Swaying her head lightly to the beat of her piece, Jackie Yang (12) closes her eyes as she immerses herself in the flow of her peaceful yet assertive music. Her delicate fingers strum the strings of her cello as she moves her bow from left to right. Encapsulated in the sweet harmony of the music, the world melts away and all that matters is the melody of her song. 

Jackie’s true passion and love for cello began in high school, but her history of playing instruments started from a young age with the help of her parents.

“I started playing the piano when I was four, and when I was eight my mother decided I was going to play cello,” Jackie said.

With her parents’ initial decision for her to play piano, she decided to adhere to their wishes and practiced daily although she did not express a passion for it. A few years later, when she picked up the cello, she hadn’t felt a particular gravitation towards it. Nevertheless, Jackie wanted to be a part of the orchestra program in high school.

When browsing through the different extra period options for freshman year, none of them appealed to her. As she weighed her choices, Jackie realized that orchestra was her best bet, considering she had previous experience in cello. 

“When I chose to go back to cello and made that decision myself, it was because I actually valued it. [When I’m] practicing by myself, I feel as if I can actually get into the music; it’s different because there are no people, [it’s] just me and my cello,” Jackie said.

To her surprise, Jackie ended up enjoying the experiences and time she spent in orchestra, whether it be in class or on a trip. She recalls one of her favorite trips she made with orchestra as a sophomore to Chicago where she felt a strong bond between her and her cello section. One night, they all decided to rendezvous on the top floor of the hotel at the crack of dawn to construct various paper airplanes and trampolines to throw down into the lobby. After they were caught by security, they all scrambled to hide in the staircases but were reported to Upper School Division Head Butch Keller. 

“We remember it quite fondly. As a cello section collectively, we like to do unique things and break rules, but we do it together so we don’t get in as much trouble,” Jackie said.

Aside from the various shenanigans she takes part of during her time in orchestra, Jackie’s rebellious behavior carries on into her everyday lifestyle. Friend and fellow orchestra player, Rani Sheth (12) reflects back on an instance where Jackie, seeing a cat on campus via Snapchat, did not rest until she found its location. Although allergic, she ironically has an affinity for cats.

“The whole incident really speaks to her rebellious nature. Jackie is always pushing the boundaries of what should and should not be done,” Rani said. 

When many people first meet Jackie, they believe that she is a quiet yet intimidating figure. Close friend Arohee Bhoja (11) described her first interaction.

“My first impression was that she was kind of intimidating because she was really smart and good at cello. Now that I know her, I definitely still think she’s super smart and talented, but she’s also really kind and funny and a great friend, so I had no reason to be intimidated,” Arohee said.

History teacher Damon Halback recalls how when he first met Jackie she seemed quiet, studious and confused. Nevertheless, through a year of teaching, he got to know her full personality better.

“She uses logic to solve problems at a high level. She also uses humor to diffuse and entertain in a way that is engaging,” Halback said. 

With her rebellious nature and desire to stray from societal norms, Jackie constantly proves impressions wrong. While those who don’t know Jackie well may describe her as silent, those who do describe her as caring, unique and extremely supportive.