Through her commitments to Castilleja volleyball and her ACE Org, Brushbook, Claire Sun ’25 is a true leader on campus.
As Sun noted, Castilleja volleyball has greatly impacted her: “It’s such an unusual environment — I feel like [I’m] completely immersed. It’s been a really great way to get good cross-grade bonding.”
When asked about her most memorable moments at Castilleja, Sun instantly went to the fan-favorite Casti traditions: “Opening day was really cool. There’s so much going on. From senior sunrise to driving around the circle to tying the ties, it all just goes by so fast.”
Sun also enjoys the regular day-to-day of Castilleja, expressing that “there’s no other place where I can literally walk from one end of campus to the other and talk to or say hi or stop and have a conversation with so many people.”
More recently, Sun has enjoyed working with her ACE Org, where students connect with senior citizens through art, and Channing House, a retirement community in Palo Alto. Working with individuals living at Channing House has been very meaningful for Sun: “Getting to share experiences with them and hear their voices is pretty cool.”
Sun experienced an injury in the middle of her high school career, putting a halt to her athletic pursuits for the time being. She was unable to play volleyball, so she spent that time focusing on her other interests: “I was coaching a lot, but I put more time into my ACE org and started volunteering with the [United Nations] film festival, which I really liked doing.” She also spent time resting, training and connecting with friends and family. “It just gave me a lot of insight into who I am outside of volleyball or in addition to volleyball,” Sun explained.
Sun’s biggest challenge throughout her time at Casti has been managing the pressure of saying “yes.” “When I was younger, because I had such limited time, I would say yes to everything. I was always doing something, ” Sun shared. But with all the pressures that come with being a senior, Sun forced herself to “take a step back, enjoy [her] time here and spend time doing the things that [she] finds interesting.”
If Sun could give advice to her younger self, she would say, “Don’t stress so much. It’s all gonna be okay. Don’t take life so seriously.”
As college inches closer, Sun’s passion, open mind and fun-loving attitude are going to take her far.
