“Put. Your. Eagles….. UUUUUUUPPP!”

We’ve all seen him: springing from one side of the gym to another at school meeting, his face contorted in an effort to achieve a sound that will carry across a sea of 800 students, Matthew Hajjar (12) breathes a new kind of life into each syllable.

Whether it’s at a spirit event or a school meeting, Matthew draws the eye of his entire audience. He readily acknowledges his big presence, joking that he can be “a bit much.”

And from the curly hair that seems to stand on end as he bounces on the balls of his feet to the wide, goofy grin that spreads across his face, Matthew certainly exudes the energy that he’s so well-known for. But while the school often sees only his loudest moments, there’s more to it than simply giving an energized pep talk to his water polo team or painting his face yellow and waving a flag.

“I see myself as making myself a little vulnerable,” he says. “It’s a very aggressive stance to be up there and to be shouting and to be a very spirited person. But the way I’ve always seen it is not me being an alpha force, but rather me contributing myself to the community, saying ‘I give myself fully. I give my heart, I give my passion, I give my voice.’ I give myself to the community in hopes that I’ll get not self-worth but rather a better life experience at Harker.”

Whether it’s through a student council project or a spirit event, opportunities to better the experiences of the Harker community come frequently in Matthew’s life, and he readily takes them on. But to Matthew, events don’t have to be grand or elaborate in order to be meaningful — even the simplest actions can bring the community closer.

“When we allow ourselves to experience fully, to invest fully, to open ourselves up to the community and scream and have these cathartic emotions in the community environment, we become better people,” Matthew said.

Even after he washes off the face paint and pulls off his yellow bandana, Matthew continues to use his presence to show his care for those around him. Whether he’s sitting down for a heart-to-heart conversation with a close friend or holding the door open for a stranger, he embraces others in his everyday interactions.

“He’s always had such a bubbly personality, he’s always smiling, he’s always the first one to greet you and compliment you — that’s always what he does when he sees you,” said Taylor Lam (12), who has known Matthew for 12 years. “I know Matthew as the always-kind person who always has something nice to say.”

Within the classroom as well, Matthew seeks to create a sense of community — throughout high school, he has done everything from bonding with teammates outside of Harker at his water polo club to choreographing a “shaker dance” for his AP United States History class’s talent show act last year.

“He’s been confident and upbeat from day one. And that’s why I think it’s been super fun to have him in class — it’s just an energy that’s contagious,” said history teacher Julie Wheeler, who taught Matthew last year. “He’s going to make the entire class a better environment. It’s great to have that catalyst in the classroom to keep things going. Things are more fun when someone brings a positive, ‘Okay then, sure!’ kind of attitude.”

Matthew’s devotion to the communities and people he cares about has given him a wide variety of bonds and friendships to build off of. Yet in giving himself and making himself available to others, he has also set into motion a struggle to define himself individually, outside of other people and other influences.

The realization came during a packed pre-senior year summer, during which Matthew spent his days at an internship and his nights at water polo practice. Without his friends around him at all times, Matthew began reevaluating himself.

“There was a long time where I thought that to have a full experience in life, I had to have a best friend. I had to have a support system,” he said. “And while those things are incredibly important, it really is important to approach things by yourself and take time for yourself every once in a while. And I’m so incredibly grateful for all the people I met for helping me become who I am today, but it’s also taken a lot from me on my own.”

In the process, Matthew turned towards more private aspects of his life, such as religion. Having grown up Catholic while attending a secular school, Matthew has found a balance between his education and his religion. The intellectual curiosity that he has gained from his education has helped him satisfy his curiosity about the Catholic faith and doctrine. But as he reflected on his own purpose and identity, religion took on a new meaning as well.

“When my friends were out of the picture and I was on my own, I realized that my purpose and my value in life has to be set by myself,” Matthew said. “And in that process, I incorporated God. Who am I? What do I stand for? What are my morals, and what values do I want to carry past high school? And so, in that regard, where I was creating myself and examining what I had been for my entire life, I really valued and appreciated the strength of God to bring me through.”

Matthew’s willingness to embrace those around him as well as his newfound knowledge of himself have culminated in a philosophy that he continues to apply to the rest of his life.

“I’ve written this down, and I’ve never really explained it publicly before, but something I try to go for is a ‘confident humility.’’ And what that means is approaching things knowing that I have so much to learn, but also that I know that I can tackle things,” Matthew said. “Open-mindedness combined with strength and confidence to go forward and make change.”

Yet at the same time, Matthew’s desire to help others continues to guide him through his life and his relationships with everyone from friends to classmates to family — and few people understand that more than his sister, Grace Hajjar (11). With just a year of age difference between the two siblings, the two began with a close relationship and have only continued to support each other.

“I am where I am because of him. He’s been there for me ever since I was little. In preschool, if I wasn’t happy, I would go to him,” Grace said. “When I think of him leaving, I want to sob. He was my rock — he is my rock — without him everything would be so different.”

As Matthew takes the next step towards his future, his bonds and friendships remain an integral part of his life — leaving the people he cares about is almost unimaginable.

“To be honest, I haven’t thought about [graduating] that much. Mostly because I don’t really want to consider leaving,” he said. “I truly haven’t wanted to think about it yet.”