On any given day, senior Tananya Prankprakma can be found staring at the ceiling—not in boredom, but in fascination. For Tananya, there’s so much more to enjoy in the world than the list of extracurricular activities added to resumes. 

From a paperclip to a piece of furniture, everything has a story behind it, and sometimes it’s fulfilling to appreciate the complexities of the most average items.

“Everything in the world is just so interesting to me; look at that chair,” said Tananya, motioning to the nearby piece of furniture. “So many people worked on that to design it, and think about how people would be impacted by it, how to build it, and how to price it. Every single thing around us is like that, and I think that’s so cool.”

As proved by Tananya, gratitude can be gained simply by looking around. Perhaps her fascination with everyday items partially stems from her participation in FHC’s Robotics Team. This year, Tananya is one of the team captains, and she has thrived in the world of coding and the comfort of her team.

“The robot we built this year is actually pretty capable because of the members on our team and the people who design [it],” Tananya said. “I think it’s nice to write [code] and watch a robot move.”

Beyond the physicality of the competition, Tananya also loves the team aspect that comes with it—building bonds between members and watching others transform through their experiences. Especially as an upperclassman, she has enjoyed watching those who are younger experience the same growth in confidence that she did. 

“What I like the most are the people,” Tananya said. “From the perspective of the senior, listening to younger students talk about what they care about, why they joined the team, why they’re struggling, and all these things is nice to watch.”

Over the years, Tananya’s path on a variety of hobbies and spontaneous decisions has led her to where she is today. After becoming more comfortable in her personality, she has been able to branch out and form better connections with friends and teammates. 

“I’m really good at oversharing,” Tananya said, “and that helps people. I think that’s it: being comfortable with yourself and being able to laugh at yourself. It’s so cliché, but if you’re comfortable in yourself, then it’s so much easier to be with other people as well because you don’t feel like you have to like gain their sense of approval.”

With a carefree and relaxed outlook on life, Tananya continues to find the places she belongs through random decisions and circumstances. Just like robotics, her talents in ice skating and playing the piano didn’t start with a planned commitment. 

“Decisions that are so premeditated aren’t usually the ones that impact me the most,” Tananya said. “When I started skating, I was just like, ‘it’s fun to move around fast,’ and that was [it]. I think some of my best decisions have come from thinking in that really simple, almost impulsive way.”

The singular decision to learn how to skate when Tananya was young led to over a decade of twirls and jumps on ice. It has provided her with an outlet to express herself with the seemingly flawless movements that require years of practice to master.

While Tananya doesn’t necessarily wish to pursue a career that directly aligns with any of her hobbies, she plans to pursue her future in the same manner—taking one day at a time and embracing all of the wonderful moments she happens to stumble upon. 

“My view towards skating is also like my view towards everything in life,” Tananya said. “It’s not like it served this purpose of guiding me down one path, but I enjoy doing it, and I enjoy the people there. I just try to make the most of what I have in front of me at any given moment.”

Through this philosophy, Tananya has learned that her future can’t be viewed through the lens of narratives. Instead, every action derives from what’s happening in the present. Just as she chose her extracurriculars in an impetuous manner, the rest of her life will be determined by the decisions she makes in the moment.

“It’s not the big picture,” Tananya said. “It’s little things you do every day and the choices you make that really define what your life is. For me, in my future, I just want to like enjoy life, share wonderful things with different people, have my mind blown away, and put as much good into the world as possible.”