The vibrant colors of her dress shine on stage, drawing all attention to a dancer as lights shine onto her. Flowing through each movement with practiced perfection, she begins to tell a story through the dance. From her dress’s intricate design to each beat of the music, each minute detail that goes into Bharatanatyam, a form of Indian classical dance, comes together in a final performance on stage. 

For the past twelve years, Adhya Hoskote (12) has turned to Bharatanatyam to connect with her culture. Although she was initially frustrated by the early rehearsals, she eventually began to enjoy attending classes and performing, especially admiring how each detail forms a cohesive story.

“[Being born in India] just makes me more appreciative of the storytelling aspect of [Bharatanatyam] and the culture behind it. It’s not just dancing; there’s so much that goes behind it,” she said. “[The movements are] all telling a story and when you put them all together, it’s just so beautiful.”

While she enjoys her own story now, Adhya initially disliked how her heritage differentiated her from her classmates.

“I have curly hair, so my parents didn’t know how to deal with it, so it just used to be, put oil in the hair and you’d brush it, and I used to be embarrassed,” she said. “My skin tone was a little darker than other people’s, and I wasn’t embarrassed about it, but I hated this idea of feeling different.”

She attributes her reconnection with her heritage to “finding the right friends and being a part of a community that fosters difference.” Having found a close group of friends, she aims to encourage others to embrace their cultures as well.  

“Going out, and people complimenting me on my Indian dresses and stuff like that, I think just helped me see, ‘why am I hiding my difference?’ I think we should all celebrate our differences,” Adhya said. “I think dance really helped me see that because everybody I went to dance class with was so proud of their heritage and their culture and so I was like, ‘why shouldn’t I be?’”

This year especially, Adhya has focused on “trying to be unapologetic” and “choosing to be happy.”

“I really tried to make a conscious effort in being myself, which is a weird thing to think of, but sometimes it’s hard being surrounded by amazing people. I think I’ve just made a really conscious effort trying to be myself and thrive and find the right people I vibe with,” she said. “I just have found such a good group of friends and it’s just made such a big impact on how I’ve looked at myself and how I’ve gotten about the year.”

Jane Keller, who has known Adhya since her junior year and currently works with her on the Life Board, has noticed this change in Adhya’s attitude.

“She has a much broader focus on life now and what’s important, versus the first time I got to know her, her world was very narrow. Now, she has a much broader focus on what’s valued and what’s meaningful,” Keller said. “She’s such a happy person, and she has such great empathy towards others. She always is thinking of other people and is considerate of others.”

Likewise, Adhya’s friends turn to her for support. Rohan Sonecha (12), her friend since middle school, appreciated her ability to brighten others’ moods and pick up on subtle mood changes.

“We’ll be hanging out, and if someone’s not very happy, Addie walks up to them … As soon as we start walking away from them, I always notice that they’re more happy and their mood is completely different, just from one or two minutes of talking to her,” Rohan said. “But at the same time, everyone knows that you can count on Addie; you can talk to her about serious things too and she’ll be there to listen to you.”

Radhika Jain (12), Adhya’s close friend since sixth grade, expressed a similar sentiment, noting the way Adhya has transformed into a more confident, radiant person.

“In high school I really noticed that she has this sense of warmth to her that I feel is very crucial to who she is as a person,” Radhika said. “It just shines in anything that she does. You always see that radiance, that warmth in her whenever she does whatever she wants to do or her passions.”

As a member of the Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT), Adhya aims to spread the joy she’s found within her own community with the rest of the school. 

“I feel like spirit is so important to a small school because it joins everybody together in one united way. I see how much fun everybody generally has during spirit weeks,” Adhya said. “I think it’s so nice to see, like, this could be every week if you choose to make an effort to be happy, and it doesn’t have to be for spirit points, it’s just for your own wellbeing.”