From Hun Today: Meet Our Students

Curious. Talented. Passionate. These are just some of the words that describe the 650 Middle and Upper School students that comprise our community. They are what make the School buzz with energy and reverberate with kindness. Here, you will meet several students and see why they inspire us, teach us something new every day, and most of all, make us proud.

Nithya Borra ’20

IF NITHYA BORRA’S SCHEDULE LEAVES YOU SPINNING, that isexactly how she wants it. After all, this senior is captivated by dance, spending an average of fifteen to eighteen hours in the studio each week. Inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior, Nithya now serves as treasurer. She chairs the Princeton chapter of Future Young Leaders for Humanity and helped raise funds to build a multi-specialty hospital in a rural community in South India (which she also visited this past summer). And, she proposed a bill to the New Jersey State Senate. “My parents both commute to New York on NJ Transit and I wanted to know why there were so many problems with the train,” she explains. She dove into research, discovering that engineers quit for higher pay elsewhere, and proposed a bill suggesting higher wages during an internship with a state senator. Nithya, whose twin sister attends The Peddie School, is not afraid to step out on her own, which is why she is considering forging a path in gender studies—with a minor in dance, naturally.

Kobe Stewart ’21

KOBE STEWART DID NOT JUST PACK A WINTER JACKET when he left home in North Carolina for Princeton this year. The new junior also packed plenty of enthusiasm. Kobe became familiar with Hun two years ago when he took an SAT prep course here during the summer and he has been smitten ever since. Now, as he jokes that winter will take a little getting used to, he is already immersed in the community and relishing the international flavor of the Hun campus. “People come together from all around the world here.” As for Kobe, you will often find him with a charcoal pencil or paintbrush in hand in the art studio. “I have always loved art but I started getting really serious in my freshman year.” Portraits are his favorite, which should come as no surprise since this strong science student plans to marry his two passions with a career in plastic surgery.

Kiera Hahn ’22

STUDENTS WHO WONDER IF THEY WILL BE HOMESICK as aboarding student ought to meet Kiera Hahn. The sophomore, characterized by her perpetual, warm smile, is quick to say it is just the opposite. “I am so close to my friends here that I actually worry that I will be homesick for Hun when I go home.” As the youngest of five girls, Kiera knew that she wanted to follow in her two older sisters’ footsteps and attend boarding school, but she strayed from the pack when it came to school selection. “They both went to Lawrenceville, but I chose Hun for its energy. It was a better fit for my personality.” When she is not in her dorm with friends from Mexico, Korea, Maryland, and other destinations, she spends her time sharing her perspective on the boarding community as a Red Shield Society tour guide and as a member of the fashion club. Kiera is also a bookworm with a passion for writing and a penchant for history.

Michael Jolly ’23

FOR MICHAEL JOLLY, who spent his younger years at a tight-knitCatholic school, small classes were a non-negotiable when considering high school. “I like having the one-on-one access to teachers,” he explains. Michael, a two-sport athlete, was introduced to Hun during summer basketball and baseball camps, but was convinced to attend after speaking with former schoolmates who made the transition to Hun. It is the same conversation he enjoys having with prospective students as a tour guide with the Red Shield Society. “I know that kids have a lot of questions but they’re nervous to ask, so I provide answers to the questions I know I had.” Michael’s competitive drive is not just visible on the basketball court and the baseball field; he also enjoys the intellectual sparring of Model UN. Math and science are his favorite subjects and his dual interests in sports and science have him weighing a future in medicine, “maybe even as a team doctor.”

Olivia Spektor ’24

OLIVIA SPEKTOR IS GLAD SHE LISTENED to her older brothers. The twins, now sophomores at The Hun School, “came home with the most amazing stories about their experiences,” she says. Their positive experiences influenced Olivia, who chose to enter Hun in sixth grade and has never looked back. “I love Hun because of the people. It’s small, so you really get to know everyone, and the best part is that I know everyone here is a friend.” Olivia, who plays on travel basketball and soccer teams in addition to her School teams, is now finishing her final year in the Middle School as an eighth grader and is looking forward to joining her twin brothers in the Upper School. Particularly motivated by math—“I love doing equations because they just make sense”—she is also planning to continue studying Latin, a subject she was surprised to discover she enjoys. “I honestlythought it would be so hard, but Dr. Talboy is an amazing teacher. He makes it so much fun to learn.”