Surrounded by lush, green trees bent over with weight and half-exposed roots clinging to the dirt, senior Iris Cai hikes through the woods, searching for inspiration for her next poem. The arced branches of the trees growing out of the mountainside catch her attention. Instantly, Iris jots down how the roots seemed to be reaching for home. This one event would later fix a poem that had been giving her trouble for the past month.

Iris has been creating poetry since the beginning of eighth grade, after getting inspired by a Pablo Neruda poem during a humanities camp over the summer. The dynamic use of language opened Iris’s eyes to what poetry can be. Since joining Harker in ninth grade, Iris continued to pursue her love for writing poetry and music. Now the Co-editor-in-chief of HELM, Harker’s Eclectic Literary Magazine, Iris edits the submissions from Harker students to present them for publication. 

“I think finding other student writers is really meaningful to me as a young writer who’s grown up in the Bay Area where people are stereotypically centered around STEM,” Iris said. “It’s important to find a community of people who support each other, and I want to create that network for other young writers so they can find like-minded peers.”

One such network that Iris formed to help teenage writers is Eucalyptus Lit, a magazine that Iris and her friends created to shine light on authors and poets. Iris’s interest in creating engaging communities stemmed from a summer camp in her sophomore year, leading her to build workshops for young writers at local libraries as a part of Eucalyptus Lit’s initiative. Close friend senior Jacqueline Huang shines a light on her efforts for the communities and networks she created.

“Iris puts a lot of effort into making sure that her initiatives, such as Eucalyptus Lit work out really well,” Jacqueline said. “It’s clear that she’s passionate about things like this and puts a lot of time into it in order to make them really successful.”

Iris often includes themes related to her heritage in her writing, exploring the nuances of her parents’ ancestry and her own upbringing. Iris shows her compassion and emotional intelligence by thinking about how her writing will affect others while she writes poems. Her unique understanding of her and others’ feelings is deeply appreciated by close friend senior Cindy Yu.

“She’s a great writer,” Cindy said. “You have to be in touch with your emotions to do both poetry and music, because they’re both artistic in some way. She’s very good at making that connection and expressing her emotions.”

Moreover, Iris’s efforts in helping her community extend beyond just writing initatives, as she is both a Link Crew leader and LIFE board member. Link Crew assists freshmen in transitioning from middle school to high school, and the LIFE board focuses on helping students relieve stress, live life to the fullest, and handle their time responsibly. These organizations aided Iris in connecting with people and building strong bonds, resulting in various leadership and social skills that Iris demonstrates throughout her community.

“Wherever I go, whether through writing or through music or through my other activities, I try to create a space for people where they feel this kind of care and love that people can have for each other when we are all out there celebrating each other,” Iris said.

Not only does Iris exhibit leadership qualities for her fellow writers, she also displays her leadership in orchestra. Although she joined Harker as an experienced pianist, Iris tried out new instruments, eventually leading her to become the percussion section leader, guiding drummers in orchestra. Instrumental Music Director Jaco Wong describes Iris’ kindness for all her orchestra peers.

“She gets along with everyone,” Wong said. “She is the percussion principal, and she’s able to lead that group in a way that makes everyone feel like part of the team, and she makes everyone feel really happy.”

Iris’s motivation behind her efforts in establishing connections with those she leads is connected to the warmth and inspiration she felt when preparing for her ninth grade Spring Concert with her peers. Her compassion, sympathy and leadership leave a lasting impression on others. These traits aid her in creating spaces of safety through the shared languages of poetry and music.

“When you’re writing a poem or when you’re performing a piece of music with someone, I think you’re creating this common, shared space that exists between you, the creator, and the person who is witnessing it,” Iris said. “I think if everyone came together and each tried to show their care for other people by giving them these safe spaces, we can create a whole that’s bigger than the sum of its parts.” 

All of Iris’s talents and efforts in poetry and music contribute to her deep connection with herself and her various interests. Iris’s emotional intelligence translates into her motto, following it to her authentic self while also encouraging her peers to do the same.

“If you’re really passionate about something, whether it’s writing or poetry or math or research or giving back, you should just go for it,” Iris said. “You should pursue it, no matter what anyone says, and never limit yourself to any societal convention of what someone like you should be.”