Humans of CHS

“I sometimes feel inferior because I’m in a lot of STEM fields and I’ll look around me and I’ll see a room full of guys. I’ll see that I’m the only girl in this project, and even though we live in 2017 and we’ve made a lot of changes to the movement of giving women equal rights, in smaller situations, the inferiority is really prevalent and it’s hard to ignore. I never tell people that...

“I like to challenge myself. In running, you are going against other people so there’s that external factor that’s challenging you, but you’re also running against yourself because running is an uncomfortable sport, so you have to, not really get used to it, but accept it, which is a challenge in itself.”

“The last time I can specifically pinpoint a time where I was really alive or really happy was when I went back to China over the summer. I went back to my dad’s side of the family, and I haven’t been back in a really long time. My dad has a lot of siblings, so I have a lot of cousins back in China (and) I hadn’t seen them in so long. We were eating outside of our farm, and it was super lat...

“There are probably two events that really changed my life. My youngest daughter was premature, so it was a tough road for her, but through all of that, it taught me a lot of patience (and) a lot of kindness. She still teaches me a lot. She’s quite the fighter. She’s a student here actually at Carmel High School; she’s a junior. So that was probably one of the most difficult. And then just two su...

Senior Audrey Burdick is no ordinary dancer; she is a ballerina. Dancing ballet 25 hours a week for the Central Indiana Academy of Dance, Burdick commits her life to dance, and said she plans to continue her commitment throughout college at the University of Cincinnati, majoring in dance performance, and after at a professional level. According to Burdick, ballet is different from other forms of d...

“A moment that would change who I was is probably losing (basketball) regionals all three years because the pain is still with me. We play with so much heart and it really makes us realize that you can’t just talk the talk. You need to actually do something in order to strive for your goal and sometimes you work so hard and still trip at the finish line, but it just always teaches us to stay com...

“There’s a lot of stereotypes (about autism). It’s just like if you really have autism, then you’re just really shy and you don’t talk that much and obviously, I’m the exact opposite… I can see (autism) is really hard for anyone to understand. I mean, it’s even hard for me—even having it. It’s even hard for me to explain what exactly I’m struggling with. People say the only peop...

“A lot of high schoolers have jobs, especially as waiters or waitresses. This is more special for me though, because my family actually owns the restaurant I work at: Cafe Korea.  Of course, a main priority for me is to give a helping hand in running my family’s business, but I also do value that it helps me save money for college and provides me with valuable work experience. We serve mainly...

As an Egyptian-American, sophomore Peter Messiha has a unique journey as a student of Carmel High School. Till recently, Messiha said hadn’t completely embraced his identity. He said, “I used to be self-conscious about a lot of things, I’m Egyptian, I don’t fit in, but now it’s not that big of a deal. I’ve just accepted it and it’s easier to live with.” He said he was able to navigate his journey ...

“So my tongue—it’s 3/16 of an inch off of the world record for the widest tongue. That is, unless (the record has) been broken.”

“I’ve had plenty of mistakes and plenty of successes. I think the most important thing is that I’ve been the kind of person that doesn’t get discouraged by failure or setbacks. I’m rather someone who learns from those things, and I try to figure out what I can do today that is better than the day before.”

“My mother’s grandmother and grandfather met in a work concentration camp in Siberia during World War II. They were drafted to build railroads. My mom is from Sweden and she came to America as an exchange student. My dad was born in Colombia and his dad is from Iran. If you look up my last name ‘Fallahi’ on Google, one of my family members shows up. He’s a famous musician in Iran, but I’ve...

“I’m really passionate about running because I like it a lot, and it’s really fun. I started running in fourth grade, when I joined Pup’s Running. It was mostly just because (of) my family — my older brother’s a runner, my younger sister’s a runner. No one really played football, so I kind of just decided because everyone else was (running). I mean, I still liked football, (but)...I was...

“I’ve always been very curious about how things work. When I was little, my sister and I would always break things to see how they work. We would throw a dollhouse down the stairs and break it so we could see how it worked. Now that I’m older, I’m more interested in how psychological relationships work.”

“I’m in the marching band here at CHS. Marching band is a lot of hard work and is quite stressful, but when you win it is really worth it. Winning Grand Nationals was probably the most memorable part of marching band, winning felt really good because we beat everyone else in the country.”

