When her family relocated from New York to Los Angeles when Tyler was in 7th grade, her mom, a former volleyball player, introduced her to indoor volleyball. Tyler immediately took to the sport and soon gravitated towards beach volleyball, adding it to her growing list of athletic pursuits. She loves the multifaceted nature of the two-person beach volleyball team, where she engages in every aspect of the sport, including passing, setting, and hitting. And what better place to play beach volleyball than Southern California?

Tyler never felt like she had to choose just one sport to play. She followed her passions and found a way to juggle the demands of schoolwork, practices, games, and time with family and friends. “My parents threw me into everything when I was younger,” said Tyler. “It never occurred to me that I couldn’t do it all or that playing three sports was out of the ordinary.”

Tyler has had many athletic highlights. “Being part of the ring ceremony for winning the indoor volleyball CIF State Championship was incredible,” she said. She has also made it to the CIF-SS Finals for the last two years for indoor volleyball, won league titles for beach volleyball two years in a row, and helped her soccer team reach the CIF-SS Finals this year. She was named Second Team All-League in soccer last year. Tyler and her beach volleyball partner, Sierra S. ’24, made it to the finals and were named All-League MVPs this year. Tyler was also named Campbell Hall’s 2023-24 Outstanding Athlete of the Year in the High School Awards Chapel, adding another accolade to her impressive list.

Despite her successes, Tyler faced a setback when she tore a muscle in her ankle during her first indoor volleyball practice this year, sidelining her for most of the season. “I hated not being able to practice or play,” she said. “But being on the bench, I found a way to support my teammates by making up cheers and rooting for them really loudly. It ended up being such a blast. It helped me realize how much energy my teammates bring on the soccer bench too, and how that support from the sidelines fuels me.”

In season, Tyler has four to six practices a week, works out four times a week, and incorporates some form of movement daily, including folding hot yoga into her regimen. Her weekends are typically filled with games or tournaments. Her parents are incredibly supportive, driving her to early morning practices in Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica and attending all her games. “On days when I can’t make it down to the beach, my dad and I practice with a net we set up in the backyard,” she added. “He works out with me too.”

Tyler remains focused on improvement. “Having a growth mindset is something my parents taught me,” said Tyler. “You have to be open to failure and learning new things. I hate losing or being bad at something, but I take every mistake and learn from it, and that’s made me a much better player. Then you have to move on to the next play and not dwell on it.” Tyler’s fierce competitiveness also keeps her motivated and drives her success.

An excellent student who loves math and science, Tyler plans to pursue something business-related in the future. As a member of the student-athlete leadership committee, she serves as a voice for student-athletes and, as an Admissions Ambassador, enjoys touring prospective families and answering their questions about CH athletics. Her advice to younger students is: “Try everything! Do as much as you can and as much as you want to do, even if you’re scared you won’t be good at it. It helped me find what I love as well as the friendships I’ve made.”

As a rising senior, Tyler will take on new leadership positions in each of her sports in the 2024-25 school year and hopes to help bring home titles for each team. She also aspires to play beach volleyball in college. With her energy and enthusiasm, Tyler’s future is as bright as the Southern California sun she loves to play under.

Born in Russia and moving to the U.S. at age six, Nikita has experienced plenty of change. When he joined Campbell Hall as a junior, he expected it would be a tough adjustment, and planned to keep his head down and stay focused. He was surprised and happy to find that he was quickly and seamlessly brought into the fold of the CH community, making close friends and finding a sense of belonging.

At his former high school, he was on a team that made it to State as a freshman, though they were eliminated in the first round. He also competed for Campbell Hall in the Section 7 Championship, one of the premier high school invitational tournaments in the country, attracting top teams, scouts, and college coaches. Individually, Nikita earned All-League Second Team honors as a junior, and hopes to get All-League MVP and CIF First Team recognition senior year.

Nikita’s basketball journey has come with its share of setbacks. In his freshman year, he contracted mono and was out for months. In his sophomore year, he suffered a third-degree ankle sprain. And in his junior year, he broke his left hand, derailing his summer training. “It’s so hard when, as an athlete, you’re not able to play the sport you love,” he said. Still, he stayed engaged, supporting his teammates from the bench, maintaining his workouts, and keeping his mindset steady so he’d be ready the moment he was cleared to return.

