Throughout her time on the Circle, Stella Tenta ’25 has grown tremendously as a person, noting that she’s “learned to be more patient and not always feel the need to be the best at everything.” She’s also learned that while stepping out of her comfort zone felt scary at first, trying new things has opened her up to a lot of fun experiences. For example, Tenta explained, “when [she] joined Paintbrush, [she] didn’t really have any experience with the yearbook formatting or journalism.” Additionally, she “started running track and cross country as a junior,” another time she “dove into something new.”
A creative interest Tenta has explored is art, having taken advanced classes for two years: “I would say acrylic painting is one of my biggest things I’ve enjoyed at Castilleja. That kind of started in middle school, but the gallery has been a great way to expand my interest.” Tenta is determined to create a vibrant future, both on canvas and in her community.
In 2020, having felt the weight of a world transformed—where masks and face shields became the norm and horror stories of the deadly virus echoed all around the world —Tenta’s own experience during the pandemic fueled her desire to delve deeper into public health. Tenta, having been in seventh grade when COVID started, became interested in legislation and how it relates to public health. She was particularly interested in laws surrounding COVID-19, as she was motivated to help future communities overcome what she had to face.
However, Tenta wasn’t always drawn to public health. In fact, she has had many different career aspirations throughout her time at Casti: “In middle school, I wanted to be a veterinarian for a while, I wanted to be an oncologist, then I wanted to be a forensic scientist, then I wanted to work for the CIA and the FBI.” Now, instead of aiming for a specific career, Stella is driven by her passion: “I kind of arrived at just wanting to explore what I’m interested in with less of a final career idea… not really with a profession in mind but more of a passion.”
These passions for public health also shape her plans after graduation. Tenta explained that she wants to work in an interdisciplinary field, specifically in public health, focusing on epidemiology. “I want to help communities deal with fears during crises, similar to what we saw with COVID-19. I hope to focus on how we can keep populations calm when their daily life is changing due to an epidemic,” she said. With aspirations to attend graduate school, she aims to work at the intersection of social justice and STEM.
The most important piece of advice that Tenta wants to give to fellow students is that “[they] are capable.” Having come to Castilleja from a large public school, she reflects on her first experiences here: “You realize you are surrounded by a lot of other people who are very smart, very capable. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of what you really want and what you’re really capable of doing. But, if you put your mind to it and you are passionate, you can really do anything.”
