In her six years at Quad Prep, Hodaya (Class of ’25) has learned a lot—about herself, her passions, and the world around her. Whether she is working on an art project, writing her own anime story, or learning to play a new instrument, Hodaya’s creativity always shines through. 

Growing at Quad Prep

Hodaya joined Quad Prep in seventh grade. “When I was at my old school, my grades were not good at all. But the moment I came here, my grades just skyrocketed!” Hodaya said. She credits this shift to the inclusive, warm, and individualized environment at Quad Prep and the teachers and clinicians that make this environment possible. “Teachers take my needs into account and consider how to teach me if I don’t understand. I feel like I can ask questions, and they’ll restate whatever they said however many times I need them to,” Hodaya explained. “I got the highest scores in any math class I'd ever had in my entire life!”

In addition to her academic growth, Hodaya says she has grown personally. “Being here has made me at least a bit more confident in my abilities,” Hodaya said. “I have a lot more friends here than I had in my old school.”

Finding Her Passion

Outside of her academic courses, Hodaya loves all things art! From performing arts to studio art to creative writing to learning a new musical instrument, she does it all. In her favorite class, Independent Writing IDEAlab, Hodaya lets her creativity run wild. “I can just bounce ideas off the other person in the class and the teacher and have them read what I’ve written. I can just be free and creative,” she said. 

Hodaya’s main interest is anime, a topic that allows her to combine her incredible drawing and writing skills. “I like making my own characters and storylines, and I like to know what those characters look like while I'm writing. I like drawing because I want to design the characters and see what they actually look like so I can picture them in my head,” she said. In the art show this year, Hodaya showcased a few of her favorite anime portraits. “I was very proud of the stuff I had done.”

Looking Ahead

Hodaya is also interested in the Japanese language, and was teaching herself the language until a couple years ago. Now studying under a tutor, she has made learning about Japanese language and culture a top priority. This fall, Hodaya will begin her first year at Sarah Lawrence College. “My main draw to [Sarah Lawrence] was that they have a Japanese class and a study abroad program,” Hodaya said. “I really want to go to Japan one day.”

Looking beyond college, Hodaya dreams of becoming a voice actor, and she has already begun working toward this goal. “I had a bunch of roles starting last summer, and I’m in a couple of indie projects this summer,” she said. She also hopes to take a voice acting class at Sarah Lawrence in the fall.

Advice for Younger Students

In reflecting on her time at Quad Prep, Hodaya hopes younger students take advantage of the personalized instruction she found so vital to her success. 

“I really, really enjoy being here. I’m a little sad to leave!”