There’s little 18-year-old Genna Pravdin can’t do: she can dance, she can sing, she can study, she can organize.
While Pravdin was raised in San Mateo County, her parents are from the Soviet Union — now Kazakhstan and Ukraine, though they left before those countries became independent nations. Ethnically Jewish, Pravdin’s parents did not have the opportunity to practice their religion under Soviet rule, which fueled Pravdin’s curiosity about faith and interest in reconnecting with her Jewish roots.
In her freshman year at Sequoia High, she joined the Jewish Student Union, quickly rising to become vice president, and then co-president, even though she said she didn’t “know that much about being Jewish.”
“I’m good at organizing,” the graduating senior said, “and I learned a lot about Judaism in the process.”
Pravdin was so good at mobilizing, in fact, that she arranged an assembly featuring a Holocaust survivor before Sequoia’s sophomore World History class and other students interested in ethnic and religious studies. The event took years to plan, including securing grant funding and approvals.
Outside of Pravdin’s more recent investment in learning about her identity, she’s been a ballroom dancer since age five, competing in a national competition in her junior year. For the bulk of her dance career, she specialized in “standard” ballroom dance — Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot and Quickstep.
However, in the last few years, she’s pivoted to Latin dance, specifically Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble and Jive. She began Professional-Amateur, teacher-student competitions during the COVID pandemic, which she’s come to really enjoy for the greater competition and opportunities for growth.
The shows are also much bigger than she was used to — held at Kerrington Hall before an audience of around 800 people, rather than a few hundred, as she had experienced before.
Sequoia High is where she began and fell in love with theater: most recently performing as Annabeth in “The Lightning Thief.” She’s also been a part of other shows like “Honk!” and “Urinetown.”
Up next, Pravdin will attend a four-year university in Southern California, where she will study behavioral economics, pursue theater and “keep doing dance.” She intends to join a ballroom dancing club and to continue exploring other dance styles, including jazz choreography.
“I’m a little nervous,” Pravdin said of her next chapter, “but I’m excited for summer and to have a break.”
Underlying all of her extracurriculars have been her rigorous studies as an International Baccalaureate student. Through the program, she took challenging courses such as epistemology, completed a six-month independent research paper and volunteered at the San Carlos Youth Center.
At 18, Pravdin said she’s learned that “you shouldn’t try to do things to please other people,” especially given the pressures of the college admissions process.
“It’s important to stay true to yourself and be authentic,” the graduate said, “and not be afraid to try new things, but also prioritize not trying too many things to the degree that you’re a little overwhelmed.”
Pravdin said she would like to recognize her parents and 12-year-old brother Ryan, her “little cheerleader,” for their support, as well as the rest of her extended family. She also credits her success to her English teachers, Ms. DeVoe and Ms. Arle, with helping her become a better writer and showing her that she enjoys writing and reading more than she thought.
Pravdin also thanked Mr. Holcomb, whose patience in helping her execute a titration, a kind of chemical analysis, during the ninth-grade science Olympiad, inspired her to take an International Baccalaureate chemistry course later in high school.
Finally, she extended special thanks to Sequoia High’s singing teacher, Mr. J, for his encouragement amid the vocal challenges she faced this year.
While Pravdin is certain the next four years will bring change, she’s grateful to have a transition period to “figure things out a little bit before I’m really thrown into post-college adulthood.”
“I am excited to see what changes await me and learn to be even more flexible with those changes and patient,” the graduate said. She said she looks forward to meeting new people; making new friends; becoming a better singer, performer and dancer; and discovering herself more.
