In the midst of foldable tables and colorful posters, surrounded by eager voices and promising proposals, a freshman girl stands to the side. In her hand, she holds a synonyms puzzle and grasps a yellow wooden pencil, and she stares intensely at the blend of words. Luisa Pan (12) recalls how she pondered all the possible solutions of the activity, which she had picked up from the Language and Linguistics Club (LALC) booth. Going into the fair, Luisa did not expect to be drawn to this club, and now, a few years later, she is immersed in linguistics, the study of language.

Luisa especially enjoys the cognitive aspect of linguistics and exploring the way different words connect with each other. Although a large portion of students at Harker are bilingual or even trilingual, many have not closely analyzed the languages they speak, and Luisa aims to spread her passion to the community.

“I don’t think a lot of people consider studying language or analyzing the syntax, morphology or the meanings behind the words they’re learning,” Luisa said. “I know a lot of kids don’t know what linguistics is. They mostly think you’re a polyglot and you can speak many languages, but it’s especially not true for my case, and I mostly have been trying to spread the same joy.”

In her junior year, Luisa became the president of LALC, and with her predecessor two years older, she was left without much guidance. However, with determination, she quickly stepped into the role, and the challenging experience left her more adaptable and resilient.

“As for the club, it was the first leadership position I actually got. It really helped me develop a sense of how clubs run and figuring out things by myself. I was mostly left to my own devices, and I didn’t really ask anyone how to do it and I figured it out by myself,” Luisa said.

This past year, even with the many obstacles presented by the pandemic, LALC has continued to thrive under Luisa’s leadership. The club has organized various speaker events and series, and they also sponsored the North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO) in January. As an officer, Luisa has given lectures herself, and her incredible dedication to her role is obvious to those working with her.

“It’s an absolute breeze to be the faculty coordinator of the club with her as a leader,” Dr. Shaun Jashan, adviser of LALC, said. “I’ll think, ‘Let me ask Luisa this,’ and I’ll get an email from her saying [that] it’s already taken care of. She’s very proactive [and] responsible [and] takes responsibility as the leader of an organization.”

Even if it means spending hours curating a lecture and reading dozens of research papers about her topic, Luisa does not hesitate to sacrifice her time for the club. 

“For every single LALC meeting, she will spend hours putting together a presentation, reading pretty much every single article you can find on the internet about whatever topic she’s presenting. The depth she goes into her research … I find that really inspiring,” close friend since sixth grade Sidra Xu (12) said.

For activities besides linguistics, Luisa will also put in tremendous amounts of time and effort. On the surface level, some may see her as naturally talented or adept, but her determination also plays a major role in propelling her forward. And when she is passionate about something, her level of perseverance multiplies.

“Once she has her mind set on something, she’s completely dedicated and devoted to it, whether it’s academics or outside extracurriculars. She does pour all of her heart into whatever she’s doing,” close friend Elaine Xiao (12) said.

Luisa carries this same commitment with her friends. Whether it’s hanging out, playing online games over Zoom or having deep conversations, she is always there for the people she cares about. Over the years, she has provided great emotional support and has helped her friends through difficult situations, and even her busy lifestyle does not prevent her from being “one text away, one phone call away.”

“She always puts her friends first. I think of this quote from the Little Prince: ‘The time that you waste for your rose is what makes the rose so special’ or something like that, and she is always willing to ‘waste’ her time on her friends,” Elaine said. “She always embraces having these connections with people.”

For Luisa, the future is still cloudy. With her many interests, choosing a specific path is not easy, but she is comfortable with and welcomes the uncertainty.

“Life doesn’t have any plans for you, and it’s hard for you to know exactly what you want. Growing again is a fluid thing. I don’t think I know exactly what I want to do, and I think that’s okay,” Luisa said.

However, one thing is still clear to her: she hopes the activities she is involved in endure, after she graduates from Harker.

“I don’t really care about being remembered, I think it’s mostly what I leave behind. I really believe in action over words, and I would want the clubs that I’m part of to keep on thriving after I leave,” Luisa said. “I really hope that the Linguistics Club continues to stay alive after I’m gone—I really want [it] to continue and grow.”