Senior Profile: Sonia Singhal '24

          As Spring Term commences, Lawrenceville begins to bid farewell to its V Form class. Each V Former has contributed something special to Lawrenceville during their time at the school. Dedicated student and participant in the performing arts, Sonia Singhal ’24 is one of these incredible V Formers. 

          An avid science lover, Singhal hopes to study Biomedical Engineering in the future. Her interest in the subject stemmed from a summer spent on cancer research at the University of Pennsylvania. “Seeing technology harnessed to save lives and being constantly improved made me want to continue it as a career; it’s really rewarding,” noted Singhal. Singhal’s interests and talents extend far beyond science.

          Her favorite class at Lawrenceville was the English course, “Science Fiction: Imagined Futures” taught by Nicholas Martin H’23. “The class just meshed really well together. The course was also great. I love Mr. Martin’s teaching style. The way it was structured, through both movie watching and short story reading, was great,” Singhal stated. For their final exam, students had to both write an analytical essay and produce a creative piece. Singhal, who has a strong artistic side, felt that this final was right up her alley.      

          One of Singhal’s primary artistic interests is dance—specifically Irish dance. “When I was six years old, I watched Riverdance, and I thought, ‘I really want to do this.’ I got into [Irish dancing] because I enjoyed it. Over time, with my passion, I became good at it,” Singhal explained. She improved her Irish dancing so much that in her III Form year, she won a national competition. Singhal has even danced with the very show that first inspired her to begin Irish dancing, Riverdance. Not only is Singhal a national champion, but she is also the current Captain of Nachale, Lawrenceville’s Indian dance group. 

          At first, Nachale was just an activity Singhal did for fun. Nachale rehearsals, which were very casual, strongly contrasted the competitive Irish dance classes she was used to. “What made me want to be Captain was the people, seeing how much it meant to everyone and how much fun the dancers were having,” Singhal stated, “I wanted to continue to be the person who creates that joy…it feels really good to have that effect on people who love dancing as much as I do.” In addition to captaining Nachale, Singhal is a co-president of the Periwig Council. After arriving at Lawrenceville, she fell in love with participating behind the scenes as tech crew. Singhal explained, “I would say my favorite part is seeing how hard work has paid off in the audience’s reactions to our performances. Especially for Nachale, it’s really rewarding to get on stage, do this dance that I’ve put together and am really nervous about, and see how everyone just lights up. For Periwig, seeing all the components…come together to make a show that the community loves—just that happiness and
joy—I would say is the best part.”

          Many of Singhal’s favorite memories come from the performing arts. She distinctly remembers hiding under a bed to wave around tentacles in the 2021 school production of The Addams Family. “At one point, one of the actors walked by me and accidentally kicked me in the leg. I just remember sitting there, thinking ‘don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh,’” she commented. Over her time at Lawrenceville, Singhal has accumulated many precious memories, and each one has a special place in her heart. Singhal advises underformers cherish their time at Lawrenceville. She also suggests “do[ing] things you love,” as it has created many memories for her. 

          Singhal has left her mark on the Lawrenceville community through the many Periwig and dance productions she has made possible and the people she has connected with. Singhal commented, “I never thought that I would have so many people tell me they look up to me. It’s a feeling that I’ve had for so many other people for so long. It’s such an honor to be able to impact people that I care about the same way others have impacted me.” Singhal has made a lasting impact, and the Lawrenceville community will not be quite the same without her.