It’s a sunny day, a whopping 101 degrees Fahrenheit and we decide to talk outside. Sheela and Karina sit on the bench outside Mrs. Terpning’s room and Kira arrives later to stand in front of us. Kira, with a fierce and vibrant personality that also extends to her hair, is known for her role in many school plays.
Like Kira, Karina is also known for her roles TGS musicals. She stands out with her angelic singing and calming demeanor. Described by Kira and Karina as energetic, enthusiastic, and sassy, Sheela is the editor in chief of “The Gregorian Chant,” the school newspaper, and an incredibly intelligent person. Kira, Karina, and Sheela make a wonderful mix of personalities and interviewing them is honestly the most entertaining way to spend my time.
“So how is senior year going?” I begin the interview.
Karina immediately puts her head in her hands. “Oh my god.”
Sheela is dying. Not because of homework, but because senioritis hit her early. “Like, what’s the point?” she asks.
Karina nods. “I didn’t understand the concept of senioritis and then I entered the classroom this year and was like, ‘Wait, I have to, like, pay attention and do work? Why?’”
Kira sums up senior year as “a perpetual state of tired and freaking out because [of] college.”
While these girls have been together for only three years so far, it feels like longer. Taking a leap back in time, I listen to the stories of how Kira, Karina, and Sheela first met.
“I met Kira in seventh grade on the first day of school,” Sheela tells me.
“And Karina we met freshman year probably on the freshman trip,” Kira recalls. “Sheela and I were pretty close by sophomore year… but then, Karina kinda jumped into the group.”
“Pretty much,” Karina sighs.
“More like we harassed her into joining our little group,” Sheela says.
Although Kira, Karina, and Sheela have only been together as a group for a year, they have already created great memories. While many of these stories are secret, I was lucky enough to hear a summary of the New York Carnegie Hall trip from last year.
“I would say one of our more appropriate memories together are probably,” Kira pauses to think. “Pretty much the whole time in New York. We got to room together and we just had a great time laughing at each other’s stupid jokes…”
“A lot of late-night laughing after we’d had too many Oreos,” Sheela adds.
Kira smiles at the memory. “We just got to hang out, which was nice.”
We talk about the future: college, goals, and life in general. None of the girls know exactly what they want to do when they grow up, or which college they will go to, but they have important life goals.
In one breath Sheela quickly says, “I hope I’m a good person; I hope I give back to the community; I hope I have integrity.”
“I have a subgoal and a main goal,” Kira says. “The subgoal is to, well, survive, because apparently the world is supposed to end in 2050. So, I’d like to have it not end in 2050. Second, if it doesn’t end and I do live out a long, natural life, I would like to do something that changes the world for the better.” We turn to Karina.
“Eep,” Karina shrinks and clings to her plum. “I just wanna be happy. It’s my life motto.”
Whether their life goal is to be happy, to be a good person, or simply to survive the apocalypse, Karina, Kira, and Sheela have bright futures ahead of them. If you ever want to get to know them, you will usually find them in Dr. Gallo’s room, laughing together as adorable friends do.
Written by Karen Jie (copy editor)