Maya Sivillo is a senior this year at Jonathan Alder High School. She is involved with extracurriculars such as choir and French Club and enjoys artistic pursuits in her free time. We sat down with Maya Sivillo as part of our 23 with ‘23 series to spotlight 23 different members of the class of 2023. 

Q: What’s one thing people don’t know about you?

A: I guess some people know this about me but I really like to study different languages, like French, Italian, Japanese, Hindu. It’s not something I do every single day for, you know, hours at a time, but sometimes I just go on Duolingo and do a bunch of lessons at once.

Q: What’s your wakeup ritual?

A: This is a little bit odd, but ever since I started this new school year I’ve been waking up at 5 a.m. almost every day. Then I just eat breakfast, take medication, I take a shower and wash my hair, like if I need to, and just tend to my hygiene, get dressed, put on a bit of makeup, and then fill up my water bottle, pack my lunch and then just go to school. But on weekends usually I just sleep in until 9 a.m. and I don’t start my day until a couple hours later, so I’m a lot less productive on the weekends.

Q: What’s your go to bed ritual? 

A: On school nights I braid my hair, take a shower if I haven’t already that day, tend to my hygiene and then go to bed around 10 p.m. while drawing or watching a film or show. That kind of sounds really strange, like not a lot of people go to bed that early and I used to not, but I kind of wanted to feel a lot more productive this school year so I’ve ended up fixing my sleep schedule a little bit. Although, on weekends I still kind of stay up past 10 p.m., usually around 12.

Q: What’s your favorite time of day?

A: It’s honestly when we go home. I feel so bad saying that but I’m just always so stressed out by the end of the day so it’s always relieving to hear the bell.

Q: If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be?

A: Do fictional characters count?

Sure.

Okay, probably Hermione from “Harry Potter.” It’s pretty random but yeah.

Q: Dream country to visit?

A: I really want to visit Italy. I think it’d be nice.

Q: What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had?

A: One of the biggest surprises I’ve ever had just happened last year and it was literally just a midterm grade for chemistry. I thought I’d get a C on the midterm or something but I got a 91% and that was just so funny to me because I felt so bad at chemistry at the start of the year.

Q: If your life was a TV show, what song would be in the intro?

A: Probably this one song called “Little Miss Perfect.” It’s sung by Taylor Lauderman.

Q: What are three things you can’t live without?

A: My sketchbook, my phone, and music in general to be honest.

Q: What 3 people living or dead would you like to make dinner for?

A: Taylor Swift, Mitski, and Conan Gray. I really like [Conan Gray], they are one of my favorite music artists.

Q: Window or aisle seat?

A: Definitely window seat.

Q: Secret talent?

A: I feel like a few people already know about this but I really like to creative write and although I wouldn’t necessarily consider it to be a main career or something I’d major in, I definitely do want to write as a hobby- maybe even write my own book or book series someday.

Q: Most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?

A: There’s not too much. All I suddenly remember when thinking of this was climbing up steep sand dunes at this one beach we went to. That’s honestly it.

Q: How would you define yourself in three words?

A: Mellow, awkward, and determined.

Q: What’s inspiring you in life right now?

A: It kind of sounds a little bit weird, but I feel inspired by my own growth and how far I’ve come after the first two years of high school for me. The pandemic kind of, like, in a way ruined my life but it also caused me to also fix it as well and kind of see what I needed to improve about myself. And I just hope to continue improving as a person because I have come a long way and it does make me happy that I’ve been doing a lot better for last year and hopefully the rest of this year.

Q: Best piece of advice you’ve received?

A: So the person who told me this, which I kind of forget who, because it was just like a really simple, really simple sentence. But I kind of developed it in my mind a little bit. So this is going to sound a lot more complex, but basically you will get infinite chances at making first impressions because most people are not going to be in your life forever, make every first impression of your true self count because the people to be in your because of people who are not impressed shouldn’t be in your life and the people who are should. 

Q: What would you like to be remembered for?

A: I at least like to be remembered for my effort and everything, even if I don’t necessarily achieve something. 

Q: Best thing to happen to you today?

A: The best thing that happened to me today was figuring out that with part of my symphonic choir, I get to go on this all day trip to Otterbein University…So that sounds pretty fun. 

Q: Worst thing to happen to you today?

A: The worst thing that happened to me today was my pencil lead broke when I was writing. And that actually happens a lot and it’s honestly really frustrating.

Q: If you made a documentary, what would it be about?

A: I’d like to make a documentary on some sort of form of visual art or design, maybe even performing arts, because I am also into performing arts. Either that or I’d make a documentary on some sort of animal like sharks. I really like sharks for some reason. 

Q: Last piece of content you consumed that made you cry?

A: This kind of makes me sound like a nerd, but the last thing that made me cry was the video game I played. It was called “The Last Guardian.” 

Q: Song you can listen to on repeat?

A: “Back to December” by Taylor Swift. It’s a really pretty song. 

Q: On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now?

A: Probably like four to five out of ten, because I still have a lot to figure out, like which college I’m going to, which colleges I still need to apply to. And my senior year has not been as social for me as I kind of wanted it to be, but I guess I’ll probably get there at some point this year, and then I do have a better understanding of what I truly want in the future and who I want to spend it with. So I at least feel good about that. And there are still things I’m really looking forward to about this year and the years to come after this one.