Sporting his classic denim jacket, Sayon Biswas exudes an air of confidence. Talking easily among his friends at a table in front of Manzanita, it’s hard to guess that Sayon’s adjusted to his new school, friends, and surroundings in only a year, being the only new junior in the class of 2019.

“Coming into Harker as a transfer my junior year was a huge transition that I can’t say I was ready for at the time. It took a lot out of me to accept my new environment and adapt,” Sayon said.

One of Sayon’s closest friends at Harker, David Melisso (12) smiles as he recalls the best things about Sayon.

“Sayon will tell you the truth if you ask him for it. He is sociable and diplomatic, but if you ask him for his uncensored opinion he is not afraid to speak his mind. It also allows him to be critical of others while still being friends and maintaining a positive relationship. He isolates the worse qualities of people and always starts out friendships on a good foot, and generally has a positive view of people even before he begins to interact with them,” David said.

Coming to Harker wasn’t the first time Sayon’s ventured into new terrain. An avid entrepreneur since the age of 12, his journey began when a friend brought a Rubik’s cube to school one day and solved it under a minute. In awe, Sayon began practicing himself, not only solving the puzzle in under a minute, but even opening up his own online retail store which sold various types of Rubik’s cubes.

This entrepreneurial streak has never left him. After navigating the college admissions process himself, Sayon was motivated to help other hardworking students with their own college admissions. Building off of his own personal development and experience, Sayon utilized his experience and intertwined his desire to help others by co-founding PeerCoCo, a site which
matches Chinese students to mentors from high-level universities for essay and admission help.

“Over the course of high school, something clicked. I found the areas I was passionate about and devoted inhumane amounts of time to develop my experience and skill set in those areas. I found myself setting higher goals and achieving them, all while carving my own path through school and enjoying the experience. [With PeerCoCo], I want to help students be successful and find their interests because I saw firsthand how life changing that can be,” Sayon said.

Nemo Wang (12), Sayon’s co-founder, appreciates his ingenuity.

“Describing Sayon, I’d say he’s incredibly creative and open. We’ve been able to connect over shared experiences while starting [PeerCoCo], not only about our college application experience, but life.” said Nemo.

Apart from entrepreneurship, Sayon also enjoys playing soccer and working within the field of computer science. His curiosity always prompts him to explore further, setting no boundaries on what he can achieve.

“My motto is ‘why not’? I think people always put limits on themselves with what they are capable of. I wish more people shot for what seems impossible,” Sayon said.

Sayon’s altruism stretches far beyond his online pursuits. Ever since he’s been at Harker, he’s supported his friends in numerous ways, helping them succeed all while maintaining an easygoing attitude.

“My first impression of Sayon was that he’s someone who keeps his words and has big ambitions. I think as I’ve become close friends with him, my initial impression was only cemented, as he always has a friend’s back, and has big dreams and well-defined visions of how he can contribute to the world,” said Jason Huang (12), another of Sayon’s close friends.

“He pushes people around him to be better, as he’s very direct when he thinks someone could improve in an area. His honesty makes him one of my most reliable and closest friend. Additionally, he can hype anything up, making anything fun to do.”