Each week, the Record (using a script in R) randomly selects a student at the College for our One in Two Thousand feature, excluding current Record board members. This week, Anika Kakarla ’27 discussed playing on the squash team, being pre-med, and learning Indian classical dance. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Hannah Marx (HM): I know that you’re from outside Philadelphia. What do you miss most about it?
Anika Kakarla (AK): I definitely miss the sports. I love the Phillies, the Sixers, and the Eagles. I had a uniform in high school, but we’d always get “dress down” days and wear jerseys. I miss that spirit. Even right now, I’m wearing my Sixers merch.
HM: What has your transition to the College been like?
AK: One thing that honestly was really different for me was that, at home, I have so many family friends who are Indian. I went to a very white school, but I thought that there would be more Indian people here. But I found a lot of clubs and organizations that organize nice events, and I’ve found that community, but I’m still on the hunt a little.
HM: What are some of those clubs that you’ve found here?
AK: There’s the Hindu Student Association and Asian Athlete Association. I’m not very involved in them, but I’ve gone to some of their events. I went to the Diwali event with Rhea [Pandit ’27], who’s on the squash team with me. It was nice to see that there is that community even if it’s not apparent at the beginning.
HM: How did you start playing squash?
AK: I moved schools when I was in third grade, and at the new school, we didn’t have [physical education], so you had to play a sport for three seasons. It was honestly all driven by my brother — he just tried squash, and then I went along with it because I was the younger sister. We started playing and realized it was something we really liked. I never really thought I would get the opportunity to play in college or go through with the recruiting process, so it’s been amazing to come to school and keep playing squash. I think that, if I didn’t have squash when I came here, the transition would have been much harder.
HM: What was the season like this year?
AK: This season was great. We have seven freshmen and six non-freshmen, which is so nice because I felt like I had six instant friends when I got on campus. We have a new coach this year, and I think that the team has a very different vibe than it’s had in the past — at least that’s what I’ve heard from upperclassmen. We had some great growth during the season: We lost to Middlebury and Amherst in the regular season and then beat them both at Nationals, which was great revenge.
HM: What’s your favorite memory from the squash season?
AK: I guess the best memory was beating Middlebury at Nationals. We lost to them when we were away at Middlebury. But Nationals was an equal playing field — no one had home court advantage. It was an electric atmosphere. There were so many people and parents. It was amazing.
HM: I remember watching it live and seeing you all crush it. What are you excited about for next season?
AK: We didn’t have any seniors this year, so I’m excited for us to be a more well-rounded team next year with people in every grade. I think that, with every season, we’re just going to get better and better as we get used to college squash. I’m excited to see that upward curve.
HM: That’s definitely special about your team. Do first-years play a lot?
AK: Top court is the top three players on the ladder. For us this whole season, it was all first-years. There’s basically no other team in college squash that has three top first-years.
HM: We became closer friends from being in the same Winter Study course where I learned that you are pre-med. What’s that like?
AK: It’s definitely a lot. I’m lucky that, going into it, I knew it was something that I would want to do. It’s one of the few things where you need to start from the first semester getting those requirements done. I think there’s a great community of pre-meds here and the advising is really great. They really help you get on a path. And because we’re at Williams, there’s a lot of flexibility.
HM: What was your inspiration for wanting to be a doctor?
AK: I have a lot of doctors in my family, and I’m really lucky in that way. Basically all of the female role models in my life are doctors — my mom, my aunts, my grandmas. I’ve seen how they carry themselves so gracefully and how they can be successful and have a lot of independence. Also, I got the opportunity to do some shadowing in high school, and I had a great experience where I was in the operating room with a surgeon, so I got to see what they do day-to-day. It’s just something that I can see myself doing.
HM: I also heard that you did dance for a while when you were younger. Could you talk about that?
AK: I did Indian classical dance — Bharatanatyam. I did it for 10 years from age five to 15, and I quit at the beginning of high school. It was a great way to connect with my culture, and I learned a lot about my religion and the mythology of Hinduism, because you have to portray that in the dance. I had a great community, but it started to compete with squash and I ended up having to choose one or the other. I think it was such a great experience, and I learned so much.
HM: How did you start dancing?
AK: When I was little, instead of going to summer camp, my parents would send me to “grandparent camp” — my brother and I would spend six weeks with our grandparents in Dallas and six weeks with our grandparents in Illinois. Every day, they would just put us in random activities like tennis and golf. My dad’s parents suggested that I try dancing, and one summer, my grandmother found a random dance school and I hopped in. I was five. She called my mom and said that I should do dance back in Philadelphia. Then my mom found a school, and I joined. It just kind of stuck.
HM: That’s nice that you found that community. Do you ever miss it here?
AK: I do miss dance. I was considering maybe joining the Asian Dance Troupe. Squash takes up a lot of time, and it’s hard to balance everything. I think it’s definitely something I want to try to find time for.
HM: Last question: What’s your favorite building on campus?
AK: I love Driscoll for the vibes. Whenever I go there to have a meal, whether it’s team dinners or lunch with a friend, I go and sit and somehow waste an hour and a half. I also love the ice cream there.
