“A rare sighting in the wild”
Photo creds: Linh.
Sawan G., Senior– Interview conducted by Araddhya Tibrewall
April 27, 2023: It’s the beginning of the 2nd block. It’s the kind of bright, joyful sun that makes park enthusiasts happy, because there are rare sightings in the wild, although senioritis is neither rare nor in the wild. Sawan exemplifies it though. I click record. “Welcome Sawan.” The interview has begun…
Araddhya:
What’s up, Sawan?
Sawan:
Hi Araddhya.
Araddhya:
How’s your day?
Sawan:
I’m doing well, but like right now, I have to sit with you, so that’s bringing my day down. But otherwise I’m doing well.
Araddhya:
We just started out with some sauce. Okay.
Sawan:
IS THAT GONNA BE IN THE INTERVIEW? (excitedly and childishly) No we’re starting over. No, no, no, we’re starting over.
Linh interrupts us, asking to take a photo of us basking in the sunlight, and laughing at the fact that Sawan was (once again childishly) reading a book upside down. She is deeply overcome by her emotions, and sends the photograph to Campus News.
Araddhya:
Moving on, if you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, which song would you choose?
Sawan:
Industry Baby by Lil Nas X, featuring Jack Harlow.
Araddhya:
Why?
Sawan:
It’s my anthem. It’s my go-to hype song. And everybody associates it with me.
Araddhya:
What is something unique about you that your classmates might not know?
Sawan:
I said this in my last interview too, but that I did a lot of sports in middle school. I played, like, all the sports, and I was not a drama kid. I was a ballet performance arts kid, and then I totally became a sports kid, and now I’m a drama kid. I played basketball, volleyball, soccer, and golf for one season.
Araddhya:
Looking back at your experience at CPS, what is something that you will never forget? This can be a sports team, intraterm, a conversation, a group team…
Sawan:
I will remember a couple of things. I will remember our retreats for sure—those have been highlights of my experience here. I particularly remember junior retreat well—that was a highlight—and also, like snow trips and other retreats. I will also remember some excellent classes I’ve taken, like constitutional law and molecular genetics. Those have been great intellectual spaces, but also amazing communities and great teachers. All the teachers I’ve had at CPS have been fantastic. And all those tech weeks before performances, whether it be CHOREO or drama performances. Late nights at school preparing for a show.
Araddhya:
What are you looking forward to in the future? This can be college, your summer, you last few weeks here…
Sawan:
What am I looking forward to? I am looking forward to spending as much time in the next month with my friends and family. Just, like, leaving CPS on a high note, feeling like I have strong relationships, that I did everything I wanted to do here, and just having a completion and closure that feels satisfying.
Araddhya:
Last question, have fun with it—if you could say thank you to one room at CPS, what would it be?
Sawan:
This one’s easy for me. I’ve spent a lot of time in that dark hole of a place. And yeah, I’ve spent so much time there, and I didn’t realize coming into CPS how much the Buttner Auditorium would mean to me, how much drama would mean to me, and so, I’m gonna continue that in college for sure, and that’s something that CPS has given me—a huge part of my interest and time is with drama and I have to thank the auditorium and CPS for that.
Araddhya:
We hope you come back to our shows.
Sawan:
Never. I would hate to come back to your shows.
Araddhya:
Thank you Sawan.
Sawan:
(no response, needs prodding)
Araddhya:
Say, “thank you, Araddhya.”
Sawan:
Thank you, Araddhya.