Clad in a black number 87 Patriots jersey, a tall blonde boy lounges languidly on a chair, his dark blue zip up hoodie hanging off his shoulders as he takes a large swig from a brown bottle. This scene doesn’t take place at a sports bar, but rather in the Patil Theater, where Evan Bourke (12) acted as a recently dumped ex-boyfriend during last year’s fall play, “Almost Maine.”

The fall play is just one of many performances Evan has acted in. Having joined Harker Performing Arts in middle school, Evan has since been in nearly every Harker play, musical or concert, even going to Scotland for the Fringe Festival in 2019.

“I truly love performing arts because everyone is there for each other. It’s a great community and I honestly feel the best, not onstage, but right before you go on stage, where you’re panicking with your friends and everyone is super high energy, riding that adrenaline,” Evan said. “We’re all excited about finally getting to perform in front of an audience who came there to see you perform and see how good you are.”

As a performer, Evan understands the importance of emotion and storytelling in the arts. He exhibits his musical talent through multiple forms, making himself familiar with music creation and development, and even creating a soundtrack for his game designer sister’s video games. 

“I really wanted to make music for her. I imagined it would be a fun challenge to be given a story and write music based on that to capture all the feeling that she wanted,” Evan said.

Music and performing are not Evan’s only hobbies, though. He also loves physics, baking and crocheting, taking pride in his ability to showcase his love for creativity in his passions. 

“I enjoy making things in the most general sense. I use that as a big umbrella for the things I like to do because I enjoy crocheting and sewing but I also love the nitty gritty technical stuff of science,” Evan said. “Most of all I love baking, so it all comes together under this love for creating things.”

Planning on pursuing a career in physics or engineering, Evan has taken multiple physics courses in high school. Labeled a “STEM kid” within his performing arts group and a “performing arts kid” within his physics group, Evan appreciates the dual perspectives that come with his interests.

“I got to talk to people who were purely STEM people when I took my first deep-dive physics course and it was really interesting,” Evan said. “Then in the performing arts spaces, where the majority of my friends are, I would start talking about physics stuff to my friends that I was super excited about even though they’d have no idea what I was talking about. I really love having those two different aspects of my life.”

Regardless of what circle he’s in, Evan tries to make every conversation meaningful. Longtime friend Alissa Gao (12) notes Evan’s passionate personality. 

“He makes you feel so comfortable talking to him because he’s comfortable talking to you, no matter who you are,” Alissa said. “You could not [care] about physics or music, but he’ll still talk to you with this captivating kind of passion.”

Besides physics, Evan also bakes frequently, and baking has played a key role in shaping Evan’s personality. From making puff pastry by hand to paying for services with freshly baked baguettes, baking is one of Evan’s most distinctive hobbies. He began helping his mother bake at a young age, but transitioned to baking by himself towards the end of elementary school.

“I would always help my mom make pancakes and cinnamon rolls, but it was never anything fancy. She would get box mix pancake mix and I would always want to help her mix ingredients or pour out the batter,” Evan said. “Eventually I started doing it on my own and started taking baking seriously, making things from scratch.”

Evan’s mother has played a large role in his life, helping shape him into the empathetic and caring person he is today. 

“Compassion is really big to me. I was taught by my mother to be nice to people — don’t be mean, don’t be rude, be respectful. And while I followed that, I didn’t really care about other people and I kept on living my life,” Evan said. “And then my mom passed away when I was 10 and I started to think about the things that she had taught me and really internalize them. Over the past couple of years, I have really tried to work on being super kind and compassionate and understanding to everyone.”

Upper school vocal music teacher Susan Nace, who has taught Evan multiple times throughout high school within various choirs, notes his motivated yet kind-hearted spirit. 

“He moves forward from his heart. He’s a wonderful combination of compassion and rationality,” Nace said. “Evan knows where he wants to go and what he wants to do, but he always makes room for those he cares about.”

Evan implements this sensitivity not only as a friend, but as a leader as well. As one of the co-presidents of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), he often uses his position to inspire those around him.

“With the GSA, I am doing everything I can to make a great space for other people. I’m doing my best to inspire and support the members,” Evan said. “Whatever I do in the long run is to make the people in my life happy. If something makes me happy, makes my friends happy, then no matter the difficulty, I think it’s worth it.”

Ultimately, Evan’s empathy and warmth have helped further him through all of his endeavors.

“There are lots of small hurdles, and everybody has their own challenges that they face. Whether it be me making croissants for the first time and having them turn out great, or getting into Fringe and performing in front of a huge audience of real musical critics, I try to celebrate every accomplishment,” Evan said.