The Viking Vibe is proud to present “Humans of South Brunswick.” Inspired by Humans of New York, this is a look at the different stories and experiences of the various people in our community.
Adyant Shurashetty (2029)
“I’m jobless, my grades are plummeting, and this guy’s my friend [humorously points to the person sitting next to him]. But, there’s always means for improvement. And especially as a freshman, you have lots of time to improve. A lot of times you do improve.”
Eager, outgoing, and full of life, Adyant wasn’t afraid to speak up when we asked to interview someone from his table. He immediately pulled our attention from the group of around ten freshmen boys. Not originally from South Brunswick, Adyant has involved himself tremendously in just these eight months of school. Besides his group’s mutual love for video games, he is involved in the wrestling team, plays guitar and saxophone, and enjoys watching UFC fights. His extroverted personality and humorous jokes left everyone beside him cheesing; “I wonder how many people will call me after this is published.” Adyant is a bright and unforgettable freshman, and an even better friend to those around him, as he always found some way to relate a question back to his relationship with his friends. It is evident that he thrives off of spontaneity and adrenaline.
Eliza Khan (’26), Allie Tadros (’27), Sana Patil (’26)
Marjan Malihi (2026)
Marjan Malihi is a senior at SBHS, and similar to every other senior, she is relieved about the ending of the school year. Her classes consist of AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, AP French, AP Lit, and then, Organic Chemistry and gym. She is a very lighthearted person. When we asked her about her routine, she even tried to make it sound lighthearted by even joking that she sometimes makes it to her bus in the morning, and she made a little paper boat while her teacher was absent today. She really pushed herself this year, shown in the rigor in her schedule, planning on majoring in Chemical Engineering. As a senior, she has no finals, and her AP exams were basically like her finals, so now she has completed the majority of her work. When we asked her how she felt leaving high school, she said, “I feel good about leaving, except it’s gonna be bittersweet, of course. All of you guys are amazing fellows, and amazing freshies, and juniors, and sophomores. And I’ll miss you guys. And I’ll go to college, and I’ll just be doing classes again, and it will be pretty much the same routine.”
Aanya Soma (’29), Ariba Ahmad (’29), and Safia Husain (’28)
Dr. Keisha Spencer (Dean) 
The administrators of South Brunswick High School are often the ones in the rooms where the big decisions happen, crucial to the very structure of the school. While they all serve different purposes in the academic world, their purpose is found elsewhere.
Q: “What gives you guys purpose? It’s very on theme with our SEL today.”
A: “So, I think for me, purpose is the thing that makes you wake up in the morning and the thing that drives you. And I think there’s a combination of things that drive me. One, I have a deep sense of religion. So that’s part of my driving force. My family, specifically, my daughter, because I would like her to understand that in this life, you have to get up, you have to work. You have to work hard, and I think it’s through their work that you actually do find this sense of purpose. Right? And I love working with kids. I love working with the colleagues that I have. So those are the things that sort of center me.”
Dr. Keisha Spencer, who recently received a doctorate and title from Arkansas State University, is the dean working with Principal Yoshi Donato and also a Special Education teacher. Her work ethic exudes from her.
“I was brought up with a single mother, who came to this country, and didn’t have anything. And she basically worked when I was in junior high school. She had a full-time job, and she was going to school to become a nurse. And so watching her struggle made me realize, and also, then, eventually, you know, gaining the quote unquote ‘American dream,’ made me realize that, yeah, you gotta work.”
Bhavya Natarajan (’27), Audriana Holder (’29), Nisa Yilmaz (’28)
