As she walks down the hallway of the Rothschild Performing Arts Center and begins to climb the staircase, Tamar Sasson (12) pauses in her tracks and turns around, catching sight of an empty Starbucks cup lying at the base of the stairway. She immediately reaches down to pick it up and heads for the nearest trash bin to throw the garbage away, before returning to the stairwell and continuing her conversation.

While this considerate, yet simple action may not seem significant, it reflects Tamar’s attitude on how she treats the people around her and aims to make a positive impact on her environment.

“I think it’s really important to spread positivity because everyone’s going through things and no one needs more hate in their life, so even a smile, saying ‘hi’ to someone or doing kind things helps brighten people’s days,” Tamar said.

Sophia Angus (12), a close friend, reflects how Tamar possesses “the biggest heart,” making sure to always put others before herself and her own needs. Sophia recalls when Tamar wrote and performed a rap for her on her sixteenth birthday, a gift that soon became a tradition in their friend group, with each person taking turns to rap for someone else on his or her birthday.

“I thought that [the rap] was hilarious and just so ‘Tamar’ because it was adorable and really personal,” she said. “She points out memories that you’ve had with her or her favorite qualities about you, so that’s really sweet.”

Tamar also shows kindness and appreciation for her community through her willingness to support those around her, even if that literally means doing the behind-the-scenes work. Having helped tech many of the main performing arts performances over her past three years in high school, such as the fall play, the musical and the dance show, she acknowledges that while people usually underappreciate her work, her job holds a significant influence on the outcome of the production.

“When you see a movie, you usually don’t think, ‘wow, the lighting was so good, that sound quality was amazing,’” Tamar said. “You think, ‘the actor did such a good job, what a fun story.’ And yes, the actors do an amazing job, but the tech really help enhance [the story] and make it more full.”

Additionally, the fact that Tamar works at Chipotle surprises people, especially because she does attend Harker. Despite the negative stereotypes associated with food service and the struggle of dealing with customers who treat workers poorly, she values her job and appreciates the enlightening and priceless lessons she has gained as an employee.

“A lot of my coworkers [at Chipotle] were moms who had to support their kids and [this was] their actual day-to-day job,” she said. “It opened my eyes more to all the different socio-economic backgrounds that are in San Jose and made me realize how lucky I am.”

Tamar’s experiences in tech theater and at Chipotle have not only taught her to appreciate the small and often unnoticeable things, but they have also encouraged her to do her best in whatever she does to achieve personal growth.

Her computer science teacher, Susan King, describes her willingness to work hard in the classroom and notes how her confidence has greatly increased in the past year alone.

Describing Tamar as “an earnest learner,” King said, “she truly wants to learn what’s being offered her, and she will put in the time, the dedication and the effort to do so. When challenges are put in front of her, she will take on that challenge and she does it with no bluster, no drama, just with a lot of determination.”

Tamar exhibits this eagerness to learn and develop in all aspects of her life, whether at work, at school, or at home.

Her mother, Hava Sasson, a mathematics teacher at the middle school, smiles as she speaks about her daughter’s “strong personality.” She notes that while Tamar has grown and matured over the years, many of her character traits and values have remained consistent since childhood.

Sasson remembers Tamar’s motivation to defeat her dairy allergy as an eighth grader, something she eventually accomplished after over a year of gradually introducing her body to milk.

“When she has a goal, she will aim to [achieve] that goal,” Sasson said. “For example, with her allergies, she really wanted to understand how she can overcome them, and she did not accept the fact that it was going to be for life.”

Whether helping others or embracing growth and education, Tamar embodies a genuine appreciation for the people around her and determination to work hard at everything that she does. By choosing to be behind-the-scenes and by often stepping out of her comfort zone, she connects with others on a deeper level, learns from individuals whose lives and personal struggles differ from those commonly found in the Harker community and makes her environment a happier place.

“I hope that [people] have some positive memory associated with me, or that I always helped brighten up their days because I don’t like putting out negative energy,” Tamar said. “I really feel that what matters more than anything else is [treating] others with kindness and respect, and I just want to be remembered as a positive force.”