“It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.” – Yann Martel, Life of Pi

“Hey,” I say with a sly, stupid smirk on my face (use your imagination here). This is my greeting to you, the reader, and to many of my disappointed and exhausted friends on the daily. 

If you compared middle school Hamza Zakir to current Hamza Zakir, there would be a stark difference. Contrary to popular belief, I am, in fact, an introvert. You may be fooled by my demeanor in The Sidekick as an energetic, lively person, or the way I communicate with my tired, exasperated friends. But that was never the original model.

At my core, I am quiet. 

During elementary school, I went through four schools and was thus relegated to the ‘quiet new kid’ role in all. I have a distinct memory of my third grade at Valley Ranch Elementary, sitting at the top of the slides, alone silently reading. Not that I would rather join in playing sports, uncivilized ruffians underneath me.

In middle school, I got a classic evil-immature-toxic-masculinity-uncritical-thinking-skill-boy friend group. The people I spent most of my time with merely surrounded me instead of actually connecting. But I changed for the worse regardless. 

“You are the average of the people you spend the most time with.” 

Even if I wasn’t them, I still let them permeate my personality. I put up with the fact that they added nothing positive to my life just because they happened to walk in. Until I left in my freshman year.

At first, what followed was not freedom. It was emptiness. Now, I was lonely, not because of the people around me, but because of a lack of a choice. Yet I still clung to the personality and traits of people who didn’t even like me anymore, didn’t care to question why I just up and left. I refused to change, not because I disliked the result, but because stubbornness was more comfortable than admitting I could be better. 

And then The Sidekick happened. When I joined, I told video editor Rhea Chowdhary that I was going to “steal her job.” I did not know the newsroom definition of editor and assumed her job was sitting in a dark room, cobbling together video clips. That is the job I wanted (to be clear, that was not Rhea’s job).

Thankfully, my aspirations in Sidekick shifted. 

Slowly, through my three years here, especially as a junior, the wonderful people that have surrounded me in and out of D115 have changed my life, and me, for the better. 

I have so much to thank from my time in Sidekick. I am proud of the work I have done, but I am more proud of the way I have grown. I have become a better, more confident and fully-realized person. Every person I have met has changed me for the better in a meaningful way, and the connections I have formed have transformed my life when I didn’t know I needed it. 

Each time I walk into D115, I walk out a little different. Different in a good way. Thankfully, I have walked in and out of this room hundreds of times. 

2024-25 staff writer Neha Nathwani, CHS9 editor Anvita Bondada, staff writer Anushka Joshi, executive news editor Sahasra Chakilam, executive features editor Rhea Choudhary, editorial page editor Nyah Rama, media editor Rhea Chowdhary (the other one), executive social media editor Wendy Le, staff cartoonist Minori Kunte, staff writer Emmalee Jittasupo, 

2025-26 staff writer Aashi Panchal, staff writer Neev Chickermane, executive design editor/webmaster Sofía Exposito, executive business/advertising director Naseeha Masood, faculty/staff editor Jay Vernekar, executive features editor Elizabeth De Santiago, social media manager Pranavi Ramineni, video editor Greeshma Marathu, social media editor/podcast producer Safiya Azam, editor-in chief Yug Talukdar, staff designer Ahana Roy, staff designer Sohalia Reddy, staff photographer Yoshita Sanivarpu, staff designer Karthika Dayanand, staff writer Ayaan Haque, staff writer Ayaan Salaar, CHS9 editor Hannah Vipin, staff designer Saanvi Singh, staff writer Hiral Patel, staff designer Shrika Elma, staff writer Ayesha Syed, staff photographer Tanvi Ravella, assignment editor Zaara Shaik, staff writer Prathi Tamara Sathish Kumar, staff photographer Kelton Chen, staff designer Ani Li, photography editor Rachel Chio and staff writer Huda Rizwan.

These are the people who changed my life.

“You are the average of the people you spend the most time with.” 

I can only hope. 

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