Preethi Madabusi’s (12) English teacher, Mr. Christopher Hurshman characterized Preethi as a “gentle soul.”

“She is very ready and eager to see other people’s perspective and to extend empathy to them,” Hurshman said. “The main feature of her personality is steadiness, reliability, and loyalty so you can always count on her.”

Preethi’s view of kindness extends beyond the dictionary definition, encompassing her ability to empathize.

“I want to learn as much as I can from that person, and I think listening is very important when you first meet someone so you can learn the specifics about them. I also think that sharing details about yourself is important, so the person can learn more about you too,” she said. “I always keep an open mind and remind myself that even if I do not agree with a person’s opinion, I shouldn’t be quick to judge. I should always think first and ask why he or she thinks that way and also give my own perspective on the topic.”

Anika Banga (12), one of her friends, describes Preethi as her go-to person for advice. No matter the seriousness of the issue, the two are always able to enjoy time with each other.

“Preethi knows how to make me laugh, but she’s also one of the first people I go to for advice. We can laugh for hours about a stupid tongue twister, but also have deep conversations about the biggest problems facing the world today,” Anika said.

She approaches conversations with the understanding that she doesn’t know the full story.

“I always talk to people with the mindset that I should never judge them until I understand the motive of their actions,” she said. “You never know what battle someone else could be fighting, so for me, I think it is important to always be kind.”

Anamika Kannan (12), another one of Preethi’s close friends, noted her unassuming attitude.

“She truly appreciates everyone’s differences and uses that knowledge and understanding to understand others,” Kannan said. “She always makes it a point to think about the opposing point of view and I think that’s why she has such a broad, non-judgmental view.”

Recently, Preethi realized that she needed to apply that non-judgmental attitude towards herself.

“During summer, I had an internship in [San Francisco], and I brought my junior mentality with me, so I was trying to be perfect and I was stressed about everything,” she said. “The manager sat me down and we had a performance review, so he was analyzing my performance and he said that I was a really hard worker but there was one thing I needed to fix, and that was that I needed to calm down. He said that I tried to be perfect and no one can be perfect. That’s when I realized if other people can notice that about me, that’s something I should really change.”

While she appears to have a reserved personality at first, she opens up during one-on-one conversations.

“Most people would say I’m quiet and loud,” she said. “I don’t really talk much when I don’t need to. With my friends, I will be really loud and outgoing. There are two different sides to me. A lot of people think I’m quiet until they get to know me.”

With these two facets of her personality, she strikes a balance between contributing to and dominating the conversation.

“If I was talkative all the time, then I wouldn’t listen to what others had to say, and I think listening is really important in my social and school life,” she said. “Voicing my opinion is also important, since when I have things that I want to say, I don’t really shy away or be reserved. I say what I want to say because speaking up is really important.”