Freshman Malaya Tindongan, though small in stature, is already one of Olney Friends School’s biggest personalities: vibrant, bubbly, and perpetually social. Six months in to her Olney career, it’s hard to believe that, at one point, she was a quiet, reserved girl with mixed feelings about the school.
Malaya’s first formal interaction with Olney came several years ago when traveling to visit her sister, Amihan, who graduated this past May. “Well, first I got car sick,” Malaya said, “and I felt ill and bitter and when I got here, I didn’t like the bathrooms.” After getting acclimated, however, her perception of the school improved. “The first thing that changed my mind was people making making popcorn in the girls dorm.”
After watching her sister’s transformation at Olney and seeing the closeness of the Olney community, Malaya wanted a similar high school experience.
“I didn’t really like the atmosphere at my local public school,” she said. “People there just seemed so judgmental, and it’s not like that at Olney. I came here and everyone was so friendly.” While she admits to still feeling nervous during her orientation weekend in August, it didn’t take long for Malaya to become comfortable on campus. “At first, I felt shy and kind of scared, but once people are nice to me and take time to talk with me, I’m really able to open up.”
Since then, Malaya has graced her peers with her quirky sense of humor, ubiquitous smile, and infectious energy.
Amihan, a 2015 Olney Sportsmanship Award recipient, is spending the year studying abroad in Turkey. She’s happy Malaya is attending her alma mater. “Even from all the way across the world I can tell she is having a great time,” Amihan said.
Academically, Malaya enjoys math. She is excited to be taking Algebra 1 with veteran Olney teacher Leonard Guindon ’70. “It comes easy for me,” she said. “I even like to work ahead sometimes.” As is the case with many of our students, she also enjoys our new art curriculum. “I love that there’s so much student involvement,” she said, also emphasizing her enjoyment of Olney’s deviation from the linear or overly structured nature of most academic programs. She believes her time at Olney will provide an educational foundation that will benefit her in college.
Graduation is still several years away, but she has already considered some options for life after Olney. “I’ve thought about Earlham,” Malaya said. “There are also some really good schools like Haverford that I want to learn more about. But I’ve still got lots of time and want to do some more research about other schools.” Malaya is interested in studying art or journalism in college and, given the right circumstances, would like to come back to Olney and teach.
While academic success and creative expression are important to her, Malaya believes Olney’s unique social dynamic is what has truly made her experience, thus far, so incredible. “I really like it here,” she said. “Academics are important because this is a school, but it doesn’t feel like a school — it feels more like a home. I can say a billion good things about the people here and they have become so important to me.”
Photos of Malaya’s Olney experience can be found below. You can also read other Student Spotlights by clicking the links below.
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