Meet Samo's 2020-2021 homecoming court
Elizabeth Ahn
Elizabeth Ahn (’21) is certainly maintaining a busy schedule this year. Ahn is involved in Samo through ASB, Mock Trial, varsity tennis and her own club, World Central Kitchen Club which she began this year. Outside of school, Ahn likes painting and sewing bucket hats and also wishes to visit and explore parts of Asia. Further, she is inspired by her sister Samantha, who supports her in many ways and who she describes as her “personal hype-man”. A few interesting things to note about Ahn is that her shoe size is 3 and her pet bird has mental problems. She also makes a point to note that she is most definitely a “people person”.
“I’m always looking for more people to bother!” Ahn said.
Tristan Amell
Tristan Amell (’21) transferred to Samo last year as a junior. Although starting a new highschool junior year may seem difficult, Amell is used to moving around, as this is his first time living in the same place for two years in a row. He also recognizes that he is fortunate to have found loyal friends and a great cross country/track team to train with at Samo. During his junior year, Amell was able to represent Samo at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York City, as well as compete against college runners at Boston University. During quarantine, he has also been having fun with trading and consistently beating the odds of the stock market.
“I need to spend less time inside the house and go out and surf, rock climb, or find some new hiking trails. That kind of stuff really makes me feel complete,” Amell said.
Benjamin Adler
Benjamin Adler (’21) loves Avatar the Last Airbender as well as the musical artist Goth Babe. Adler has an older sister in college and a twin sister who attends a different school. Within Samo, Adler is very involved in the music program, particularly as the flute section leader of the marching band. On top of that, he is the A&E editor for The Samohi and is a member of the Japanese program. Outside of school, Adler explores his love for the outdoors and attended a semester program at the High Mountain Institute in Colorado last semester which he describes as deeply life-changing. Adler also loves clothes and creating fashionable outfits. He is inspired by his life experiences in class and outdoors, which motivate him to always live in the moment and adapt to any situation.
“My motto is ‘If you can’t get out of it, get into it’,” Adler said.
Carlotta Banfi
Carlotta Banfi (’21) describes herself as an overall positive, bubbly person who is constantly smiling and looking for new friends. Banfi enjoys supporting Samo, as she attends every football and basketball game, as well as occasional soccer and softball games. In fact, you can even catch her watching the sports practices. Outside of school, Banfi enjoys working out, going to the beach, getting lunch with friends and photography. Additionally, she has a passion for dancing and singing, along with a secret love for fashion. Banfi feels inspired by her friends and family and looks forward to whatever her future holds.
“Will somebody please take me to the Maldives so I can stop dreaming about it?” Banfi said.
Taylor Garrett
Taylor Garrett (’21) wishes to visit Japan one day and enjoys listening to pop music. She also has one older sister who has already graduated from Samo. Within Samo, Garrett is involved with the FIDM Fashion Club as well as digital design. Outside of school, she has a passion for drawing and loves helping little kids. Garrett finds inspiration through media content, specifically on platforms such as Youtube and Tik Tok.
“I want my peers to know that even though I’m in Special Education, it doesn’t mean I’m that different from them,” Garrett said.
Ryan Kashanchi
Ryan Kashanchi (’21) will rarely say no to doing anything, including donating blood or participating in events across LA in exchange for a free t-shirt (especially tie-dye). Within Samo, Kashanchi is involved in numerous ways. He is the founder and president of Soup Club, an organization on campus dedicated to feeding the local homeless population. Aside from Soup Club, Kashanchi is a member of the Samohi Forum Club, the Samohi Linguistics Club and Circle Of Friends. Kashanchi has also been a member of the boys’ cross country and track and field teams for all four of his years at Samo. Outside of school, he enjoys volunteering at the UCLA hospital and playing music for the patients. Kashanchi is very inspired by his peers and teachers at Samo, as they push him to be the best possible version of himself. He also notes that he feels fortunate to be surrounded by the vast cultural diversity of Samo, and is personally very proud of his Persian-Jewish heritage.
“I would like to thank The Samohi for having me in their paper and to remind everyone to check out Samohi Forum Club...Some amazing stuff is happening over there!” Kashanchi said.
Maxine Knystautas
Maxine Knystautas (’21) is the middle child of two sisters, one of which is a fellow Samo student. Being half Korean, Knystautas planned to fulfill her hopes of visiting Korea this past summer, but was unable to due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Within our school, she is heavily involved in music at Samo, as a section leader in chamber singers and a member of marching band as well as jazz band. Even outside of school, Knystautas continues to expand her love of music. Although she is open to all genres of music, she is particularly into the artist Beabadoobee at the moment. Knystautas enjoys playing guitar and dancing and is motivated by the kindness of others. Although Knystautas moved to Samo before her sophomore year, she has found a kind community of people and expresses her gratitude for fellow Samo students.
“I want people to know that I appreciate how considerate and supportive the majority of people have been since I’ve gone to Samo. I hope to get to know more of them in my last year here,” Knystautas said.
Dhruv Madiraju
Dhruv Madiraju (’21) describes his taste in music as “very scattered”, switching between rock and folk, and artists such as Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan and M83. He also hopes to travel to Singapore once again to visit family that he hasn’t seen in a while. Madiraju is involved in Samo through orchestra, which he has been in for all four years. He is part of two clubs : National Alliance on Mental Health club and Books for Kids. In addition to those, he also started his own club, the F1 Racing club. Outside of Samo, Madiraju is on a robotics team in the valley and is a counselor for Teen Talk, both of which he claims have become a huge part of his character. He also enjoys building and fixing things, bicycling and food. Madiraju is motivated by his will to be the best possible version of himself as well as his deep desire not to fail.
“I try not to think too far ahead, since I like to take each day as it comes--to a reasonable extent. I find things easier to manage that way,” Madiraju said.
Natalie Ricciardulli
Natalie Ricciardulli (’21) is 17 years old and takes pride in being an active member of the Samo community. She has been in ASB for four years and currently holds the position of Student Body Treasurer. Ricciardulli also co-founded a club called Compassionate SAMOHI, who fundraise and volunteer for the communities’ homeless population. On top of this, she enjoys taking challenging academic courses and continues to be proactive in her classes. Before quarantine, Ricciardulli practiced boxing and dance, but has since turned to surfing alongside her father. Recently, she has been inspired by the many protests and activism, as we are seeing people across the world unite to fight for basic human rights. Ricciardulli also emphasizes that she is always there for anyone seeking someone to talk to.
“I would like my peers to know that I am the type of person anyone can go to for help ; late night rants and everything in between. I love hearing different perspectives and growing a better understanding of myself and others,” Ricciardulli said.
Bayard Vincent-Tang*
Bayard Vincent-Tang (’21) dreams of visiting Italy to see the historic Roman monuments one day. His favorite artist is named Miracle of Sound, who makes music that is primarily used in video games. At Samo, Vincent-Tang is part of the Dark Magic club, UCLA board games club and chess club. He is also on the Samo golf team. In his free-time, Vincent-Tang loves playing computer games, watching history videos and playing board games. He finds inspiration in the future and motivation in what has happened in the past.
“I was extremely surprised to see that I was on the homecoming court!” Vincent-Tang said.
*Vincent-Tang did not provide a photo.