Lace, fixed to the ceiling, float above the bed like a canopy; a pair of freshly painted jeans hangs, drying, off a rack of clothes; and an assortment of posters, photos and artwork hang fixed to the wall, layered against one another. Crocheted stars hang in the air, drifting lazily as the wind blows in from the window. Senior Melody Yin’s room represents aspects of herself: creative, resourceful and introspective. 

“I first crocheted stars because I wanted to sew them onto my jeans for a Conan Gray concert,” Melody said. “But it became something bigger than that because I not only enjoyed the look of having jeans with stars on them, but I also liked making them; it’s very therapeutic for me. I made some for one of my water polo team mates, Keren, so now we have matching jeans. It’s very personal when you give something that you made yourself to someone; it’s another way of telling people that I value their friendship.”

Melody’s creativity appears in many parts of her life, from how she decorates her room to the projects she takes on outside of school. She’s often working on something with her hands: drawing, journaling or crafting gifts for friends. Her ideas tend to start small and grow into something more meaningful. Close friend senior Rumi Gupta reflects on Melody’s affinity for these artistic projects.

“She’s probably one of the most creative people I’ve ever met,” Rumi said. “She finds a lot of joy in the little things, like creating scrapbooks and bullet journals and drawing, and she values everything around her — and makes really impressive artworks out of everything.”

Melody’s creativity isn’t limited to finished products; it also shows in how she embraces mistakes and turns them into something new. She often finds ways to reuse materials or give new life to projects that didn’t turn out as planned. Her room is filled with small, personal touches — objects that might have started as practice pieces or scraps but ended up as part of something larger. 

“I really like repurposing ‘failed’ crochet projects into decorations,” Melody said. “For example, all the really funky looking stars that I have from like practicing how to make stars: I taped them to my ceiling so that they’re hanging there like little constellations. It’s really cute and whenever there’s wind in the room, it makes them swing around themselves a little bit and it’s very fun to watch.”

There’s a strong sense of intentionality in everything Melody makes, even when the materials come from failed attempts or leftover scraps. Each decision, where to place something, how to use it, or who to give it to, is rooted in thoughtfulness. Her projects often evolve over time, building meaning as they grow. Whether it’s stars made from scrap yarn or pages filled with doodles and notes, Melody’s work serves as both self-expression and a record of the things that matter most to her.

“Bullet journaling for me is a way to have that creative outlet and express myself,” Melody said. “It’s a fun way to look back in the past and reminisce, like when I go and open my sixth grade stuff. I’m going to be able to look back on my journals in years and recall the experiences I had at the time that I had it, or when I was actively filling in a particular journal — it means a lot to me.”

This habit of documenting the everyday allows Melody to slow down and appreciate moments others might pass by. Her journals aren’t curated highlight reels; they’re honest reflections of what she was feeling, thinking and creating at the time. Tucked between the pages are small artifacts: mementos from events, scraps of conversations and reminders of the relationships that matter most to her. Each addition carries its own story, capturing a snapshot of a specific time in Melody’s life. By looking back, she’s able to understand how much she’s grown and how her perspective has shifted. 

“To me, there’s a lot of value in keeping memories,” Melody said. “When I look back on my bullet journal, I know where I was mentally when I created basically every single spread. A lot of people are always looking on to the next big thing and there is value in remembering the small moments, like when you’re just doodling something between working on homework.”

Now, as a senior, she’s become that kind of person, inspirational and worth looking up to, for others. Just as she once admired older students, she’s taken on the role of mentor and friend to underclassmen. Close friend senior Kashish Priyam appreciates Melody’s role on the speech and debate team, one of their shared extracurriculars.

“She would always connect with the upperclassmen when we were younger, and now she does the same as a mentor to the underclassmen,” Kashish said. “She can really be counted on for being a community binder in that way. We have a lot of classes together this year so we share a lot of experiences in those; as seniors, we’re sort of going through a lot of changes and transformations in our lives and I can rely on her to be a very honest but also empathetic person.”

Melody naturally becomes a grounding force in group settings, with her ability to connect, support, and lead as something that others quickly notice, whether they’ve known her for years or are meeting her for the first time. In team spaces like speech, Melody often stands out not just for her skill, but for the way she helps create a welcoming environment. Speech and debate teacher David Kilpatrick admires Melody’s leadership and her willingness to show up for others.

“Melody was immediately someone who knew what was going on,” Kilpatrick said. “She’s an excellent and confident speaker. When we did some introductory, icebreaker games, she was very good at projecting confidence immediately, and I could tell that she would be an important part of my transition to this new job, since she was a very active senior on the speech team.”

Competing in speech allows her to explore complex ideas in depth, while also developing the confidence to share those ideas with others. The event becomes more than a competition; it’s a platform where she can engage in meaningful inquiry and express herself fully. The platform gives her the opportunity to raise awareness about topics she deeply cares about, particularly in the areas of gender and social equity. Her speeches are grounded in both academic interest and lived experience, allowing her to bridge the gap between theory and real-world impact. 

“There’s that aspect of getting to bring awareness to an issue that you’re passionate about,” Melody said. “I really love to approach topics through the lens of women’s rights and gender studies, and it’s been so amazing to speak about it and to get to provide and share the information that I’ve learned over the years as well, and really see people like make those connections — it comes together to provide a greater picture of how we view things like gender, our preconceived notions of how gender should be like performed or expressed, and how that trickles down into our day-to-day life.”

While speech has given Melody a platform to explore complex topics and share her voice, it’s also given her a sense of belonging. Beyond the competitions and research, the most meaningful moments often come from the time spent with her teammates: small memories that reflect a deeper connection to the community she’s built over the years.

“One of my favorite speech memories was from my sophomore year, when I first started speech at the La Costa speech and debate tournament,” Melody said. “I remember that day in particular because we’d gone to get Mendocino Farm sandwiches, and then we found a place to sit and eat and we just talked for a couple of hours between rounds. It was really exciting for me because that was the tournament where I really felt like I started fitting into the team, and really felt like a part of it, and that’s something that’s very special to me.”