Black and white sketches cover a wall of the room, the scenes carefully drawn without smudging the graphite lines. Clipped to an easel in the corner of the room opposite from the windows is a black and white printout of a woman. Next to the printout, blue tape borders a large white paper on the easel, functioning to both keep the paper in place and keep the easel safe from stray paint. After turning her head to observe the image from a different angle, Caroline Yager (12) dips her paintbrush in the blue paint and fills in the woman’s hair, her strokes careful and precise.

Growing up surrounded by artists, the art of Caroline’s family members had a great influence on her own art. But despite that fact that Caroline’s art contains some aspects similar to those of her family, such as how her preference for watercolor is similar to her mom’s and the similarity of her technique to her sister’s, she brings something unique to the table and has made her art her own.

“My mom and my grandfather are artists, but my sister was probably the most influential. I could just sit and watch her draw for hours and hours and then and night I would steal her sketchbooks and I would copy down everything from her sketchbooks until I eventually established my own style and developed my own technique,” Caroline said. 

Her art affects her everyday life in her sense of style. Caroline makes decisions and dresses with an artist’s eye. 

“She’s very particular about what she wears, in terms of color coordination and things like that,” friend since Caroline’s sophomore year Dylan Williams (11) said. “She’ll have a blue clip in her hair and her socks will be blue and her laces and things like that.”

Besides art, another foundation that Caroline’s family has instilled into her is the value of education. From growing up on a boarding school campus to attending preschool at a high school, her experiences and environment have shaped her perspective on many topics, including education. 

“[My dad] has held a high position at my school—every school I’ve gone to—for my entire life, so he’s been the headmaster of my school since I was in third grade,” Caroline said. “Just growing up around that, it obviously is a very different circumstance unlike most kids at school, everything I do reflects on my dad, but also it’s kind of amazing because I think I have been surrounded by education my entire life and I really just have a really deep appreciation for it.”

Despite her concerns, she manages her situation well. She is well adjusted and able to juggle both her familial relations and friendships. 

“She’s done a very good job…balancing the role of being my daughter and a student at this school, because that can be hard sometimes,” her father, Head of School Brian Yager said.

Aside from enjoying and valuing simply learning and attending school, Caroline finds the school environment and people conducive to several of her interests and passions.

She enjoys discussing topics such as current events, philosophy, religion and more, and the mindset of her peers allows her to have such conversations.

“Going to school with kids who are ambitious, motivated, curious, just intellectual, is something that is just powerful because I don’t think I could have those conversations with anyone else my age unless they also similarly valued education like I do,” Caroline said. “Something that I’m passionate about is just people becoming more aware and involved in their own communities and just being aware of current events.”

Taking note of these issues allows Caroline to be more conscious of the world around her and understand more.

“She’s always been kind of socially adept. I think as a person, she’s become increasingly empathetic and kind to others, around others, and then intellectually, she’s grown and her perceptiveness especially in areas of the humanities, understanding culture, and literature, and artistic expression,” Yager said.

Not only does Caroline talk to her classmates about current events and other topics, but she is also open, friendly and inclusive.

“She is probably the most accepting and genuinely kind [person] I have ever met—she always makes an effort to say ‘hi’ to anyone she’s talked to maybe even once and she makes it an effort to make everyone feel included in any situation,” Dylan said. “The first time I met her, it was volleyball…she came up to me and just started talking to me. I think that kind of just speaks volumes to her personality and how willing she is to talk to new people.”

This kindness extends to everything. Her appreciation of nature and all living beings is evident in her every action.

“Caro has a profound appreciation for the natural world and all the creatures that live in it. She’s the type of person who will put a bug in a cup and take it outside rather than squash it,” friend Kismet Singh (12) said. “She sees deep into others’ souls, and admires animals, like her beloved cat, Michael, with intense respect. Even the thought of an animal hurting can genuinely bring Caroline to tears.”

Through her interactions with nature and those around her, Caroline’s empathy and caring personality shine through.

“She is able to pick up on the unique details of novels and can read the emotions of her friends,” friend Ayla Tanurhan (12) said. “I think Caroline’s most defining characteristic is that she cares. She cares about her friends, about learning, and about creating art; she cares about everything she does, even packing presents.”