Anika Fuloria (12) approaches the desk at which a celebrity engineer sits, signing and selling copies of the book he had just lectured about. Her own copy of the book lays in her hands, sticky notes poking out the top and pages folded down to mark an important place in the book. She strikes up a conversation with the author, asking questions she had made notes about in the margins of her book. 

Physics and science research teacher Chris Spenner, who has known Anika since she was a freshman participating in the Harker Research Symposium, notes her passion for learning as he recalls the shock he felt as he observed this interaction from a few feet away. 

“I was blown away by what he had to say in his lecture. And then … she already had a copy, and every other page already had notes in it and she was just appreciating and talking about these mind-blowing engineering ideas with him. It was shocking,” Spenner said. 

Along with her passion for learning comes her love for music. Following in the footsteps of her father, who played music before moving to America and continued to play when she was a baby, Anika was thrown into recreational music as a young girl but began to foster her own independent love for it as she grew older. 

“Music is such a great way to build communities. I’ve been really lucky to be part of some wonderful communities. I’ve met some of my best friends through these programs. And I’ve also been able to have some really great experiences,” Anika said. 

Anika cherishes the opportunities she’s received as a member of the orchestra, some of her most memorable high school experiences. This includes, most specifically, the times she’s been able to compose music for various conservatory programs, most notably, the school plays of “Our Town” and “Almost Maine.” 

“I was invited by Ms. Nace and Mr. Draper and I was like, ‘You know what, let me just try it one year,’ and it turned out to be a really interesting and insightful experience into how film composers write and how you write for theater as well,” Anika said. “Being able to work with those performers on stage to and do a different form of art than I usually do, where we all have this similar vision, was an amazing experience.”

Such contributions, along with being a reliable peer and mentor, are also what she’d like to be remembered for on campus after she leaves. She’s sure to help out wherever she could be needed and takes pride in being there when she is. 

“I’d like to be remembered for my contributions to the music community. Someone who helped the orchestra members as a reliable peer … like helping the freshmen in my section learn the parts better and build their confidence on an instrument that may be new to them,” Anika said. “Beyond my section I’ve helped Dr. Hart with music theory related things … giving some of my input into what I think might be interesting pieces for the orchestra to check out.”

Her passion and love for all she does, especially music, is obvious, and she carries it with her even in daily conversations. Claire Luo (12), who grew close to Anika during Spanish classes freshman year, notes the evident energy she radiates when talking about something that excites her.  

“We often have conversations, and even over Zoom, she goes on this very eloquent speech about a book she recently read or something. Maybe I haven’t read the book or maybe I didn’t like the book, but she still draws you in. She’s able to give a very compelling reason to listen,” Claire said. 

Such passion stems from Anika’s intense curiosity and love of learning, which she uses to foster creativity in various forms. As proven by Claire, she enjoys sharing her passion with friends and whoever else will listen. 

“I love to talk a lot about the things that I love. So I always talk with my friends during lunch, about a book that I read that I really really like, or a piece of that I’m really into, pretty much anything, whatever it is,” Anika said.

To sum it up, Anika recognizes the power that education holds, be it music, art or science.

“There is real power in art. You see so many students, especially in this community, doing really incredible research in biology, doing research that is truly life saving … You need to make life worthwhile and I think art and culture is a really important part of that, connecting people beyond just words,” Anika said.