Humans of WPGA Vol. 3 – Caroline and Liam

By Julia Bohnen ’24, pictures by Anderson Gao ’24. This volume features Caroline Kwon (’23) and Liam Dachner (’23).

Each Humans of WPGA volume showcases short profiles of students who attend our school. Aimed at bringing our community closer, we hope that HOWPGA allows you to see inside the lives of students attending our school and encourages you to seek connections with people you’ve yet to meet. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a new friend, or a few! 

For this year’s first volume of Humans of WPGA, I wanted to shine a more personal spotlight on our 2022-2023 school captains Caroline and Liam. Although they are often seen around the school at club meetings, leading councils and speaking at assemblies, I hope this article gives you a better insight into who they are and their hopes for this year.

What were your perceptions about being a prefect and a school captain vs what it’s been like so far?

Caroline:

The school captains were always people I looked up to, even when I first started at WPGA in 2011. Every time I saw one of them at school, I admired them and hoped that one day it would be me. So when it came time for me to run for prefect, and eventually school captain, I’m not going to lie, I was a little daunted by the whole thing and it almost felt like a dream. The opportunity for the position had been far into the future for such a long time, I just couldn’t believe that finally, after 11 years, it was my turn to step up to the plate, to take a shot at this amazing opportunity. I’d assumed that I’d have to do all of this campaigning and work but I realised that the outcome could only be determined by my actions of the past, those of authenticity, kindness, and hard work. 

The position so far, honestly, has been rather busy. I embrace the words of Billie Jean King, those being that “pressure is a privilege”. Because I’ve wanted this for so long, I don’t see the work as something I *have* to do. It’s something I *get* to do. It’s one of the highest honours I’ve ever received. I will cherish it as a gift for years to come.

Liam:

So far it’s been about what I expected. It’s been nice to have more input into student life and I feel like I have more power to advocate on behalf of myself and other students.

One of my main goals for the year is for grade 8’s and 9’s to have some sort of off campus privileges. I remember when I was in the younger grades and it seemed unjust that the older kids got to go off and we didn’t.

Going into this school year what advice would you give younger students?

Caroline:

We, as humans, constantly overestimate just how much attention other people are paying to every little piece of who we are and what we do. So my biggest piece of advice is try to stop shining that spotlight on yourself. Whether you got a “gimme” question wrong on a quadratics test, made a bad catch in PE, or told a joke at lunch that didn’t quite land, everyone, definitely including myself, has about three instances in a day where we face palm and go “bleugh, why did I do/say that?!” And you know what? No one really notices. I promise. Because everyone is so busy shining that same spotlight on themselves that rarely do they notice what you’re so afraid they’ve seen through yours. It’s all just wasted mental energy. 

I think we’re all our own harshest critics, so the last thing any of us need to do more of is to harp on our own perceived shortcomings. I said this a few weeks ago but it’s worth repeating the fact that we all fall into that pit of self-comparison, and gosh it’s such a long fall. It’s one of those booby traps covered by moss and fake leaves that you don’t even see until you’ve stepped in it and are completely tangled up. So be kind to yourself, I promise it’s all going to be ok, just do the face palm and then shift your focus to the good stuff 🙂 

Liam:

Try and do as much as you can while you are in grade 8 and 9. Comparatively, grade 8 and 9 are the easiest years of school where you have the most free time. Try and do as much as you can to try new things. Really anything that you think could be mildly interesting you should try. Some of the best things I have done at WPGA I initially became a part of on a whim. You can worry about overburdening yourself and burning out later, when you are young you should try to do everything to find out what you do and don’t like.

Help us get to know you better! Share something about yourself. (ex: something to help the school get to know you better ie: summer highlight, fave show/book/movie atm, etc.)

Caroline:

I am a person of routines. I need structure, even when it comes to going to sleep. I think that everyone has that bedtime ritual and my favourite way to de-stress for bed is to spend at least 10 minutes singing in the shower, just belting out anything and everything. All the show-tunes, all the 2000s throwbacks, you name it. My poor father has to share his office wall with that of my bathroom so when I say good night, he knows to put in some earplugs for the next 15 minutes or so. It’s one of the highlights of my day. 

Liam:

This summer I competed for Canada at the Maccabi games in Israel. It was a super cool experience not just because I got to represent Canada but also because I got to meet so many people from around the world. It was really just a perfect combination of running, adventuring and hanging out with friends, all things I love!

And that’s the end of HOWPGA Volume 3! Many thanks to Liam and Caroline for their insights (and to you for reading!) Make sure to tune into the next volume to see inside the lives of other Humans of WPGA. 

Humans of WPGA is inspired by Humans of New York, a project started in 2010 with the aim to give the world a view into the lives of strangers living in New York City. With over 20 million followers, this account has initiated a new style of journalism that intimately connects readers with people they’ve never met before.