You haven’t lived until you’ve been dubbed a glorious king or queen by Sarah Syed. Whether she’s yelled it at you in a busy hallway, congratulated you after a good test grade or cheered you up after a bad day, being inducted into her group of glorious kings and queens is among the highest honors.
Syed, a senior, moved here from Dallas, TX, right before her junior year of high school. Although Syed has lived all over the world – Pakistan, Morocco, India, Egypt, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United States – this move was not easy for her.
“I was scared that I was going to be all alone and not make any friends,” Syed said. “I was actually petrified.”
Not only is re-establishing yourself in a new state challenging, but moving to an area with a drastically different culture is even harder.
“People in Texas are a lot nicer than people here,” Syed said. “I feel safer stopping at a random house in Texas and asking to use their phone than I do over here, because people here are kind of judgy and mean.”
Along with personality differences, Dallas is a lot more ethnically and culturally diverse compared to Elburn or Sugar Grove.
“My old history teacher joked that you’d hear 15 different languages as you walked down the hallway,” Syed said. “But over here, I’m scared to speak my language because I don’t know some of these kids.”
Syed felt scared to fully express herself and her culture in her new environment. As a Pakistani Muslim, she stood out in the predominantly white and Christian town of Sugar Grove. And, with anti-immigration sentiments gaining popularity, Syed was cautious about sharing her cultural identity.
“Somebody told me to go back to my country,” Syed said. “And somebody else was very loudly talking about how much they hate immigrants in my neighborhood. I was born in Pennsylvania, but my mother was born in Dubai, so it just hits close to home.”
Initially, Syed found it challenging to make friends. She bounced around from group to group, not finding anything meaningful.
“I struggled to find my group,” Syed said. “It felt like everyone had their own cliques, and I couldn’t look past opposing political views because those are your morals.”
After a few months, Syed stopped trying to conform to others’ standards and fully embraced her unique, vibrant personality.
“I literally thought that she was going to be one of those students who was super quiet, because she seems like she has a quiet appearance to her,” science teacher Jason Foster said. “But then when she gets out of her shell, it’s like nope, not at all.”
Whether you’re friends with her or not, you’ve probably heard one of her bizarre nicknames, outlandish stories or amusing jokes. Wherever Sarah goes, laughter and entertainment follows.
“Last year during lunch, there was one time that she had a full 30-minute argument with somebody else at our table about how LeBron James is not a good basketball player, and that was an experience to witness,” junior Sam Vanatta said.
Although her personality is infectious, that isn’t the only asset she brings to the table. Syed cares deeply about her friends and is often their biggest cheerleader.
“I would consider [her] one of my closest friends,” Vanatta said. “She shares a lot of her personal life with me, which I take as a sign of trusting, and of course I share a lot of my personal life with her. She’s one of the funniest people I know. She’s super kind and supportive, and I think that everybody deserves a friend like Sarah.”
Even if she isn’t surrounded by friends, Syed still creates a comfortable and upbeat environment for everyone.
“I wish I had her again,” Foster said. “I honestly do. She’s a joy to have in class. She brings a brightness to every single class period when she comes in.”
Between being the vice president of Drama Club, Student Council and DECA and the president of the Environmental Impact Club, Syed is fully entrenched in our school’s community. While having a packed schedule may be overwhelming to some, Syed enjoys getting involved in new clubs and activities.
Syed brings a positive attitude and determination to every activity she participates in. She could be running on a few hours of sleep or going through something in her personal life, but you wouldn’t know it. She’ll stop at nothing to bring the mood up and make sure everyone is having a good time.
“When we’re trying to come up with things, or if the environment’s a little tense, she’s just always there to crack a joke and make sure the energy is up,” senior and co-vice president of Student Council Adriana Warrington said. “If someone’s going to be there and say we got this, it’s always Sarah.”
Although she’s involved in plenty of extracurriculars, Syed loves one more than the rest. She co-founded and is co-president of Kaneland’s Environmental Impact Club. Through the club, she raises awareness about environmental issues and encourages her peers to be more environmentally conscious. Along with other club members, she helped plant a tree on our school’s grounds to celebrate Earth Day and commemorate the creation of the club.
“[Environmental Impact Club] is my favorite extracurricular because I care deeply about the environment, and I get creative control over how to best run the club and make our school more environmentally friendly,” Syed said.
Despite only being at Kaneland for two years, Syed has left a lasting mark on the community. She uplifts people with endearing nicknames and thoughtful compliments. Even if she just met you, Syed will make you feel as if you have been friends for years.
“When I moved here, I expected to make temporary and surface-level friendships, but now, I look forward to keeping in touch and maintaining relationships I made at Kaneland,” Syed said.
