The resounding notes of Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 surround senior Yash Greene at the 2024 spring instrumental concert. Slowly, the symphony progresses, moving closer and closer to the horn section solo. Yash tenses up, his nerves unsettling his mind, heart beating rapidly. Pushing his anxious thoughts aside, he blows into his french horn. His heart immediately balloons with pride and confidence as a clear high note soars through the air. 

“In rehearsals, it was 50-50,” Yash said. “Sometimes I hit the note, sometimes I didn’t. In the concert, when I hit it, it was really magical. We were the only ones playing for the orchestra at that moment. I was like, ‘We actually have a horn section. I can do this, and I have a future in orchestra.’ It helped my confidence a lot.”

Yash first picked up the french horn in frosh year. However, he soon realized that forcing himself to play challenging notes without sufficient technique was unrealistic. Starting his junior year, Yash allowed himself to take a break and switched the technique he used to play the french horn in order to hit notes consistently.

“When I did the embouchure change, it was one step back, two steps forward,” Yash said. “I was like, ‘You can get most of where you need to go, but you need to get that last bit. You need to just stop and reset.’ And so I did. I took a breather, and I’m really proud of myself for that. I knew that if I wanted to get to a higher level, I needed to work on my own embouchure first. It taught me to take things slowly and relax.”

Close friend senior Vinayak Sinha, who plays alongside Yash in the orchestra, appreciates how Yash uses the lessons he learned from his past experiences playing the french horn to help other players in the orchestra.

“A lot of people follow this path where they pick up the french horn in frosh or sophomore year, so he’s been helping to coach them,” Vinayak said. “If they have questions, they’ll ask him, and I’ve seen him show them how to do certain fingerings or how to play a note properly. He’s also always encouraging some of the more reserved people to talk, and he tries to get everybody involved.”

For Yash, building a sense of community is not only essential in orchestra, but also water polo, which he started in frosh year. From his past experiences playing the sport, he realizes the importance of everyone being involved and supported.

“When I joined as a frosh, I was very distant from everyone in the years above me,” Yash said. “They would never try to talk with you in the hallways or anything. Then as I grew into an upperclassman, I would remember all the times when I was a frosh I felt like I had to figure everything out myself. I strove to be better than that and be a leader and help the younger kids.”

Varsity boys water polo player and close friend senior Aman Chandra appreciates how Yash’s openness helped the water polo team build strong bonds and understand each other on a deeper level.

“On the water polo team, he binds us all together, and I really admire the amount of courage and bravery he has to say ‘Hi’ to all these new people,” Aman said. “When we volunteer at the Harker water polo clinic to help teach younger students, I can tell that he really wants to give back to the community.”

Mathematics department chair and Honor Council adviser Anthony Silk recognizes Yash’s self-awareness, a quality that became clear during his time working with Yash on the Honor Council and teaching him in Honors Calculus C.

“There’s a sincerity and honesty to him, a vulnerability that doesn’t often come out when he’s around everybody else,” Silk said. “When you talk to him individually, you realize that this is a pretty sharp kid who really has a good understanding of both how he fits in the world and how the world works around him. I hope that he leans into that aspect of his life more than anything else.”

Whether in orchestra, water polo or in everyday life with friends, Yash strives to create an inclusive environment. He hopes that by being a supportive figure for his peers, everyone can have the support they need to thrive.

“What we’re supposed to do as seniors is to help the younger generation grow their confidence,” Yash said. “I grew on my own, but that was also largely thanks to my parents and friends. I know not everyone has that support system, so I always try to tell people, “You can talk to me about stuff.” I try to be someone that people know they can turn to and talk to without feeling insecure.”