SJND Graduate’s Opinion On Extracurricular Activities
Written by Lilly Nudelman SJND ‘28
Alana D’Cruz, an SJND graduate, participated in CLT and ALT for all four years, which stands for the Campus Leadership Team and Admissions Leadership Team. She was on the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Board for her sophomore, junior, and senior years, and founded the Lilac Club. The Lilac Club is a mental health club whose goal is to create a more positive association and to inspire more conversation about mental health.
In her free time, Alana started working and volunteering for SJND: tutoring students and educating them; she says it’s very enjoyable. She’s even considering becoming a teacher. Other things she likes to do in her free time are knitting, crocheting, reading, and watching shows, specifically Gilmore Girls.
A highlight from Alana’s work with the Lilac Club is that in her junior year, she hosted a Pennies for Purpose fundraiser. They raised $1,000 for the Berkeley Pacific Center, which is an LGBTQ organization. They also had many discussion-based events regarding relevant mental health topics for high school students.
Her opinion on rallies is that they are a lot of fun! Alana truly loves SJND and the community; seeing the whole school together is really uplifting to her. She also says it’s really fun to see teachers letting loose, and it helps make teachers feel more relatable and personal to her. “Watching the teachers play musical chairs is very fun and intense,” Alana said. Overall, she says rallies were, and are a great experience.
Alana went to St. Joseph Elementary School, where she always saw the high schoolers nearby and looked up to them. Seeing “promposals” helped her feel more comfortable, and she felt like she had an idea of what to expect in high school. Her being comfortable allowed her to feel excited to go to SJND. When first starting out at SJND, Alana was nervous about classes and the high school workload. The teachers were a lot more encouraging and considerate than she had anticipated. She says, “They really do care a lot and want students to succeed.”
Some advice she would like to share is: “Don’t get in your head too much and be your own worst enemy. Try and do the things that you want to do without worrying about others judging you, and it’s okay to change your mind about what you want out of life and who you want to be as long as you stay true to yourself. I really do love the SJND community, no other school is like this.”
SJND Pilot Island Editorial Staff 2024–2025:
Editor-in-Chief: Anne Obuchi ‘25
News Editors: Jaslyn Ho ’26 and Jeanette McClure ‘27
Features Editors: Naomi Seche ’26 and Anabel Arista ‘27
Opinion Editors: Nicolaus Thyen ’27 and Victor Pham ‘27
Reviews Editor: Austin Ly ’27 and Sean Kimbrew ‘27
Sports Editors: Jayla Anderson ’27 and Jeremiah Myers ‘27
