A look at the interesting extracurriculars around Samo

Samohi students Zane Tahvildaran-Jesswein, Sidd Wali, Henry Hume, Willow Battista and Danial Asaria Share their fascinating talents. They’re dancing around the world, making music for the mind, lending a helping hand to charity and become a national chess champion. For Samo Ballet Dancer, Everyday is Leap Day The Samo campus is overflowing with avid dancers of many different styles, and one stand-out Samo student is Zane Tahvildaran-Jesswein (’21). He was introduced to ballet at the age of four thanks to his sister. Since then, he has developed into a talented dancer and often travels internationally to perform with different dance companies, including the American Ballet Theatre in New York. “I have continued to [dance], as I have an incredible respect for the art and it’s a way for me to stay in really good shape,” Tahvildaran-Jesswein said.  On average, Tahvildaran-Jesswein is at his dance studio for about 20 hours per week. Before shows, he may even attend up to 30 hours of rigorous training in one week. On top of this, he also spends a considerable amount of time travelling for competitions. He recently returned from a two week international Beijing tourism expo in China, where he danced non-stop each day alongside representatives from over 20 different countries. Each student performed traditional dances reflecting on their respective cultures and Tahvildaran-Jesswein’s was influenced by 50’s jive.  While he is a member of the Westside Ballet Company, Tahvildaran-Jesswein spends most of his time training with Yvonne Mounsey, an original member of the Balanchine Trust and former student of world-renowned ballet choreographer George Balanchine. However, he also trains with other well-respected names in the dance world, such as Robert Fairchild, Tiler Peck, Ethan Stifiel and Francis Veyette. One of his favorite experiences of his ballet career so far is the time he spent with Ethan Stifiel and the American Ballet Theater.  “Attending an intensive training under someone as prestigious as Ethan Stifiel was an incredibly challenging and unique experience for which I am very grateful I was given,” Tahvildaran-Jesswein said.  Tavhildaran-Jesswein spends hours each week perfecting his dance routines and technique, but to him, the time commitment is well worth it, seeing as he aims to pursue a career in ballet. He is planning on auditioning into a company straight out of high school and attending college later in life. No matter what fate has in mind for Tahvildaran-Jesswein, he will always be passionate about the intricate dance called ballet.  Samo student makes more than just musicSamo student Sidd Wali (’21) has proved to be a strong believer in the power of music. He spends his weekends visiting various nursing homes and serenading the elderly with his saxophone. Recently, he founded a club at Samo called Music for the Mind in an attempt to recruit other student musicians to play alongside him at the nursing homes. Jake Dreifort (’20) is one of many to have accompanied Wali on his outings. “My favorite part was playing with my peers but also knowing that it was for a good cause… It felt good knowing that we were playing for their enjoyment,” Dreifort said.  Although his club is new this year, Wali has been performing for the nursing home residents since he was a freshman. The inspiration originated from Wali’s own health complications during elementary school. As a child, his illness forced him to take a multiple week hiatus from school, but his music was there to help him overcome these challenges. “Music helped me get through a very rough part of my life and it helped me heal as well. After my experience, I do believe that music helps heal the mind so I thought it would be great to share my love of music with people who don’t get much attention,” Wali said.   Spending his weekends performing for the elderly has become a time commitment for Wali, but he sincerely enjoys all his performances and the meaningful impact he is imploring on other’s lives. In fact, Wali tends to look forward to performing for the nursing home residents. It also provides a chance for him to practice and perfect pieces in front of a live audience. He hopes that more of his Samo peers will join his club and take advantage of the additional opportunities to rehearse their songs. Wali plans to continue with his weekly visits to the nursing homes for as long as his busy life permits. He enjoys making the residents, who otherwise do not get much attention, feel valued. Their happiness is what encourages Wali to continue making these trips to the nursing homes. “There was [once] a 99 year old woman who got up from her wheelchair and clapped for me. The nurse said that she hadn’t gotten up in months. I was very touched that she liked the music that much,” Wali said.  