After graduating last year, Kimiko Darcy ’23 went off to Atlanta to study music and neuroscience at Emory University.

“It’s been tough, but I’ve been enjoying it,” she said.

Latin’s academic rigor and small class sizes equipped Kimiko with the skills she needed for college. “I could easily reach out to my teachers and ask questions because of the small class sizes, and developing that skill has helped me here with reaching out to professors when I need help,” she said.

Kimiko’s interest in music and neuroscience began after performing several times at nursing homes and senior living facilities. “Afterwards, the audience would talk to me about how a piece I played reminded them of a memory, and that really sparked my interest in the link between music and medicine,” she said.

Kimiko is currently working in a research lab studying how music-assisted movement can help increase mobility for people with Parkinson’s disease and mild cognitive impairment.

During her time at Latin, Kimiko had several opportunities to play piano at Gathering. “Students as well as faculty [were] supportive, and I really appreciate Latin’s community for that,” she said.

Having successfully balanced school work, piano, cross country, and track while in high school, Kimiko said, “It was really tough, but necessary for me to learn that in high school, so I could do that in college.”

Kimiko’s secret to success?

“When you’re studying, really focus on studying,” she said. “You don’t need a ton of time to do everything. As long as you’re really efficient, you can cut down on time.”

Even living as efficiently as Kimiko, high school is no doubt a constant time management struggle, resulting in many students sacrificing some part of their lives. “You could sacrifice your social life, but personally I really value friendship and try to squeeze in being able to relax with friends,” she said.

In addition to all that, she developed some of her interests at Latin such as cosmology, which she took as an elective sophomore year. While there isn’t one yet, Kimiko hopes for a freshman seminar at Emory about cosmology. “While I do have set interests right now—music and neuroscience—I still hope to explore other potential interests at Emory,” she said.

Kimiko’s journey of exploration is only just beginning. She said, “Try to find what you’re really passionate about and show your interest in that.”