Anna: A Journey of Growth, Creativity, and Community

Senior Anna Yi (‘26) has been weaving herself into the fabric of Awty since fourth grade, transforming from a timid newcomer into a leader who captures memories, creates art, and champions exploration. As leader of the Yearbook Club, National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, and costume designer extraordinaire, she embodies what it means to embrace every opportunity.


From Timid Newcomer to Confident Leader

Tell us about yourself and how Awty.

I was born in the greater Houston area, specifically in Sugar Land, and attended a private school called Walker Station Elementary. I came to Awty in 4th grade. My parents wanted me to explore different extracurricular activities and the arts, and thought that Awty would be a good fit for that.

How have you evolved since that first day in fourth grade?

I used to be very timid in 4th grade, because it was a new school, new people. Now I have a lot of friends, and we grew up together, and I feel like they helped me along the way. I specifically remember one kid in my 4th-grade class, Alex. I fell asleep in class, and he tapped me on the shoulder to wake me up. And today we are still good friends.

 

Creativity in Action

You’re involved in so many creative pursuits: yearbook, Ramifications, and theatre costumes. Let’s start with the yearbook. What drew you to it?

I started right after COVID with 4 friends of mine, initially by taking a lot of photos for the Yearbook Club. And I found that really fun because I was doing it with my friends. We were going to so many different events, like sports games, to take pictures, and it was so entertaining.

The only thing that I dislike about it is that, after taking all the photos, we have to caption them all, identify the person, first and last name, say what they're doing, etc. It takes a lot of time. And for example, we don't have any Middle School students in the yearbook team right now, so it can be hard to identify the middle schoolers from the pictures. Recently, I was trying to identify cross-country middle school athletes from photos, so a few weeks ago, I brought a box of cookies, set it outside after class, and grabbed random middle schoolers to help me identify the pictures.

That’s resourceful! What’s the most rewarding part?

I would say two things. One is just spending time with all the team members and seeing that they can pitch in their ideas and work on their page. And the second is when we pass out the yearbook at the very end, everyone gets to see their photos. They're like, Oh, I remember doing that. Oh, that's my friend. Oh, we won that game.

You also draw cartoons for Ramifications and Rampage, the student-led publications. How did that start?

In ninth grade, our US history teacher was the sponsor for Ramifications, and she encouraged all of her students to apply. And initially, a lot of people do writing, but I liked art and cartoons. The first time I drew a cartoon was actually for Ramifications auditions. 

Ramifications is really helpful in the sense that not only do I get to participate and show my art at school, but I am also able to listen to other people's stories and listen to them talk about it when we're working on the articles.

I was the cartoonist. I would draw different cartoons for different events and the headers. I tried to match it up with the season or the month. I've been doing it since 9th grade.
 

©Anna Yi

And then there’s theatre. Tell us about your costume work.

I really like theatre. I do costumes for theatre. Currently, I'm working on one of the girls' dresses for the play Grease. I mainly do the alterations. There are so many different costumes!

I started sewing at Awty in 4th grade, in Awty Plus. I don't even know if the teacher is still here, but she had a daughter named Flora, and I think that one of the quilts she made was auctioned off at one of the galas; that's so cool.

So I started sewing there, and then at the start of ninth grade, the theatre needed some alterations. My friend Jasmijn was part of the play and told me, "Don't you know how to sew? You should come do this." I kind of just got roped in since then.

And then I sometimes participate in the play. For example, for Little Women, last year—the student-led play—I made all seven of the dresses from scratch.

 

Academic Achievement and the Power of Exploration

Congratulations on being named a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist! What contributed to this achievement?

I’ve always liked I started taking SAT preparation relatively early. At the end of 10th grade, I started working on it over the summer.

I just really like delving into different rabbit holes. Whatever interests me, I would learn more about that and always have an open mind. Another thing that characterises my academic learning is that I like to challenge myself. Sometimes, even if I don't think I would get the best grades, I still would want to take the higher level course, so that I'm able to learn more. And I think that's also helped me with the PSAT.

Is there a teacher who has particularly impacted your journey? How so?

I would say Mrs Sload. In sixth grade, she inspired me to be part of so many clubs. She had a club where we'd go bird watching. I used to live in Sugar Land, and her club would start at 7:30 am. But I would arrive early, so we would leave home at 6:45 am, come here at 7:30 am, and I would be able to watch a bird and make bird feeders. And it really made me interested in participating in more clubs and expanding my involvement. 

Right now, I'm part of various clubs, such as Yearbook, Ethics Bowl, Jazz, Healthcare and Equity, Music for Service, and Math.

What's something about Awty that you didn't appreciate early on, but have come to value now?

I feel kind of bad mentioning this, but  Work Study is a class that is not really well-liked by many of us in our grade, because we feel like it didn't have much of a purpose. But going through 11th grade and seeing how much it pushed us to keep on deadlines, it has been really helpful, especially with our extended essay research paper. Dr Acord really kept us on task. And even when I did not like it, I had to submit my outline, which forced me to work. That class makes sure that we're up to date with our IB and college applications.

How has being part of an international school shaped your worldview?

It's definitely made me more open to different cultures and perspectives that I otherwise wouldn't have because where I grew up, in Sugar Land, it was very like an Asian community and a whole lot of people that were really similar to me. But when I came to Awty, I was able to see, oh, that this person might have a different perspective, or, oh, this person has a different culture. And I really enjoy that about Awty. We have all the different events, and we celebrate different things. 

What really brought that to my attention is in our Ethics Bowl, as we always mentioned, different stakeholders and different perspectives, and we’re able to have a wide variety of people who have different experiences. Everyone can share and give their input; in the same scenario, they would have different thoughts and opinions, which is really helpful.
 

Looking Ahead

What advice would you give to younger students?

Definitely take advantage of all the clubs we have. There are so many. And there will always be one that you will enjoy and where you can not only make friends, but maybe learn some skills that can help you later.

Enjoy your time. I know a lot of people are stressed about grades and say, “There are some things I can't do because I need to get this test 100%”. But I can honestly say that Upper School and Middle School, and even Lower School, are a great time to make friends, have fun, and explore new areas that you may not be able to later on. We have so many opportunities. Maybe take a new language instead of doing the same elective three years in a row, or you can do the same elective three years in a row if you're really passionate about it, but allow yourself to explore your options.

As you prepare for college, what are you thinking about?
I’m definitely a bit nervous. I'm gonna miss my little brother, because he's still gonna be here for another three years. I can't support him anymore. But I'll call him. He plays on his phone, and he doesn't always answer my calls…

I'm applying for environmental engineering, but I’m not really certain of which college is going to take me or where my interests might evolve. I might want to apply for music. There's a conservatory in which I want to try to get into an audition.

How has Awty prepared you for what’s next?
It definitely helped me. During the summer camps, we did a whole lot of essay writing for social science. And I think that all these essays have really thrilled me into writing long paragraphs, different outlines, and how I approach it in economics. In a more efficient way. And I got better at writing, especially at the start of eighth grade, where Mr Sload made us write eight-page-long essays about Romeo and Juliet! Working on those essays earlier will definitely help me in college.

What will you miss the most?

The community here is really nice. Whenever I have an issue, there is always someone to help. Last year, I had a biology question. Even though I didn't take biology last year, I just walked into Ms Devins’ room, and she was really happy to help me. It's really nice how everyone's welcoming.

 

January 2026 Articles