Waves crash against Alexis “Lexi” Nishimura’s (12) back as she lies on the surface of her surfboard, the sun glimmering against her skin. Ripples carry her further and further away from shore, into a sanctuary where nothing but her thoughts, her board and the water cross her mind. With strong strokes, Lexi gains momentum and rises up on her board, focusing on maintaining her balance and catching the wave chasing her.

Initially taken up as a quarantine boredom-buster, surfing has become integral to Lexi’s identity. Looking back on her surfing progression over the past three years, Lexi realized that the most substantial obstacle keeping her from reaching her full potential was herself, both in surfing and in school.

“When surfing, you always have to be very cautious and consistent,” Lexi said. “Telling myself it’s okay to not be good at everything was difficult because when you live in such a competitive, stress-inducing environment, you strive to be good at everything. Telling myself that it was okay to fail was one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to do.”

Lexi experienced a similar feeling of accepting imperfection in her basketball career, which began at age 5. Tearing her ACL in the spring of eighth grade impacted her ability to find her footing in her basketball community. Though it took over two years to regain the strength she lost in recovery, Lexi attempted to maintain a positive attitude and push through the mental and physical obstacles.

“The biggest challenge was finding where I fit in because I struggled with being confident in myself,” Lexi said. “I struggled mentally with keeping up which made basketball a lot harder this past year and a half. I wasn’t fully healed after my ACL surgery and had false confidence in the strength of my knee. While overcoming that fear of reinjuring myself, I tried to find the joy of playing with my teammates every single day.”

Her determination and growth in self-confidence have translated to academics as well. Since sophomore year, classmate and close friend KJ Williams (12) has observed Lexi’s growth as a student and overall person. Through multiple shared classes over the course of high school, KJ has noticed and commended Lexi’s strong work ethic and tenacity.

“She wasn’t always sure about her abilities, but I’ve seen her work really hard,” KJ said. “She’s definitely one of the hardest workers I know. If she doesn’t understand something in any subject, she would always be in office hours, always working toward improving her situation and her understanding, which I really admire about her.”

Contributing to the progression of her work ethic, Lexi began a cosmetics business for Harker’s Business and Entrepreneurship Incubator class, which she named Mika Beauty during her junior year. In honor of her late grandmother, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in May of 2020, Lexi decided to donate a portion of her profits to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“I get to design and create things and put my own vision into a product to make it how I want it to be,” Lexi said. “My grandmother gave me the nickname Mika, so that’s why the company is inspired by her and dedicated to her. It’s really beautiful that I get the opportunity to honor her in such a unique way.”

Whether you are a close friend of Lexi’s or a complete stranger, her devotion to her family and friends is apparent to anyone. Emily Novikov (12), who met Lexi during sixth-grade orientation, noted that Lexi’s ability to connect with people of varying ages and personalities sets her apart from others.

“She’s very much a people person and can start a conversation with anyone,” Emily said. “When she talks to people, she always sounds so enthusiastic about what the other person is saying. She never seems bored when she’s around others, which really reflects on her personality as a whole.”

Anthony Silk, upper school mathematics department chair and Lexi’s adviser, concurred with Emily. Over the past four years, he has witnessed Lexi’s increase in self-confidence manifest in her interactions with others, reducing the amount of stress she used to experience in social situations.

“The biggest thing that I’ve noticed is that she has recognized in herself that she is well-liked, and so I see her interacting with more different types of people than in freshman year,” Silk said. “In general, she has become more sure of herself which has allowed her to be more open socially.”

Lexi’s shift in perspective of herself academically and socially impacts her as a surfer as well, benefiting her during her time at the upper school. Through surfing, she has found that she can not only bond with her family members more, but also escape the stress and workload of school in the serene and stress-free atmosphere of the ocean.

“When I’m surfing, it brings me a lot of happiness and peace,” Lexi said. “I can escape the stress of my weeks, my academics, the college apps that I have to do and the tournaments I have to attend. Since I’m not [surfing] at a competitive level like many of my other extracurriculars, I just go to be in the water, where I love to be.”