These Students Go Above and Beyond (American Borderlines) for Their Community Service While many people dream of travelling the world and helping those in need, Henry Hume (’20) and Willow Battista (’20) have already made this dream their reality. Each year, Hume and Battista fly to the Luwero district in Uganda to work with a charity called Just Like My Child. Their main focuses are to change social norms surrounding rape, HIV, women’s rights and support for girls’ education in underpriviledged communities. Battista took her first trip in eighth grade for her tikkun olam project in preparation for her bat mitzvah. She helped to fund the charity and then travelled to see the change she had helped to sponsor. They used the money she had raised to found a girl power camp, where 100 girls from 10 different schools got to learn about mentorship and how to be a leader outside of the camp. After her heartening experience, Battista decided to continue returning to collaborate with the organization.  “It inspires me so much to see the girls that prosper even with all they have to deal with -- getting their periods with no sanitary pads, dealing with sexual harassment from family members or community members, [and] helping their family with chores which can include walking miles to get water everyday…,” Battista said. Their most recent trip marked Battista’s fifth year voyaging to East Africa. Hume’s adventures began three years ago when Battista and her mom brought him along. This year, he was overjoyed to bring his sisters, Liv Hume (’21) and Sofia Hume (’23), along with him. Photography has always been an interest of his and these endeavors allow him to take his hobby to the next level.  “These trips have allowed me to have a deeper understanding about this world. Photography has played a big part in my recent trips because it’s a way I can showcase how beautiful the country and its people [are],” Hume said.  While neither of the two plan on pursuing careers in solely philanthropy, they both intend to continue working alongside the organization and will forever support the cause.  “These trips truly changed my whole perspective on life. These people are happier than anyone I know at home and have so little to live off of. [They have] given me so much more gratitude for what we have here in Santa Monica and have shown me that happiness doesn’t come from what you have, but truly what you surround yourself with and your attitude,” Battista said.  Checkmate: Samo Student Secures National Chess Title While many spend their free time tapping away at digital versions of their favorite games on their phones, Danial Asaria (’20) views games in a different way. He started playing chess after his parents enrolled him in a class when he was eight years old, and since then, has spent the last decade of his life dominating the chess board. With each carefully planned move, he became one of the top chess players on the west coast for his age division.  Asaria has spent countless years working his way up the chess hierarchy to be crowned number one in the 18 year old category on the west coast, along with becoming a four time national champion. He is ranked as National Master and Fide Master, two significant positions in the chess community.  Unable to mimic a real life match on his own, Asaria often practices online against skilled competitors, although he still occasionally competes in big-name, international competitions. He recently travelled to Canada and Bolivia for tournaments. His love for the game is what drives him to challenge other players. In hopes of sharing this with Samo, Asaria founded the Samo Chess Club; they meet in I109 each Wednesday.  On top of this, he also teaches community members how to beat their opponents. He currently has eight private students who he found through various tutoring websites as well as referrals. Their ages range from five to 40 years old, and all are ambitious. His goal is to help them to be as successful as possible. “I create custom lesson plans tailored to the students needs targeting their specific weaknesses. They are usually young talent that want to become the best in what they do. Almost all are tournament players and at least top 100 in the nation for their age, if not higher,” Asaria said.  His teaching has proven to be useful especially to one of his students who is ranked in the top 20 players of the nine year old national division. Although he is a skilled mentor, Asaria is not looking to keep this as his forever job. His goal is to use the money he has earned to help pay for college; afterwards he wants to find a full time job in something other than chess. However, no matter how often he teaches and plays, chess will always hold a special place in Asaria’s heart.  “To explain the beauty of chess is like explaining the beauty of music to a deaf person. There are more possibilities than atoms in the universe- you start from the same position but you get a different game every time you play,” Asaria said.