Just after college, therapist Joey McGill worked as an accountant, but she was unhappy. It was then that she opted for a change. She said, “I was lost; I didn’t know what to do in college. The biggest thing is that I had no idea. That’s probably the most lost I’ve ever felt: when I went to college. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life; I didn’t have a certain interest other ...

“I really love the unified sports at Carmel High School. I am currently one of the captains for the unified football team and being around the students with disabilities just really inspires me to have a better day.”

“The time I felt most alive was last summer. I was with my brother and my sister, and we went to an amusement park the entire day. All day it was the typical amusement park. But we stayed until after dark and my brother, sister and I went on this one roller coaster during the day, but when we went on it at night, it felt like something in the air kind of switched, and it was like this buzz of el...

“Being Colombian is important to me because it allows me to be able to connect with people throughout the world regardless of nationality, because we speak the same language—Spanish. This helps me grow as a person because not only do I have the opportunity to interact with English speakers, but also Spanish speakers.”

“I like balance in my life; a mix of good and bad experiences keeps me in touch with being realistic about expectations and the things happening around me. Around middle school, when I was entering a bigger school, there were a lot of people I didn’t know and being around that sort of environment, especially when things can get a little hectic and where people are trying to fit in, that’s whe...

“I always get asked what my race is. No one knows that I’m half-Korean and half-Persian until I tell them, and it can be frustrating sometimes... Although I sometimes still feel like the odd one out, I finally feel like I fit in with my friends, and I think it’s very important for people to find where they belong.”

“I am often troubled with wanting to appear perfect, or wanting to seem to be put together and seem prepared even though I’m not because I’m often scared to ask questions when I need to. If you’re looking to prove you’re smart, you will be able to prove how by learning all the time instead of just learning when you’re at home or just at school or just when people are watching you. It ta...

“We turn normal people into ballroom dancers. We just take people who don’t know anything about dancing and we teach them a few steps and some technique and eventually they become quite good at what they do.”

“My greatest struggle in life has been being five-foot since I was in sixth grade. Multiple people just ask me if I’m ever going to grow and not only has it affected how people look at me, but how I think about myself.”

“I’m part of Select Sound, which is the audition only a capella group, and what we do during the holidays is go around to retirement homes, other schools, charities (and) fundraisers, and we carol. It’s really good because not only do we draw a lot of people in, (but it’s also) good for us to go out and do something that we enjoy as volunteer work. It’s a great opportunity for some peop...

“I play on the basketball team. It’s impacted me because we have players that come in and push each other every day, and it’s helped me off the basketball court.”

“One of my proudest achievements is making the Ambassadors choir because it has been a goal of mine since I was little and I always watched them perform and I always wanted to do that, so when I made the choir it was really exciting. It just shows hard work pays off because I had to work really hard to get there. I was really excited. I think I screamed and I just got really excited and wanted to m...

“Christmas tree sales happen at Carmel United Methodist Church, my church, and we basically do the sales to make money for our mission trips that the youth goes on, and the rest of the money goes to the church. It’s a great experience to help other people get a tree and help yourself in the future to get the experience to go on a trip. Those sales go toward those trips to go help people. We bu...

“The time that I felt most alive actually was at a concert because I was just in the moment when they were playing the song. It was so loud and there were so many people around me jumping around and enjoying the music. I felt alive.”

“I normally go with my church, and we go to either a food pantry or a food kitchen. We provide meals and clothing for people that don’t have a lot of things. It feels really good to give back to people because we have so much and we don’t really realize it. There are so many people in the world who don’t really get to have as much during the holidays. So if I can just make people feel a little...

“I’ve just become really used to getting straight A’s and trying to do as well as I possibly can in everything. I think that makes it more difficult to accept when you don’t do as well and have to accept failure… That’s really one of my biggest struggles.”30

“During the holidays, I do a lot to help out, specifically through my church. I often help out at the Carmel United Methodist food pantry which is really eye opening. I also sell Christmas trees in the parking lot to help raise money for the Youth Program which I am very active in. It’s like a family and we all help each other out. It’s pretty great!”

“It’s kind of hard to live with my grandparents, especially being the only kid living there. Because they are two generations older than me, they don’t really understand some things that parents would. Also, people get confused by my situation and always ask me to explain why I’m living with my grandparents.”

“More than anything, (having adopted my daughter) forces me to create more work-life balance. It was very easy for me to focus on work, work, work. Having her, I feel like I have a lot more balance and that’s something that I want, that I like. Sometimes you come home with stress and you’re worried about things at school and then there’s this little person, and none of it seems important in ...

