“I enjoy being connected to the community, and there are so many people doing different things in all corners of the community.” 

We recently caught up with senior Izzy Heflin, who quite literally is all over the place. When she was awarded the Founders Prize as a junior last May, the citation in part read: “While ‘doing it all’ is probably an overused descriptor, it really rings true for Izzy.” That remains true a year later. As Izzy said, “I enjoy being connected to the community, and there are so many people doing different things in all corners of the community.” She certainly is one of them.

 

Hometown: Riverside, Conn.

Year: Senior

Activities/clubs: Prefect as a junior, resident assistant as a senior. A varsity tennis captain as a junior and senior. A president of PRISM,  Student Activities, and the Middle Eastern Society this year. Tour guide for three years. Also has been an intern with the Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and a member of the robotics team. Awarded five department honors (history, math, English, language, and science) as a junior. 

Favorite place on campus: The turf field. “Since freshman year, that is where my friends and I would go to hang out, especially when it is warmer, playing spikeball, running around, walking the track.”

On tennis: “I’ve been playing pretty much since I could walk.” Her siblings play, including her brother Alex, a sophomore at LC. She said her parents recognized tennis could be a lifelong sport. 

Favorite meal: The Lebanese dish kafta. “My mom has my grandpa’s recipe for kafta. My grandparents were immigrants from Lebanon. Sometimes when I come home from school, my mom will surprise me with it.”

Favorite snack: Cleary dip [made by Nancy Cleary, director of admission and financial aid]. “I don’t know if you’ve ever gotten this answer before,” Izzy said, “but about twice a year Ms. Cleary makes it. It’s for tortilla chips.” Izzy said the recipe is secret, but Izzy rattled off some of the ingredients she believes are in the dip: “I’m pretty sure it’s sour cream, cheese, salsa, maybe yogurt or cream cheese.” Whatever is in it brings out a crowd. “It also is a great opportunity to bond. She makes three trays and puts them in the [Cutler Hall] common room, and people will crowd around it, and you’re trying to get your dip but you’re also talking with people."

Describe yourself as a freshman and now as a senior: Lizzy said she always thought she was extroverted “but am more comfortable in my own skin as a senior. As a freshman I always had people that I wanted to talk to, but it would be harder for me to work up the courage to have a conversation even if I knew them. How would I approach them, how would I phrase this or that?” Now, she said, she doesn’t overthink it. “They’re just people. If you like connecting with people, just connect with people.” 

Is there a moment that has changed you in some way? Izzy has been speaking Spanish since she was young, having lived near Miami, Fla., from kindergarten through second grade. She said her mom encouraged her, knowing it would come in handy as life went on. A few years ago, Izzy and a friend and their moms went to Spain. “Something that changed my perspective was seeing how much people’s faces light up when you can speak their language and you can understand what they are saying,” Izzy said. “It was really great to see how happy people were.”

Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future? Izzy opted for 100 years in the future. “It would be interesting to see where we are in the future with technology and politics and everything that is going on with the world. And there would be a lot [fewer] rights for women 100 years ago — so that was the first thing I thought of.”

What’s your ideal day off from school? “Be with friends, go to the beach, get an acai bowl, maybe some tennis. The combination of being with my friends, being outdoors, and eating food is ideal to me.”

What is one thing people might not know about you? “My mom is Lebanese, and I almost was named Shams, which in Arabic means sun or sunshine. ... It’s such a special name. Isabella is really nice, too. ... I always have a little part of me that wished [Shams] had been my name.” [The name is pronounced “shahms.”]