Reminiscing on past adventures, Madeleine “Maddie” Hansen (12) recalls where her passion for photography initially stemmed from. She had peered through the viewfinder, adjusting her focus and aperture, seconds before Arely Sun (12) leapt across the sidewalk in her pointe shoes and soft pink leotard. Maddie captures every pirouette and releve performed on the streets of downtown San Jose.

Prior to her summer before junior year, Maddie had never taken a digital arts class. She spent the summer break teaching herself to use the camera and had her friends model for her shoots. Although she had never envisioned a future in art till then, her newfound passion for photography and filmmaking changed her outlook.

“Changing my schedule without really thinking about it impacted how I spent a lot of my junior and senior year because I spent a lot of it taking pictures and trying to figure out things like photography,” Maddie said.

Maddie explained that after setting up the camera and subject, the sense of achievement when she gets the perfect photo or film is the most rewarding. The summer before her junior year, Maddie and friend Anya Warrier (12) participated in a virtual film festival. They won with a short film called “Powerless” on the effects of stress and the struggle of identity in the current social climate.

Much of Maddie’s work combines two of her biggest interests: photography and psychology. By using art as an outlet, she visualizes and better understands her emotions. She also uses photography as a platform to shed light on issues that she feels are important.

“A lot of my photography centers around women experiencing emotion and a lot of different societal issues that play into that because that’s my perspective as a woman,” Maddie said. “It’s a lot about how I feel and how I’m feeling, whether it’s about beauty standards or mental health and how I view that.”

As an advocate for mental health, Maddie strongly believes in the influence that people have on each other. In her work, Maddie seeks to create awareness regarding the importance and impact of self-care.

“Mental health is stigmatized in our community,” Maddie said. “Mental health affects everyone and not just people who struggle specifically with it. We also need to keep in mind that we need to be constantly aware and taking care of our mental health.”

Maddie strives to be a positive influence by promoting honest opinions and balanced relationships. Upper school speech and debate coach Scott Odekirk recognizes and appreciates her care for others and passion for social justice.

“She values kindness deeply,” Odekirk said. “She cares about justice in the world and sometimes gets upset at the way that the world is unjust and unfair. She has a strong sense of justice, and she’s seeking out goodness in the world.”

Another major platform that Maddie uses for her social activism is speech, which she began in sixth grade to overcome her anxiety toward public speaking. Her specialty, original oratory, consists of giving 10-minute speeches about any topic of interest from memory.

“I talked a lot about LGBTQ+ issues in a lot of my speeches because that’s something I’m passionate about,” Maddie said. “[Speech] gave me a platform to talk about things I cared about.”

Maddie’s kindness reflects in her personal relationships as well. Ashley Ma (11) noticed this quality when they first met and became close friends while working at Harker summer camp.

“[Maddie’s] a very kind person,” Ashley said. “She’s always there for her friends and she’ll check in on you when she thinks something is wrong or even if nothing is wrong.”

Uma Iyer (12), who became friends with Maddie over quarantine, also appreciates Maddie’s companionship for her constant kindheartedness and unique approach to situations from the start.

“She’s one of the most thoughtful and empathetic individuals that I know,” Uma said. “She’s also really determined — if she puts her mind to something, she’ll get it done.”

By looking at life with this determined mindset, Maddie embraces the duality of emotions. While a positive perspective can improve mental health, Maddie believes that being able to recognize both one’s struggles and one’s accomplishments is most beneficial for mental health.

“Toxic positivity is the idea that we have to force ourselves to be happy all the time,” Maddie said. “We think the best thing about life is being happy, so we feel like we have to be happy all the time to live a satisfying life. But that’s not the case; we can take life as it comes, both positive and negative, and it’ll be okay.”