“I actually went into Mr. Fleming’s class in my sophomore year hoping to join the club [Mandala]. I had seen it on the website and was interested in participating. But, to my surprise, it turned out that the club was no longer a thing and had been discontinued for a couple of years already, with no one to pick it up. So, they asked me to try and start up the club again and lead it. I thought it would be an interesting experience and give me a lot of opportunities to try new things and learn leadership and communication skills, so I agreed.”

“Mandala has truly re-enforced the idea within me that everyone has a story to tell (and their own unique way of telling it). One of the things I always think back on, is a writing exercise we had in our first year of running the club. As a warmup, we had a picture of an ant on a sugar-cube, and the objective was to write our interpretations of it. Some people went for the literal route, others did a short poem, and still others even converted it into a short story… but no two people wrote the same thing!”

“My SM experience has been interesting. I’ve met a lot of great people, and really have had a chance to grow and experience new things. My viewpoints have been challenged, my comfort zone has been crossed, and still I look back fondly on all the memories as well as their role in helping shape me to be the person I am today!”