As the school year comes to an end, we take time to recognise one of the many students in the class of 2025, Esha Quazi. A dedicated student at Athens Drive High School, Esha has worked hard both in and out of the classroom. Over the past four years, she has made efforts through clubs like the National Honor Society and the South Asian Student Association. As she reflects on her high school journey, it’s clear to see Esha’s passion and dedication.
Esha Quazi will be attending Penn State University in the fall and is double majoring in forensic science and journalism. She has a wide range of passions and interests, and she’s most excited to experience the college lifestyle and take it all in for herself.
“My dad went to Penn State when he went to college, and I’m excited to experience the same place he went to, but it will be me experiencing it, so it will be very cool to just see his college through my own eyes,” said Quazi.
Senior year can fly by quickly and at times, can feel unreal when all deadlines and practices are done and graduation is around the corner. Quazi shares her perspective on the upcoming graduation.
“I keep going in between these feelings of like ‘oh i’m so excited for graduation its all I can think about too, but im also sad i am leaving this place cause I like Athens’ so it’s a weird mix of emotions that I think many won’t understand until they graduate, but it hasn’t hit for me yet. I think it’ll hit me like the day before I graduate,” said Quazi.
Teacher Daniela Osegueda nominated Quazi for the senior spotlight. Quazi stood out to Osegueda, who encourages Quazi as she moves forward and to stay true to herself.
“I chose Esha for the senior spotlight after having her in Spanish 4 this semester and getting to know her. Teaching her this semester has been exciting. She’s a very friendly student who easily brightens my day. One of my favorite things about having her in class is the amusing stories she will share,” said Osegueda.
Quazi shares her love for writing, such as poetry and short stories. She spoke during the Athens Drive spoken word night, which expressed her creativity and passion.
“I’ve always liked to write, but it was after taking Mr. Peter’s creative writing classes that made me realize how much I loved it. I think telling stories is a really fun way to communicate with people, so writing has always been really fun for me and meant a lot to me,” said Quazi.
Quazi shared a special moment on stage during the spoken word night. After the event, Ms.Osegueda is impressed and captivated by the performance and shares her thoughts and experience.
“I had the pleasure of seeing her read one of her poems during the spoken word night in April. I hadn’t realized that she was going to perform, and I was happy I had the opportunity to hear her poetry,” said Osegueda.
High school can introduce us to friends and people we never thought we would meet. Quazi gained a friendship in high school, which is one of her favorite memories from her high school years that she thinks about often.
“She came up to me and was like ‘Hey, I think we have another class together, I don’t know where our fourth period is though, do you think you can take us there?’ I said, ‘Yeah, sure,’ and we ended up getting lunch together. She told me that she did know where that class was. She just wanted an excuse to talk to me, and I thought it was sweet, and it’s one of my favorite memories,” said Quazi.
Quazi shares another memorable moment from her high school years that she thinks about frequently. Quazi has taken three of Peters’ classes and he has been one of her favorite teachers. A moment in his creative writing class made Quazi feel recognized and seen without being told, highlighting Mr. Peter’s thoughtfulness.
“I was trying to find this really specific book I like and I couldn’t find it. So he gave me a really good book recommendation, and the author was from Bangladesh, that’s where my family is from. It was thoughtful of him, it was like a short story book and it was perfect and it was exactly what I was looking for; he recognized what I wanted without having to explain,” said Quazi.
Quazi has grown since her freshman year of high school, socially and emotionally. She has grown out of her shell and has opened up more to those around her. She shared advice to any rising seniors and other students as a word of encouragement before she leaves high school.
“Be kind to everyone you know, you never know what somebody is going through. Don’t do it in the hopes that you’ll get something out of it. It made me more of a positive person. It doesn’t hurt to smile at someone in the hallway or ask how they’re doing. Take every opportunity you get or anything you’re interested in, I’ve come and realized ‘oh I wish I had started doing this sooner’ cause it’s a lot more fun. It will open a lot of doors for you that you didn’t think were there,” said Quazi.
