A math phenom, a celebrated artist, a varsity swimmer and water polo player, a Latin and Greek scholar, a Harvard Book Prize winner—what an amazing group of teens, right? Wrong. That list describes just one of our 2024 Teens to Watch. Andrew Tu, the teen in question (the question being: How on earth?), might feel special for the mention here, but honestly, all of these ten superstars are a multihyphenates of mind-boggling proportions. And not only do they do it all, they do it all with heart.
They build computers from scratch, start robotics clubs for younger kids and help the elderly with tech tasks. They go to Juilliard on weekends, break Guinness Book records and raise tens of thousands of dollars for children in need. They conduct sophisticated scientific research with college professors, publish in scholarly journals and break down barriers in sports.
In short, they give us hope. Read on to be reassured that the future of our community and the planet is in good hands.
ANNA OLIVER
Sacred Heart Greenwich
During her years at Sacred Heart, Anna Oliver embraced the arts. She auditioned for the musicals and plays, landing lead roles. She earned a spot in the Upper School singing group, the Madrigals, from tenth grade on and travelled with the group to perform in Ireland as well as on the Today Show. She played the harp through the Music in the Woods program. Anna was also an AP art student, excelling in the visual arts, including costume and fashion design. Her creations were featured in the award-winning literary magazine, Perspectives, and on stage. Anna also moderated a student-led conversation with Sacred Heart guest, Vera Wang. Not surprisingly, Anna’s talent and experience has landed her in one of the most competitive schools for fashion design in the country: the Fashion Institute of Technology.
“I started making my own Halloween costumes when I was very young,” she says. “My father gave me a mini sewing machine. Later, when I got into historical reenactment, my mom bought me a proper sewing machine. I used it to make costumes and historical clothing. The process was the fun part for me.”
In ninth grade, Anna began designing her own clothes. “I learned by experimenting. I had no formal instruction until last summer when I took a fashion design class,” she says. “With sewing, you can teach yourself. I watched a lot of YouTube videos. I love creating.” Moderating the talk with Vera Wang was “amazing,” says Anna. “Meeting her was a dream come true. Her advice was super helpful. At the time, I was deciding between fashion design and liberal arts.”
On stage, Anna is always a captivating presence. She loved playing Countess Lily in Anastasia, a role that she says challenged her vocally, motivating her to fine tune her technique. She also enjoyed playing Davey in Newsies “because it was my first time playing a boy, and we got to learn a bunch of dances—something we hadn’t done a lot of in our program. It pushed me to learn and grow.” She describes Madrigals as a “lot of fun,” daily 7:30 a.m. practices and all.
Rounding out Anna’s impressive resume are several seasons on Sacred Heart’s cross country and track and field teams.
Q&A
WHAT IS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE YOU HAVE OVERCOME?
I really struggle with balancing my creative life with my duties. I tend to procrastinate. Finding a healthy balance with projects and homework is a struggle I’ve learned to work through. It’s a pretty common struggle I see with people who have very specialized interests.
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR FRESHMAN SELF?
I would tell her not to second guess things she wants to do because she thinks they might be silly or frivolous; follow what you think is important. I would tell her it’s going to work out. There were a lot of changes, going into high school during Covid, at a new school where I didn’t know anyone. I worried I wouldn’t create a bright and vivid life, and I have. I don’t think I would change anything I did, even though at that time I didn’t trust myself.
WHICH TEACHER HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOU?
I have a few. Mr. Martone, who taught freshman theology. I’m Catholic, so religion is very important to me, but I hadn’t questioned why. When I shadowed in eighth grade, it’s the class that made me want to go to Sacred Heart. Mr. Peck, my art teacher, who helped me gain confidence in my art and fashion. Ms. Gorman, my theater teacher, who was a huge rock for me during high school. I didn’t realize how stressed out I was about college. She created an environment that was calming and fun and safe. They’ve given me the ability to work through my problems for the rest of life and chase my dreams.
WORDS TO LIVE BY?
Do what you love, at the highest level. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do everything at the highest level as defined by society, but at the highest level that is best for you. Everything has worth.