Seniors of CPS: Hoda Hekmat

Interview conducted by Emnet T.

January 22, 2026

Emnet: So, Hoda, how are you today? 

Hoda: I'm good. How are you? 

Emnet: I'm pretty good.  We're gonna start with rapid-fire questions. So the first question is, what's your favorite Trader Joe's snack?

Hoda: I'd have to say the Power Berries because, like, I could eat fistfuls of them, and honestly I don't feel too guilty about it because they make you feel powerful, you know. Power Berries!

Emnet: I don't think I've actually had those before, but I'm glad you like them. 

Hoda: Highly recommended.

Emnet: Okay, Freshman Physics or Asian Worlds? 

Hoda: This one's tough. They're both very close for me, but I'd have to say Asian Worlds just because I had one of the most memorable finals experiences. Very first final freshman year, Asian Worlds. I'm, like, wearing a mask with tissue stuffed inside because my nose is running, and I'm, like, diseased, and I go in, I take the test in like 45 minutes, and I leave. 

Emnet: 45 minutes? Oh my God.

Hoda: And I literally left, and I went home, ate food, watched TV, and recovered for the next final, but that was pretty crazy.  I think I did good prep in advance for that one.

Emnet: Whoa! That’s crazy, but also, like, really good. Okay, gym deck or student commons?

Hoda: I'd have to say gym deck, no brainer there. Student commons gets really musty. I only spend time in the commons during finals week playing foosball with my friends. 

Emnet: What's your go-to karaoke song? 

Hoda: You put on anything Bruno Mars, I'll probably sing along. 

Emnet: Do you have a favorite one? 

Hoda: Favorite one? That's a good question. I like Uptown Funk a lot.

Emnet: Yeah, that's a really good karaoke song. Okay, so what's the best way to spend a rainy day?

Hoda: I like cozying up inside, putting on some TV, like, maybe watching something on my computer, and, like, drawing or hanging out.

Emnet: Yeah, I think that's a really good way to spend a rainy day. What's your favorite day of the week?

Hoda: Okay, this is between Thursday and Saturday. Saturday is really nice because it's the day when I have the least on my mind technically, but it's also a day when I should probably do work to get it out of the way. But Thursday, since we have the block schedule, is the day where anything assigned that day isn't due until next week, so I feel like it's actually the freest day. Like, you have school the next day, but you also don't have any work that you actually need to worry about at the moment. 

Emnet: I actually agree. I think Thursday is the best day of the week. What's one item on your bucket list?

Hoda: I'd really like to see the Northern Lights at some point in-person. That would be fire. 

Emnet: Yes, those are really pretty. 

Hoda: I think it's really pretty. Have you seen Brother Bear? 

Emnet: No. What's that? 

Hoda: Okay, it's one of the greatest Disney movies of all time, and they have a pretty fire Northern Lights sequence. It’s really cool, and now I want to see the Northern Lights.

Emnet: Ooh, fun! Okay, so time for longer response questions. What is something not a lot of people know about you? 

Hoda: I don't think a lot of people know that I…what do people not know? I speak a third, wait, Spanish doesn't count. I'm technically fluent in two languages because my family is Iranian, so I went to a lot of Farsi school growing up, and so I can read and write Farsi pretty well. Although, it's a little embarrassing when I talk with actual Iranians who are speaking it all the time, because I do have somewhat of an accent that comes out.

Emnet: Yeah, I get that. That's really cool, though. Do you not count Spanish? 

Hoda: I feel like this year is making me feel like my Spanish is worsening. I'm not going to lie, but I can listen to Spanish music and sing along, and that's really all that matters. 

Emnet: Okay! If you could say thank you to one place on campus, what would it be? 

Hoda: I'd have to say thank you to the Baldwin Gymnasium, my absolute go-to. Aside from playing volleyball and sports and whatnot in there, I've been going there for a while. My brother went here a couple of years back, so I've spent four years watching him play basketball in that gym. And now I get to play volleyball with my sister this year. My story at CPS pretty much is in that gym.

Emnet: It's like a whole family thing. That's so cute. I actually love that answer. Okay, what's one of your favorite CPS memories? 

Hoda: So many to choose from. I might have to go with my most recent intraterm. Intraterms are obviously always pretty epic, but my last intraterm was the Midwest Rock and Soul Tour. And the Midwest, for whatever reason, I was under the assumption that, you know, plains and fields, there should be a bunch of fresh produce out there. We had no fruit pretty much the entire trip. So the one time we found, like, a Jamba Juice equivalent in the Midwest, we tweaked out. It was incredible to have something fresh to eat. So that was pretty cool. 

Emnet: Wait, what type of food do they have in the Midwest? 

Hoda: Well, okay, when I think of Midwestern cuisine, the only thing I think of is casseroles and stuff. Not to misrepresent, but when we were out there, we had Culver's, which is, like, a custard place slash fast food sliders type thing. And, like, I don't know, it didn't live up to any hype. 

Emnet: That's okay. But was the smoothie place good? 

Hoda: It was all right. I got an acai bowl for the next day because I was like, if I'm getting fruit, I'm gonna stock up. That one, it didn't hold up very well. But the smoothie was all right.

Emnet:  That's okay. Okay, so moving on to the next question. If you could give advice to your freshman self, what would it be? 

Hoda: I feel like I know this, but it's worth restating and remembering from time to time.

You know yourself best. So listen to gut instincts. It's okay to take into account what other people are saying, but make the decision that feels truest to you regarding stuff.

Emnet: I think that's really good advice. Okay, second to last question, where do you see yourself in five years? 

Hoda: Okay, this one's tough because I don't look ahead and think ahead, for the most part. But in five years' time, I'd like to have some sort of degree. Currently leaning towards psychology, just because it's broad enough that I could take it anywhere, but some sort of degree. And otherwise, I don't really know, I'd love to find out. But I'd love to see a bunch of movies during that time. I'm a big movie person, so. 

Emnet: Ooh yes! I think the next five years have a really good lineup for movies, based on what I've heard.

Hoda: Completely agree. 

Emnet: Our last question is, do you have a photo of yourself from your freshman year and a little story that goes along with it? 

Hoda: I do, and I came prepared, so I have it. (photo below) It's a picture of me and some of my buddies. Freshman year, first school dance, I brought a little bracelet-making kit. And whenever we were tired of dancing, we just went to the gym deck and made some bracelets.

Emnet: That's so cute. I love that. Okay, well, that’s all my questions. Thank you so much.

Hoda in freshman year with a bunch of friends making bracelets during a school dance

Hoda in freshman year with a bunch of friends making bracelets during a school dance