Senior Spotlight: Miranda Pan (12-3)
Anna O’Neill-Dietel (12-3)
Photo courtesy of Miranda Pan (12-3)
What are some of your favorite high school memories?
Number one would have to be preparing for last year’s musical. We only had one show, but that whole process of getting the set together was pretty fun. Last year when we did Wonka, I was the one who made the design for the wall. We worked on that a lot. It took a long time to paint, but we got it together before the show. The year we did Shrek, that set was really fun to build, and the wall looked amazing.
What was being part of that last show like?
[The cancellation] was really abrupt, [and] it was really depressing. I am also in the production crew-that’s the people in black moving stuff around the stage. It was really sad because it was so short notice. We learned the day of. I feel really bad for the cast too.
What are stage crew’s plans for the future?
We might design Zoom backgrounds for play. Our big priority right now is to go back to school and take down the backdrops and dismantle the parts of the set that need to be dismantled because they are still up. Unfortunately there’s not much we can do right now.
What is virtual school like for you?
Virtual school is fun, my friends and I call everyday which is nice. Earlier this year I was not talking to anyone; it was kinda hard. I definitely miss getting to goof around in class. Getting to learn things in class but still get to be goofy, you know? All the extracurriculars we’ve lost, that’s been rough.
You have a younger brother, Alivin. what’s it like doing virtual school with a sibling?
Yes, sometimes Alvin and I are in the same room, right. Sometimes we both have breakout rooms at the same time and we have to coordinate when we turn our mikes on and when we don’t turn our mikes on, because like, one of us will be talking, and the other person will be talking and it will be difficult. Otherwise it's not that hard, we’re just kinda chilling in class.
Any takeaways from quarantine so far?
It’s very easy to mess up my sleep schedule!
You’re in band. Can you talk about that experience?
I play percussion, so that’s drums, and basically anything you would hit, the triangle, the snare drum, the cymbal, anything like that, that’s me. I’m in All City every year, and playing the repertoire there is really fun because I get to play things that I don't usually get to play in school because our bandroom is so small. So, we have a lot of opportunities to play harder music and more fun music. Back in ninth grade I played for the musical, and that was really fun. It was a nice time.
In a COVID-19 free world, where would you travel if you could travel anywhere?
I’ve always wanted to go to Australia! It’s really pretty, and it has some really interesting wildlife there. I really want to see all the nature and hang out. I want to see a kangaroo and a koala, and see the great barrier reef.
If you could live in one fictional world, what would it be?
I would have to say living in the world of Avatar The Last Airbender would be so cool. It would be scary, but it would be so cool. Everyone can control the elements, it would be epic. If I could control one element, I would be a water bender. You can actually do really useful things, like drying your clothes or drying your phone. I spill my water on everything I read, so if I could dry it out. That would be awesome!
If you could give one piece of advice to your freshman self, what would it be?
Take the chances you can to hang out with people. School is busy and you might not get that chance again. Especially with the pandemic, I definitely missed out on stuff that could have been, that I just didn’t do. I won’t have the chance again. Take your chances when you can get them.
What are your hopes and dreams for after high school?
I kinda want to be happy and satisfied. Get into college, hopefully get a job. I hope to still be playing music because that’s a big part of my life. Wherever life takes me, I’ll go. I also want a cat… and a dog. I’ve never had a pet before and I really want one. That’s the dream.