You won’t know Eliana ’27 after reading this interview—at least, not in a real way. Just like she enjoys carefully layering translations of English to Latin and contemplating the math behind the Friendship paradox, she’d rather dig deep in her relationships, too. “I don't believe in getting to know someone through reading about them,” she says. “You have to get to know people for yourself.” Catch a glimpse of what makes this junior from Belmont tick below. Then find her at a Chorale concert, Glee Club meeting, or Hancock to get below the surface…

Getting to Know You

What is bringing you joy right now?

Music, my book, my friends, climbing, my dog, and being outside. I also have lately taken delight in wearing fleeces and warm socks, watching fires, and drinking tea. 

What is your favorite book (or a book you’ve re-read)? 

I find that whenever I start reading something, I'm like, Okay, this is my favorite book. What I'm reading right now is Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I’m enjoying it a lot, and I feel very immersed. It has all these layers of story from different time periods—past, present, and future—and connects them all masterfully. I recently finished Franny and Zooey. It gave me a lot to think about. It put me into an incisive, perceptive state of mind for a couple of days. Both of these books have made me think about how the ultimate goal of knowledge should be wisdom, which I think is a pretty cool idea.  

What are your favorite comfort foods? 

Apple slices with peanut butter has always been there for me and always will be.

What do you think is the most intriguing paradox? 

I like the Socratic paradox: “I know that I know nothing.”

What was/is your favorite class (at Commonwealth or elsewhere)? 

At Commonwealth, definitely Chorale. It’s really fun to sing with so many great musicians. Over the summer, I took a class in Ancient Greek, and I absolutely loved it. I met so many interesting and fun people. We learned a lot about the grammar and language, and we got to read a lot of Greek. 

When do you feel the most enjoyably challenged?

Lately I’ve been feeling enjoyably challenged by rock climbing. I have to remember to think about my body and what I want it to do, which is harder than I used to think it was! 

Favorite season?

Whichever one is happening.

Life as a Commonwealth Student (and Beyond)

Using metrics besides grades, how do you define “success” in your classes?

In my math and science classes, I have this metric of, To what extent I could repopulate the Earth's body of mathematical or scientific knowledge—like, in an apocalypse scenario, if we all suddenly forgot math, how much could I convince people and rebuild it? With history classes, it’s more like, Do I feel like I'm learning things about human nature I can apply to my own life? Am I gaining some insight into patterns of human behavior? With language and English classes, I ask myself whether I am appreciating and understanding the texts.

How do you spend your time outside of Commonwealth?

A lot of music. I like playing piano. 

You transferred to Commonwealth as a tenth grader, and you jumped into student groups and programming, including co-leading Glee Club and an Earth Day assembly session. What inspired you to get involved?

Just knowing that the things I'm interested in are things other people are interested in and when I do things I think are interesting, they'll be received with interest from other people. 

What’s your advice for prospective students considering Commonwealth? 

I would have to know the person and know what they're like and what type of environment would be best for them. But I guess the advice I would give is to talk to people who know you and know a bit about Commonwealth: get advice from them if you can. I would further tell them to think about fit, and turn down the other noise.

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