While Lara L. ’28 is looking forward to being an Upper School student next year, she’s already had a sneak peek at what it’s like — she’s one of a handful of Middle School students enrolled in Spanish 4 Honors. The heritage speaker, whose family comes from Cuba, admits that being in a class with students who were often four years older than her “was a little intimidating to me at first,” but she quickly overcame her nerves. She is all set for her first Advanced Placement course as a ninth grader — AP Spanish, of course.

Lara notes that her interests lie in the humanities and especially loves English and writing. However, her talents in other subjects, especially when she connects personally to the topic, have not gone unnoticed by her teachers. For the Seventh Grade Science Expo, she presented on apheresis (a treatment that filters blood plasma), because her late father had received it to treat a blood condition that affects plasma cells.

“I knew I wanted to pay homage to my father by choosing and selecting that topic,” says Lara. “I learned more in-depth what apheresis is and the process in general, the qualifications that you need to have, and the kinds of illnesses that receive that treatment.”

“The two-month expo project showcased not only Lara’s scientific curiosity, but also her incredible strength in the face of personal tragedy,” says Nicholas Barletta, Middle School faculty. “She did extensive research and even interviewed people who were directly involved to better understand the complexities of her topic. Her final presentation not only impacted the School community, but inspired everyone with her perseverance and courage.”

Despite her age, Lara is already focused on a potential career — not in medicine, like her father and her sister, Leilani ’23 — but in architecture and interior design.

“I am very interested in the design of the home itself — creating that visual in my mind and having that vision flourish,” she says. “I’m very interested in the design aspect and the different shapes needed to create that.”

The Middle School faculty see a bright future for Lara, who received the Further Together Award at the Middle School Closing Ceremony on June 5th. The award recognizes a student who has shown their dedication to female empowerment at Hun through leadership and community engagement. While acknowledging that Lara has “persevered through more of life’s challenges than most adults,” Megan Skelly, Middle School director of student engagement, remarked at the ceremony that Lara, despite her soft-spoken nature, consistently puts others’ needs before her own. In addition to supporting her classmates, she is a “fierce guardian to her friends and family” who would defend anyone to whom she thought an injustice had been done.

“One teacher described her as ‘a true template of what it means to balance strength and heart,’” Ms. Skelly noted. “We are so proud of the progress she has made within our walls, and we look forward to seeing how far she will go outside of them.”