Resting her head in her hands, Selin Aras (12) drowns the world out and focuses only on the steady beat flowing through her earbuds. Holding her phone protected by a clean plaid yellow case, she scrolls through the playlist as her caramel brown hair, styled in clean bangs, sits neatly behind her shoulders. She clicks lightly on her volume button, increasing the noise output. As she looks around at her surroundings, a calm and tranquil expression emerges onto her face. 

Selin’s love and passion for music began at a young age, as she played piano and was a part of the orchestra during middle school. Around that time, she started to develop her own taste and likings, when she and her friends began to widen their horizons together.

“I really like … music, so I listen to probably over 10 different genres of music. I’m always listening to music during any time possible,” Selin said.

Having been to various artists’ concerts, ranging from Troye Sivan to Lil Uzi Vert, her music taste is extremely diverse and carries a piece of her personality along with it. Her favorite songs and musicians are ever-changing, and she is always open to new genres and voices. 

“Right now I would probably say one of my favorite artists is Kanye West, just because of how varied his music is but also how he’s really bold with some of his production choices because a lot of his albums are very experimental and something you wouldn’t expect to hear from a hip hop album,” she said.

Close friend Shreeya Vaidya (12) thoroughly enjoys hanging out with Selin and listening and sharing new music with each other.

“We like to listen to music together when we drive. It’s very therapeutic in a way especially during the pandemic to just listen to music with friends,” Shreeya said.

Not only does Selin enjoy submerging herself in the art of music, but she has also always been keen on fashion. She loves to keep up with the latest trends and popular pieces and describes her style as contemporary. She also enjoys patterns such as cheetah print and statement pieces. Ever since she was young, she’s always been intrigued by fashion designing and magazines.

“As a child, I wanted to be a fashion designer and I was really interested in designing clothes and sewing … but there’s not a lot of children’s clothes that follow a lot of recent trends. So, as I got older, I began to develop my own unique style,” Selin said.

One of her favorite shops is Omighty, an online boutique located in Singapore featuring unique designs and trendy pieces. Selin also likes browsing online thrifting websites such as Depop and Swap.com. 

Not only does she have an affinity for fashion and music, but Selin also finds pleasure in photography, a hobby she started around the age of 13. She enjoys her passion through various social media platforms and especially loves capturing photos of her surroundings, such as buildings and different phases of nature. 

“I really like capturing the beauty of things. I usually like just a setting, [and] I usually don’t photograph people. A building is always there and I would say with nature it’s always not changing and with a person, I feel like you have to capture the right emotion but with nature — for example, a sunset — I like essentially showing how the sunsets are on different days,” Selin said. 

As a new student at Harker in her freshman year, Selin feels extremely grateful for her opportunity to attend Harker. Although she has felt doubtful about her abilities to succeed and flourish at Harker, she has proved her own worries wrong, as she now feels extremely proud of the courses she’s been able to take and accomplish during her time here. She also loves how she has been able to grow and appreciates different people’s diverse cultures and upbringings.

“High school is part of your formative years, so I think when I first stepped foot on the Harker campus it was a huge change and put me in a new direction. I feel like through Harker I’ve met so many diverse people not just culturally but also academically,” she said.

Before coming to Harker, Selin always enjoyed living by the motto of “you only live once” because she always tries to seize every opportunity that she comes across.

“I try to make the most out of every situation and think about if I’m looking back, will I have regretted not doing this, so I try to make the most fun or the best out of each situation,” she said.

Close friend Maria Teplova (12) values the lessons that Selin has taught her and thinks that she’s become a better person because of their time spent together.

“She’s taught me to take things less personally and less seriously because she’s always had this really really low key vibe to her and she’s never super angry or super upset seemingly,” Maria said. “She kind of mellows out everything in a good way and helps calm people down.”

Upon first meeting her, history department chair Mark Janda felt as though Selin was “quiet, gentle and studious.” Yet, once he began to get to know her better and teach her more often, he’s realized that her silence is filled with purpose. 

“For Selin, I might still describe her as quiet but there is fire and passion in that quiet soul. She has strong convictions and she has a passion for doing what’s right … a passion for justice. She’s also very proud of her identity. She’s proud of who she is,” Janda said.

Throughout Selin’s years at Harker, everyone surrounding her has had the pleasure of seeing her grow and become more and more comfortable with herself everyday.

“While [Selin is] still quiet [as a senior], she chooses her places very carefully and when she speaks, it truly [is] worth it … There are kids who, when they speak, [you] just stop and pay attention to what they’re saying because whatever they’re saying is going to be worth your energy,” Janda said. “And Selin’s going to pick her places with care but, when she speaks, you better pay attention [because] she’s going to say something worth your attention.”