People of Harker: Swimming with spirit

For Janam Chahal (’26), her favourite a part of a swim meet isn’t when she’s underwater. It occurs the second she climbs out of the pool, catches her breath and turns again towards the water to cheer for her teammates.

Janam has been swimming since she was just one yr outdated, when her mother and father put her in swim lessons for security. Although she tried out many various sports activities all through elementary and center faculty, she caught with swimming due to the individuals she met within the sport.

“I really value the community in swimming,” Janam stated. “[That could be] something as simple as someone wishing you good luck before your race or giving you a little pat on your shoulder when you’re feeling nervous. Even after a race if it didn’t go so well, someone offering you some kind words to get you back up on your feet for the next race — all of that in swimming is extremely valuable to me.”

Close good friend and fellow teammate in swim since ninth grade Shimeka Sahu (’26) highlights Janam’s strengths each as a technical swimmer and as a teammate.

“We spend a lot of time just talking about everything, and we really trust each other,” Shimeka stated. “She always gives me a lot of great advice. Even if it’s something I don’t want to hear, she always tells it to me because she wants the best for me.”

Janam’s help system on the swim staff goes past simply consolation, offering the muse essential to flourish within the sport. She views the pool as each a bodily area and a psychological coaching floor.

“Swimming provides me with mental strength and resilience to get through challenging things,” Janam stated. “It taught me to be a good collaborator and leader because sometimes there are times where you have to work together as a team to uplift the morale overall. It is my safe space — being in the pool and swimming back and forth even when practice is really challenging puts my mind at ease. It takes my mind off of all the other things stressing me out.”

Janam’s want to uplift staff spirit isn’t contained to the water. She carries the identical philosophy to her position on the Student Activities Board (SAB), the place she goals to rework a traumatic tutorial surroundings right into a shared expertise of faculty spirit.

“Being able to have a small role in helping our class connect more and more each year and providing people with a place to have fun and take a break from academic stress has been a highlight of my experience doing SAB,” Janam stated. “Seeing so many different members of our class get together and work hard to represent our class well has been really inspiring.”

Class of 2026 Dean Meredith Cranston watched Janam develop into a frontrunner of her class on SAB over the previous 4 years. During the planning of the 2025 fall spirit rally, Cranston famous Janam’s maturity and willingness to hearken to different views, qualities that helped her play a central position in resolving challenges.

“Despite her awesome competence and demonstrated leadership, she’s always willing to figure out how we can work together and what other voices need to play a part,” Cranston stated. “She’s not always the loudest voice in the room, but she’s one of the most thoughtful and reflective.”

Close good friend Eden Kelly (’26) echoes this sentiment. While she initially noticed Janam as extra reserved after they met in frosh yr, she has since seen Janam’s enthusiasm emerge in her relationships with pals.

“Janam is one of the most joyful people I know,” Eden stated. “That first impression of her being on the quieter side really doesn’t encapsulate her as a person. She actually is quite animated and extroverted, and she’s so enthusiastic about everything she does.”

Janam’s actions are dictated by a tenet: the significance of the individuals round her and the relationships she types.

“Community and connecting with people are my core values,” Janam stated. “Whether it’s at school with our class or at practice with my teammates, being able to participate in things that allow me to give back to communities that gave me so much is an experience I’m eternally grateful for.”