Kelly Bu ’23 is a Blue Key Head and a Co-Captain for Girls Varsity Soccer. Bu is also an EBI Senior, an Andover Admissions Ambassador, a Student Alumni Representative, and a campus ambassador for Morgan’s Message.
“When I first got into Andover, I was a new Lower, so [the auditions that year were] online. The first time I had an experience with the Blue Key Heads was actually through [the class of 2022’s Blue Key Head] tryouts. They were happening outdoors in front of the library my Lower spring. I just saw everyone cheering for the people trying out and how much fun the people who were trying out were having. Upper year, seeing them all at games and seeing how much hype they bring, especially because it was our first year back and there was a lot of buzz around campus. I think the Blue Key Heads were really great at centering that buzz, and I really just wanted to be a part of that. I thought I was going to have no regrets about it, so I just decided to do it.”
“[Running tryouts] was actually pretty nerve-wracking. I thought I was going to do something wrong and mess up one of their tryouts. I was really worried about that. It’s actually a lot harder than you’d think. We’re supposed to be really stoic and straightforward with it, and so I was trying my best to channel that and be stone-cold, and that was really hard. Prepping a lot of the process was easier because there were ten of us and we were all doing it together, but it was really stressful and I didn’t think about that when I was trying out last year.”
“I think they just have to be gushing with positivity and energy and radiating a sense of, ‘I just want to meet people and I just want to make people smile.’ Kind of like a ball of sunshine. I think that life at Andover can be really depressing, or it can be really challenging and hard and full of pressure, and so what I’d like to see in the Blue Key Heads are people who can be a source of energy and stress relief.”
“Either poke bowls or I [can] make a mean grilled cheese using the panini press and the deli bar.”
“I think the go-to would be the library, just because everyone hangs out there. But, I also like sitting on the windowsills of Lower Right… The library has always been a constant just because it’s the one social student space that we have. And then, obviously, me sitting in the windowsills of Lower Right has mostly only happened because, sometimes the tables get crowded, and I like to sit there to save space. But also that only happens when you’re an upperclassman.”
“I like ‘When I say blue, you say white.’ I just think that it’s simple, it’s easy, people who don’t know the cheer can pick up on the cheer, and it rhymes. It hits all the notes for me.”
“Winning [Andover/Exeter], always. We won it last year, but this year it was really great because it was my Senior Year, all my friends were there, [and] my parents were there. I scored a really cool goal.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I think that was the hardest thing that was happening for me. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with people because a lot of students come into boarding school with this mindset that they have to be super independent, and I think a lot of that goes without saying. You [eventually] get the hang of it, but some of the downsides of that is you become too independent. Sometimes letting people in and having a shoulder to lean on can really help you mentally, physically, [and] emotionally.”
“That’s tough. I actually, contrary to what a lot of kids say, really enjoy History 300. It’s a very different structure from what I’m used to in history classes. Or, I’m currently in Ms. [Megan] Paulson [, Instructor in History and Social Science]’s Critical Race Theory class, and so far…the content is really interesting, it’s a great class. It’s gearing up to be one of my favorites for sure.”
“Currently, I’m watching ‘Boys Planet’ which is this Korean idol survival show… My friends and I are obsessed.”
