Kaden H., Senior — Interview conducted by Araddhya Tibrewall
March 6, 2023: During Dr. P’s 5 min break, we saunter away from the Hill English classrooms towards the staircase beside the tech office. It’s sunny and some English classes are enacting Shakespeare (?) just outside the student commons. They are very audible! I click record. “Welcome Kaden,” and the interview has begun…
Araddhya: What’s up Kaden?
Kaden: Nothing much, how are you doing?
Araddhya: Doing well—how are you?
Kaden: Doing pretty good.
Araddhya: Let’s start. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, which song would you choose?
Kaden: Is this kind of like an entrance theme where I walk in, and everyone hears the song?
Araddhya: Let’s do it.
Kaden: Okay, what song would I want to play every single time I walk into a room? It would have to be something grandiose. I feel like… it’s a tough question. I’ll have to think more about it, but my immediate gut reaction is “We are the Champions.” I feel like that would be a great tone-setter that would always bring joy.
Araddhya: It fits your vibe. It really does. *laughs*
Araddhya: What is something unique about you that your classmates might not know?
Kaden: That’s a little hard. I think most of the senior class already knows this, but maybe the younger grades don’t. I play Pokémon on a highly highly competitive level, and I travel around the U.S. and sometimes the world to go compete in tournaments and play the card game. I’ve been going at it for a decade now. It has been a core part of my life, and I have a ton of fun with it.
Araddhya: Looking back at your experience at CPS, what is something that you will never forget?
Kaden: I think I’m going to have to go with Drama Tech. I started doing Drama Tech a little ways into my first semester of my first year, because my friend Leja forced me to join. And Murph taught me the ropes for sound, and I immediately fell in love with it. And that entire experience—I feel—has been so pivotal to my overall experience at CPS. I learned so much in the sound space, and it has been really amazing building a community of sound folks.
Araddhya: It’s good because you’re amazing at what you do! What are you looking forward to in the future? This can be college, your summer, your last few weeks here…
Kaden: Yeah, there’s a lot to look forward to. Part of me is looking forward to, kind of, everything. I’m looking forward to spending time with friends in these last few moments together and really building those connections to sustain throughout my life. I'm looking forward to summer, getting to chill, relax, and pursue some out-of-school stuff that I’ve wanted to do. And then I’m also looking forward to college, to put my head down, and get back to the grind of learning. I have so many things that I want to try and experience, and I’m really looking forward to that.
Araddhya: Last question, have fun with it—if you could say thank you to one room at CPS, what would it be?
Kaden: One room?
Araddhya: One room.
Kaden: The auditorium. Does that count as a room?
Araddhya It does.
Kaden: Definitely the auditorium. So much of me has happened in that room, from Drama Tech to the long, long tech weeks, and I think I have five shows (wow!) under my belt in that room. On top of that, the tech booth. I spend an obscene amount of time up there. I’ve had many emotional moments in the tech booth—I’ve taken naps on the couch up there. Overall just that room, I’ve a lot of connection with it, so I would thank the auditorium for all that it has done for me.
Araddhya: Thanks so much Kaden!
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