Name, city of residence:
Sam Kaplan, Santa Cruz
Grade you started at MMS:
Preschool
What inspires you?
Child-like curiosity
What is your favorite subject in school, and why?
That would be physics, it is creative and practical at the same time. It offers a different way of looking at the world.
If you had the power to change on thing in the world, what would it be?
I would want to make people feel like they have a duty to everyone else in the world. I would make giving and self-sacrifice not just a generous act, but a necessary act that was normal.
If you could anywhere, where would you go, and why?
To New York City, because I admire the efficiency of it and it seems like there is so much opportunity there.
Name one big challenge in your life right now:
Staying curious and engaged in physics while also putting so much energy into dance is a big challenge. It’s hard to be obsessed with two things.
What is your dream job and why?
Dancer; I love the way that it combines exercise, artistic expression, curiosity, hard work and intellect.
What are your three favorite things?
Good conversations, dancing and positive energy
Favorite book:
“The Cartooning Introduction to Philosophy” by Kevin Cannon and Michael F. Patton. I have not found a book that breaks down such a complicated subject in such an easy to understand way. It is fun and thought-provoking.
What do you want to do after high school?
I want to go to college to study dance and possibly physics or environmental science.
Something that you are proud of – and why:
I’m proud of my own discipline. It has got me far in a short amount of time in dance, and it is giving me the freedom to pursue it as a career.
Something that makes you smile:
Joking around with my classmates
A favorite MMS memory – and describe why:
At the end of each winter concert, getting into a big circle and singing “wherever you rest your head tonight…” I remember feeling so much love in those moments.
The three most-played songs on your favorite playlist:
I’m not sure, I don’t listen to playlists often, but I love the songs: “One Day” by Matisyahu, “It’s a Wonderful Life” by Benjamin Clementine and “Ne Me Quitte Pas” by Nina Simone.
