, the warm noodle soup bowl resting on her lap, the ambient incense candle aroma downstairs and the baby pink bedroom walls covered with photos of friends and music bands—feels so homey and easygoing; so Sumi.

Sumati Wadhwa received the redwood tree poster as a gift from her sophomore year English teacher, Mr. Wicklund.

“The ideas here embodying confidence and not being afraid to try new things, is something that I wanted to experience when I went into high school, and I feel like I’ve successfully done that,” Sumati said. “When I look at this poster, the reason I have it over my bed and always in my direct view, is to remember: Don’t be scared, because someone out there really believes in you.”

Sumati values the influence her teachers and classes have had on her on embodying confidence and discovering new passions.

“I can’t even rave enough about the teachers because such kind hearted people teaching you really molds you into who you are,” Sumati said. “When I started with Mr. Wicklund’s class, I had no idea how brilliant and how moving and powerful [literature] could be. But when I read little vignettes like “The House on Mango Street,” and kind of peering into the lives of other people and their stories… it was just all so fascinating to me.”

Sumati believes in an “oversoul” that connects humans to each other and the larger world of nature, a concept that manifests itself in her interpretation of literature.

“Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant was probably one of my favorite pieces because it just talked about how the Earth keeps moving even after we pass away, how the birds will still sing and how the leaves will still rustle, and how life moves on,” Sumati said.  “Even though we may all be kings and queens in our lives, we’re all just reduced worm food in the end. It shows this sense of total being, is that we are embodied in the Earth in that we all go back to the Earth eventually. This idea of the oversoul is something that really resonates with me, that all human beings are connected. Our souls in connected with each other and with God and with nature.”

Whether supporting the global warming reducing “Meatless Mondays” effort, leading and creating a support system for her waterpolo team or protesting, Sumati actively acts on the “oversoul” and her passion to help the greater community.

“When I accidentally started protesting, I went to Berkeley with my dad and we saw these flyers for ‘Civic engagement during lunch time in the Quad,’” Sumati said. “I was like, ‘You know what, why don’t I go?’ It was regarding education and how we should lower tuition rates so more people can apply to college and how it’s more accessible to everyone. I was like, ‘Hey, this seems like a pretty amazing movement and why not get more young people into college, and why not get more people educated?’ So that’s kind of how I fell in love with being civically involved. Because if I’m out here sharing my voice, other people are going to see that and that may resonate with them.”

Morgan Douglas (12) became close friends with Sumati after a serendipitous seating arrangement in math class their sophomore year. She appreciates Sumati’s authenticity and generosity towards others.

“[Sumi’s] somebody who allows you to be yourself when you’re around her,” Morgan said. “There are some people where you have to have a very constructed sort of conversation, and it needs to go over certain themes that most high school kids talk about. But with Sumi, I’ve noticed that you don’t need to be saying anything around her, and that’s okay. You can talk about anything that’s on your mind.”

Although focused solely on STEM at the beginning of high school, Sumati soon discovered a love for civic activism and English. Now, she sees her future in more nebulous terms, imagining herself in careers ranging from chemistry to humanitarianism.

“When I came to high school, I opened my eyes to so many other subjects and so many other fields that I got lost in my freshman and sophomore [years],” Sumati said. “I was panicking, I was [thinking], ‘I don’t know what to do with my life anymore.’ I thought I had this set path; I guess it just follows this quote: ‘When man makes plans, God laughs.’ And I feel like that’s exactly what happened to me.”