18 under 18: Talented Vikings

Junior Evan Taylor has always enjoyed playing sports, which led him to join his school's track and field team in sixth grade. Throughout Taylor’s middle school career, he gradually ramped up his involvement in the sport: beginning with triple jump in sixth grade, then competing in long jump, triple jump, high jump and hurdles in seventh and eighth grade. “I wanted to find something I could become...

Sophomore Nimay Shankar began learning to play the piano from an early age, but he only discovered his passion for music when he began experimenting with the styles of music he played in middle school.  Shankar was in his middle school band when he began learning to play other instruments like percussion, which included many smaller instruments ranging from the snare drum to the cowbell, and dabb...

From playing violin in a youth orchestra to choreographing class dances, freshman Ashley Huang has always been involved in the performing arts. Huang started taking dance and violin classes at a very young age, and her passion for both activities only grew as she discovered the connection between them.  “They really help each other since you’re able to communicate your feelings through both vi...

Introduced to fashion through social media, sophomore Crystal Lee began making her own fashion pieces in seventh grade and has significantly grown her fashion-based Instagram account @_elinamei. She has created a variety of remarkable outfits for Lynbrook’s Indesign Fashion Club ever since.  To Lee, fashion is a means through which she can destress, especially after returning to school following...

Since her early childhood, junior Sophia Khubchandani has been fascinated by cameras. Her passion for photography was inspired by her father, who holds a keen interest in the art. From taking photos of her friends and documenting school events, Khubchandani strives to develop her skills in photography.  “It’s really satisfying to watch something that you make come alive, and it makes me happy to ...

Inspired by fellow streamers and YouTubers, freshman Colin Chow began Twitch streaming during quarantine. Streaming was an opportunity to interact with new people while sharing activities he enjoyed, such as gaming. “For me, streaming is doing what I already love — playing games — as well as meeting new people, another thing I really like,” Chow said. On his Twitch channel, @coincow,...

While his classmates were running outside and playing tag, in second grade, sophomore Sagar Bhatia was learning about financial literacy and investing in the stock market, inspired by his dad and older brother. As a sophomore, Bhatia has started investing in cryptocurrency, paving the way to streamline globalized transactions and trying to find a way to use his knowledge about cryptocurrency to reduce ...

From a very young age, senior Kevin Li has been interested in two subjects that aren’t often paired together: life sciences and history.   “I've always been interested in nature and the ocean, which people tend to avoid because it's pretty mysterious, but I find it fascinating,” Li said. In Li’s freshman year, he joined the science club and Lynbrook’s Ocean Science Bowl team, the latte...

Whether she’s choreographing a dance for Lynbrook Jalwa or hyping up the crowd as an ASB Spirit Commissioner, junior Aneesha Jobi always aims to radiate positive energy and friendliness.  Jobi began exploring dance almost 13 years ago, when her parents noticed her affinity for it and put her in ballet classes. Six months later, she realized that she wasn’t graceful enough for ballet, so she star...

From cross country to basketball to track and field, sophomore Lily Fang keeps busy throughout the school year by participating in a variety of sports. Inspired by her classmates, Fang first began running in elementary school and joined Miller Middle School’s cross country team in seventh grade.  To Fang, running is a means of relaxation, and on the track, she is able to focus solely on runnin...

Particle physics drew the attention of sophomore Priyanka Balaji when she was in her ninth grade biology class. Balaji began to research this topic and reach out to professors and students at colleges. Balaji had one goal in mind — she wanted to conduct research on how to harness energy using particle physics and was interested in following the scientific method to research a significant problem in-d...

A furor of art supplies, markers and canvases surround junior Victoria Dai as she draws and unfolds her creativity onto a piece of paper. Starting from the age of five, Dai attended many classes, including art, dance, piano and viola. However, art was the one class that she enjoyed the most. Her passion for art soon manifested into dreams of becoming an animator or storyboarder. In seventh grade, Dai turne...

Intrigued by his pianist neighbors, senior Yixuan Wong first started playing the piano at the age of five and never lost touch with the keys. A few years later, Wong joined his middle school band and was introduced to the oboe, a woodwind double reed instrument which looks similar to a clarinet.  For many people, playing an instrument after reaching high school with the dedication required to ...

Introduced to Lynbrook’s Engage program by a friend, junior Kate Lee has found tutoring underclassmen to be a remarkably meaningful and impactful experience. Having struggled with the transition between middle school and high school herself, Lee hopes to support underclassmen that are facing the same academic challenges. “Being able to support the incoming freshmen who struggled with the transitio...

From dancing in national competitions to participating in boys dance, dance has always played a significant role in freshman Seth Leung’s life. Experienced in hip hop, tap and jazz, Leung finds dance to be a necessary retreat from the stress that may accompany schoolwork. “I just do it for fun, because it's very relaxing,” Leung said. “You stop thinking about homework and school — when yo...

Through school events, such as Homecoming or rallies, senior Calais Waring has been in the midst of hectic planning and organization since her freshman year. In ninth grade, Waring became interested in student government following her involvement with homecoming. She joined Lynbrook’s Legislative Council, a branch of ASB that deals with clubs and budgeting, to further explore this interest. Moving i...

Senior Alaap Rag cannot remember life without music. When he was four, his mother took him to a local teacher for Indian classical singing lessons. Initially, Rag had a love-hate relationship with it because he disliked the acting aspect of the art, and he was even mocked for his singing in a few instances. However, Rag grew to enjoy it greatly over time. “Because Indian classical music is not rea...

From a young age, freshman Avni Agarwal has been passionate about helping her community, participating in her local Girl Scouts chapter. That passion overflowed into political protest when on May 18, Lynbrook students rallied together to protest the controversial Supreme Court draft that aimed to overturn the historic Roe v. Wade court case. Agarwal was one of five speakers at the protest.  “I...