“My New Year’s resolution is to be more positive and to be more optimistic because I believe that positivity creates kindness, so everyone will be kind to each other. If I’m more nice, then everyone else will be more nice.”

“What I do to give back during the holidays is create a campaign raising money to buy toys and gift cards for the children and families battling cancer this holiday season. My goal is instead of bringing awareness, it is to bring joy to those who may be going through some dark times in such a joyful time. I believe that as a community and a group of people we can come together and help each other.�...

“I’m a Christian, and some of the best advice I’ve gotten from people is to trust God and that he has a plan for you. When I’m struggling with stuff or I have too much homework or I’m put in a situation that I don’t like, I’ll just sort of be like, ‘Oh, that’s probably just what I’m supposed to go through. It’s okay, everything will be okay, and there’ll be a better ending ...

“My New Year’s resolutions are to save a little money, lose weight—that’s every year though- and get my garage cleaned out eventually; I have been doing that for four years now. (The garage) needs it bad.”

“My New Year’s resolution is to no longer cut my hair because I no longer care about bodily grooming.”

“I just feel like it’s not really okay to  go around and be mean to people all the time. I understand saying joking things to friends and stuff, but walking up to a random person and being a jerk to them is not okay. I saw a lot of people get bullied in middle school. Even if someone does something, even if they’re being mean themselves and they’re warranting that kind of response, all it do...

“(My New Year’s Resolutions) for this year are to stop procrastinating and to get straight A’s this semester. I did really bad first semester, so I really want to try and do better this semester.”

I like photography, so pairing fashion and photography together is cool. And sometimes, if I see a really out-there piece at Goodwill or something, I’ll pair that with a regular pair of jeans if it’s for a shoot. But I’ll never do that for regular purposes. I shoot people, so I do portraiture, and so if they have a crazy piece in their wardrobe, or they don’t typically pair stuff together,...

“My New Year’s Resolution is to get my rise ball (in softball) pretty good, get the spin going. Also, get my change up consistently down.”

“(I have certain pins on my backpack showing LGBTQ+ support because) I am president of the GSA, and also because I use (these pins) as a way for people to know who I am. It’s a way to express myself, and so people know that this is me. I want to be a safe person, I’m pretty open-minded. (These pins) help people notice me more, and people compliment me on my pins. I don’t know what the people ...

I follow a lot of models on Instagram, and a lot of them have this thing where they’ll post an outfit of the day, so every time I’d be scrolling through my front page, I’d see stuff I thought was really interesting, and I would want to find something like that and put it together. I realized that a lot of the time you have a lot of the pieces to go in your outfit in your wardrobe. ...

“I feel like (songwriting) is a really good way for me to express exactly what I want to say to everyone in the world without them really knowing it’s coming from me because I write under a pseudonym a lot… When I was little, my mom used to come into my room and we used to just make up songs off the top of our heads, so when I got older I wrote them down. Then, when I was 10, I called this record...

“(Gender nonconformity) is a topic that frequently comes up during discussion. I think a lot of that is just teenagers who are generally trying to figure out their place, and that can be even more challenging for someone who doesn’t fit the ‘norm.’ I think it’s natural for everyone to be unsure. We talk about things like that as they come up.”

"I’d say my style… I definitely enjoy being comfortable, but it’s kind of nice especially if people point out your outfit; it’s a little bit of validation, of course. Especially in high school compared to middle school, there’s a lot more emphasis on dressing nice, and teachers definitely notice that as well. Usually I follow a rule, like one half tight and one half should be loose, so that it can ...

“I used to be really involved in DECA, I still I am, but I used to be in love with DECA, DECA was like my life and everything I did and I was pretty good at it but sometimes you put in a lot of work for something and you don’t get that recognition that you want, it really makes you question how successful you were or your own measure of self-worth in that moment. But at the same time, you have...

"Just over the summer, I started looking at fashion related sites. I did a bit more research and I realized that I didn’t dress that well. I think that fashion and clothes play a large part in who I am because I guess it’s a form of self-expression. It’s just because you can wear whatever you want, and I think it also played a big role in my self-image. I looked back on myself and thought there w...

“I realized that dreams do come true, I don’t know, because this whole being a senior thing, and I’m headed off to college in a few months and I’ve been waiting for all my college acceptances and rejections and everything, and after I got accepted by my top school, I was like ‘Oh! Okay, so dreams do come true!’”