Through these challenges, Nikita learned resilience. “There will always be injuries or other players who want to push you around,” he shared. “You just have to be gritty and stay poised.”

Nikita’s year-round training schedule leaves little free time. During the season, he practices with the team four times a week and competes on weekends. He lifts weights, works with an outside skills trainer, shoots on his own, and even takes Pilates classes on Sundays, his only day off, to stay strong and limber. 

Off the court, Nikita is passionate about making films, which he hopes to pursue in college. Coming from an entrepreneurial family, he is also interested in business administration and hopes to eventually blend his creative and business interests. Recreationally, he loves a staycation, exploring California with his friends, preferably by the water. “It’s my favorite way to recharge,” he said.

Academically, Nikita has especially enjoyed his CHAI Psychology Honors class, which proved invaluable during a slump he experienced last year. After a disappointing game, he began to spiral. “Luckily, Dr. Wachs helped me reframe my state of mind, reminding me not to worry about the performance,” he said. “That shift helped me play better.”

“I’m going to miss this incredible community of people that I’ve gotten to know at Campbell Hall,” he said. “But I’m excited for what comes next.” With multiple commitment offers on the table, Nikita plans to continue playing basketball in college and beyond, with hopes of one day making it into the NBA. 

His advice to younger student-athletes is simple but powerful. “Keep practicing the fundamentals,” he said. “Make sure you do it with intention. You also have to fully buy in and sometimes sacrifice social and family time to make your dreams come true. But stay the course, even when it’s hard.”

“I love the running community,” said Eli. “The team culture is built on camaraderie and gives everyone so many layers of support, from our coach to our teammates.” That support extends far beyond scheduled practices. Teammates go to the climbing gym together, meet for Sunday long runs, and share meals before and after meets. “And we always cheer each other on. I have so many core memories built around these experiences.”

“Racing is mostly about competing with yourself,” explained Eli. “The higher you place individually, the better your team does.” More than that, it’s about collaboration. In an early meet last season, one that didn’t determine finals placement, several teams had runners trying to break 10:40 in the 3200 to set a Personal Record (PR). They agreed that the top two runners from each team would pace together to hit the goal. Not only did every runner PR, but Campbell Hall’s runner surpassed the time by an additional eight seconds. “It was about working together to lift each other up.”

During his sophomore and junior years, Eli struggled to stay mentally strong during the tough middle laps of the 3200. He then developed runner’s knee before his senior year, losing some fitness he had worked hard to build. Despite setbacks, he keeps a healthy perspective: “The only thing you can do is push your hardest and run your best on game day.”

Eli listens to running and neuroscience podcasts and has developed a strong mental approach. “So much of racing is centered on believing in yourself,” he said. “You have to adjust your mindset to will yourself to believe you belong in the front of the pack.”

Training can be intense, often reaching eight miles a day, plus gym strength work for injury prevention and weekly long runs. Some top seniors log about 60 miles a week. His advice for aspiring runners is to prioritize recovery as much as training, stressing that sleep, stretch, and nutrition all matter. “It all plays into performance,” he noted. Eli also encourages freshmen to try as many clubs, sports, and activities as possible, “so you can find what you’re interested in and really develop those passions later.”

Eli earned 1st Team All-League honors in cross country as a junior and holds the fifth-fastest three-mile time in Campbell Hall history with a time of 15:59. In track, he helped set school records in the DMR and 4x800 relays, and he holds the third-fastest 3200 time in CH history. In December 2024, he set a personal record of 4:41 in the 1600.

Eli is a strong STEM student who also enjoys history. His current favorite class is CHAI Physics with Calculus Honors, which will come in handy as he hopes to become a surgeon one day. Between running and his part-time job at Trader Joe’s, he stays busy, but still finds time for ongoing 3-day match online chess games with a friend in Latvia. No matter where he ends up, Eli plans to continue running in college.

Eli will always value his time as a Campbell Hall student. “Campbell Hall has the best teachers,” he said. “They’re always there to support you and to see how you’re doing, not just academically but as a person too. They truly care about students and their success.”