Alyssa Tomberg (12) adores her family car. Being in her family’s ownership since 2004, the small, royal blue Subaru is the same age as her. It finds comfort in the same home. Its engine revs up like her spunky laughter. Together, over the past two and a half years, Alyssa and her car have traversed coming-of-age milestones: receiving her license, traveling to and from a variety of boba shops and becoming a place of laughter and warmth for her friends and family to share.

Driving brings Alyssa joy, especially night driving, where she is alone on the dark, smooth roads crossing the familiar pathways and divots in the area. In these moments, moonlight spread across her forehead, Alyssa sings — her voice mixing with the soundtrack playing from her car to create a multi-voiced atmosphere that reminds her of the familiar space of home.

“I grew up on Soviet cartoons and old Russian songs,” Alyssa said. “Whenever people are singing in a chorus and there’s a lot of different voices and they’re all together and powerful, it scratches some kind of itch for me.”

Alyssa makes these choruses with the people around her whom she loves — taking them in her car, joking with them, grabbing all sorts of food together.

“I do have times where I can be stubborn or adamant that I’m right, but I try really hard to listen,” Alyssa said. “I try to be that one friend who would stay back with you while you tie your shoe on a hike while everyone else walks away.”

Amelie Tomberg (‘27), Alyssa’s younger sister, often finds herself seated in Alyssa’s car, talking and laughing with her as they drive to a restaurant. Dubbed “Baby Shark” by Alyssa because she is the youngest in the family and enjoys the Sharks hockey team, Amelie deeply appreciates Alyssa’s ability to care for the people around her and make space for them, offering to drive Amelie around and bringing her open heart with her even in the midst of her busy schedule.

“Every single drive we’ve ever been on was our best moment together — nothing beats that,” Amelie said. “She always makes sure to make some room for me throughout the day so we can hang out. She’s the kindest person I’ve ever met.”

The kindness Alyssa gives to her sister extends beyond her home — she pours this kindness into the outer world, caring for people she does not know as well but still treating them with deep empathy and care.

Alyssa currently works at the Saratoga Retirement Community, serving food to the residents in the communal dining room. Alyssa finds that the motions of the daily interactions makes her work full of good moments and friendly relations with the residents. She remembers bonding with one of the residents, who, after noticing Alyssa’s shaved head, started calling her, “Fuzzy,” a nickname they continue to laugh over.

“I like how [the retirement community residents] are regulars,” Alyssa said. “You don’t get new people often. If I’m able to find a grouchy person and be empathetic and extra nice to them, and have them like me after, it makes my heart very happy.”

Finding space to connect even with people who are of a different age range and have had a different set of experiences compared to her own, Alyssa remains open-hearted, a quality which close friend since middle school Camilla Lindh (12) values in her.

“She’s one of the friends that gives the best advice and is able to listen to a rant for however long you need it,” Camilla said. “She’s always there to support — she’s trustworthy and very open and reliable. She’s someone you can always count on to be there for you.”

Alyssa appreciates the relationships she has with close friends like Camilla, with whom she goes on drives to the countryside, exploring new places together and being guided by what her mind draws her to. Yet, Alyssa also has the grace to cradle and value the smaller connections that she has with people around her, like the other waiters at the retirement home dining area where she works.

“The friends that I do have I’ve had for a long period of time,” Alyssa said. “They’re the kind of people that I can not talk to for like months at a time and then we meet up, and everything is back. But I’m also learning to value friendships with people, even if I know that they’re not someone I could go to for genuine support and like true times of need.”

Pouring care towards the world, Alyssa has found the space to sprinkle some of that care towards herself and her own image of herself. Having gone through struggles with mental health and body image in the past, she is finding ways to be loving towards herself — not just applying to her body but to her entire life.

“I’ve gotten much better at accepting my body,” Alyssa said “I accept myself. And I can change if I want to improve, but [I’m] focusing on caring about myself and taking care of myself and making changes for genuine, loving reasons.”

Camilla admires Alyssa’s independence, how she does things for herself and isn’t afraid to take risks, finding new avenues both literally on the road and mentally through her empathy and listening. For Alyssa, driving and asserting love towards herself and her community reminds her of her growth as a person throughout middle and high school, her learning to embrace who she is with open arms.

“I remember in middle school, I was too scared to get food by myself [at school], so I wouldn’t eat during lunch,” Alyssa said. “So now [in high school], being able to be independent and confident is huge for me. I really enjoy that independence.”