Senior Spotlight: Taryn Flaherty (12-1)

It was really nice when once we did small groups, I got a group of like five girls who were all best friends. I got to talk to them pretty honestly. We talked about mental health and how that relates to family relations, friend relations, themselves. It was a really nice honest conversation. This year, two girls applied to be peer counselors, one of them got to be a peer counselor. Talking with eighth graders is so interesting. They’re so young, yet they're not dumb. They’ve had so many experiences. They’re just learning to articulate them.

This year I have a seventh grade class. They’re pretty mature, but because it's in a virtual setting, only like 10 turn on their camera, and only three of them speak. But they're really active in the chat ya know. Chat goes crazy!

If you could give one piece of advice to your freshman self, what would it be?

I guess, really, hmm, that everyone around me is just as stressed out and working just as hard. I’m not the only one that’s like, “I’m so behind, I don’t know what I'm doing.” Just take a chill pill, calm down, breathe, everything is gonna be fine. Just sit down and study and also put a time limit on your phone.

What was your NHD experience like?

It’s one of the most transformational things I've done. There’s two parts, the topic I did in itself, and then the work I put in. The topic itself is about students fighting for racial justice in their education back in 1967 through walkouts. The parallels between what they did in 1967 and now are really inspiring. It shows us how powerful youth movements are. It was really interesting learning about that and talking to elders. I also liked talking to other students who are passionate about history. Everyone is so excited and knowledgeable about their topics. It was interesting to talk to them. And then going to states and presenting this board that I’m super proud of, it was just like, a wonderful experience. My board wasn’t that pretty at first, so I think I was just saved again and again by my presentation skills and excitement about the topic. It was really difficult, both the regional comp and state comp, I pulled all nighters working on my board. That morning I downed a gallon of coffee and I was like, “Let’s go! I’m ready to go, right here right now.” It was all worth it. At nationals, when we were in the stadium, I didn't think I would win. They called people down starting from fifth place, and I wasn’t in fifth place or fourth, so I was like, “I guess I’m going home, I’m gonna eat some noodles.” But when they called me for second place I was shocked. My sister was there with me, she’s my number one fan, I love her.

My research through NHD also led me to apply for a state marker, and actually get the state marker. It was even more work doing research and talking to people. But I was in a group, thank god. The marker is not up yet. The pandemic literally hit right as I got the letter accepting the application. They do a ceremony with the state marker. We wanted to invite all of the elders from 1967. They’ve done wonderful work. The marker is really for them and the entire city. It will eventually go at the former board of education building.

What are your hopes and dreams for after high school?

Honestly, I don’t know what I want to do in life. I thought I knew what my major was going to be, like a political science or a sociology major. But now I’m looking at cognitive science and psychology. We’ll see about that. I just know that wherever I end up for college or even after college, I want to be doing community work. In college, what I'm really looking for is how public service works at the school, and how strong their racial, educational, gender justice service work base is. That’s what I’ve always been involved with. If it's not my full career, it’s going to be a big part of my life. I just aspire for my job to help people, no matter what it is, depending on the field.

If you could add a class to Masterman, what would it be?

There are so many I could choose from. First, I would definitely say psychology and sociology. It is so interesting, learning how people think, especially around mental health, and how that affects people’s lives. Also, very few times do we bring social work into the classroom. Actually studying it would be very interesting. If you’re going into it, you have to know the history and the vocabulary. I’d take that class right away. But also, I’d like it if in history classes we could go more in depth into East Asian Studies. Both my older sister and my dad minored in East Asian studies. I think I might too, I love history and learning about history. We never really learn about Asian American History, we mention the Gold Rush, Japanese internment camps, and maybe the Chinese Exclusion Act. That’s it, that’s all Asian Americans get.

What’s your favorite quote or motto?

I don’t have one off the top of my head. My mom rules her life by, she said this one day, “Show up and slay.” By slay she means both fashionably and intellectually. That’s how I live my life. She’s really into fashion, all of her outfits and work clothes are coordinated. I incorporate that idea into my life as a teanager. There’s something about feeling like you look good and on top of that, totally destroying someone in a debate. I do live my life by preparing for when I'm going to argue with someone, I prepare, I practice, and I know you have to look good when doing it.

What was your favorite book?

Crime and Punishment. It was so interesting. The climax of the novel happened in the first hundred pages. I never read a book that was straight up a character study. It is so interesting to watch his mental state evolve through these different sectors of seeing a horse get beaten or his mom checking in on him. Those factors so drastically change his mind. What really made it great were the conversations in class. I’m glad Mr. Neale guided us through that in tenth grade.

Do you have a hidden talent?

I can do an aerial. I used to do a very acrobatic type of martial arts. When I was twelve I learned how to do an aerial on concrete. It was scary but I learned how to do it.

What has it been like creating the United Minorities Council?

Brandon Archer (12-1) and I created the United Minorities Council this year. It is a united base for a collective student voice in our administration. We are pushing for transparency in the admissions processes and working to have students involved in protocols for reporting discrimiantion and harassment. I feel like separately students have wanted to do this, but now we have actually come together and [created] the UMC. If it continually has strong leaders, I think it can become a reckoning force at Masterman.