Sitting quietly on a bench in the RPAC, one leg crossed over the other, she runs a finger down the book’s page, looking for the elusive sentence. Once she finds it, her face lights up and she opens her mouth, a hand already gesturing as she reads the sentence aloud. From singing to writing to conversing, Anjali Sheth (12) puts her enthusiasm and emotion into everything she creates. 

Anjali has been a creative person her whole life, ever since she first started attending pottery classes at the tender age of eight. Although the time requirements of college apps made it difficult for her to continue, she’s always been drawn to the relaxing nature and the freedom that comes with it. 

“You’re given this lump of clay … and you mould it and you shape it. And sometimes it falls apart and sometimes something really amazing comes out,” Anjali said.

Anjali doesn’t reserve her creativity for pottery alone. She’s also a talented writer and book fan, regularly writing short stories and poetry in her spare time, as well as reading Harry Potter and singing along to her favorite playlists. 

“Writing is very personal for me. Because most of the time, especially with poems, when I’m writing something, it’ll be when I’m struggling with something. I’ll write, and it’ll be my struggle,” she said.

Adding to her repertoire of pottery and writing, Anjali, currently a member of Cantilena, is also a major player in performing arts. Simren Gupta (12), one of Anjali’s friends and a former choir classmate, says that Anjali has always been dedicated to choir. 

“I think music for her was always an escape … I’m just so glad she got to really focus her energies there,” Simren said. 

Choir isn’t Anjali’s only escape. Although she loves the feeling of community and the shared emotion that comes from singing in a group, she also loves singing alone. 

“When I’m singing by myself, it’s a personal thing. In my room when I’m just listening to one of my playlists and just singing along to the songs … singing is connecting to that song,” she said.

Anjali prefers to release her emotion in her songs and stories, and she tries to help others do the same. Kenya Aridomi (12), another of Anjali’s friends and a current member of Downbeat, says that Anjali was the one who first encouraged him to join Bel Canto as a freshman. 

“I was interested in choir but wasn’t sure what to do … she encouraged me and I tried it and I was like, This is really fun. So she introduced me to a performing career,” Kenya said. 

Anjali helps her friends feel more confident in themselves and encourages them to try new things, but she’s also there just for emotional support.

“She’s always there to validate my feelings. I never feel like I have to suppress them or hide them – she’s always very accepting. She’s always there to listen, and give advice,” Simren said. 

Anjali has always tried to help other people express themselves and feel comfortable with themselves. Whenever any of her friends have problems, Anjali is ready to help, a fact that Susan Nace, Anjali’s adviser and teacher, has never failed to notice. 

“She’s always lending a helping hand … She’s always walking beside people. She anticipates needs… so it’s not about her being a helper … you never get the sense that she gets her self worth from that. It’s just part of who she is,” Nace said.

Anjali herself says that she doesn’t go out of her way to help people for recognition; most people wouldn’t remember her in a year.

“They’ll remember there’s that one girl that time ago who did something to help me… the idea that they’re remembering me for something good, something that matters and helps … It’s nice knowing that I can have an impact,” Anjali said. 

Unlike most people, Anjali doesn’t want to be the person in the history textbooks who everyone knows, but rather the person whispering in their ear, giving them advice. 

“I don’t need to be the person that everyone knows and the most important person in the room or anything like that. It doesn’t matter to me what other people think about the mark I make, I just want to know that I am helping make things happen,” she said.