Junior has strong opinions on everything from politics to pepperoni.

Before junior Sean Upadhyay starts the engine to his car, he instinctively checks his phone for driving music. OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” starts pumping through the speakers and his fingers thrum against the steering wheel.

“This is an amazing song. We’re putting this one on loop,” he said.

Upadhyay is a man rooted in his opinions. No matter what you’ll ask him he’ll have a stance on it, and he’ll stick to it. He knows what he likes and dislikes, not simply because of his preferences, but because they make up his personality and his outlook on the world around him.

Along with strong opinions comes Upadhyay’s strong tastes in music and memes.

“I listen to classic rock, reggae, some rap, hip-hop, heavy metal, I love ’em all. My favorite song is ‘Echoes’, because it’s 20 minutes long and no one likes it,” Upadhyay said. “[And] the best memes are the ones that have a niche amount of weirdness… it has to be understandable but just barely. It’s the right kind of weird that makes it perfect.”

While he knows what makes him laugh, Upadhyay also knows what matters to him politically.

“I’d say Trump makes a mediocre president. He passes Republican bills which is okay, but he’s already fired, like, more than half of his cabinet. But no matter what, he’s definitely entertaining,” he said. “Trump memes are the best. [He] is a pretty goofy guy.”

And Upadhyay is not afraid to make his opinions public, either. “He’s really interested in politics… But he won’t shut up about Ben Shapiro,” junior Cristian Galilea said.

Upadhyay’s extremely specific tendencies even extend to his favorite foods, and how he eats them.

“You take pepperoni and you burn it so it’s almost black. It has the same type of taste as bacon, but like a pepperoni flavor, it’s amazing. And I’m in love with coffee. I like my coffee strong, absolutely no cream, no sugar. I’m Indian, so I like strong flavors.”

Upadhyay’s passions also extend into his athletics.

“I’ve been playing tennis since eighth grade, I play year-round now, at my club, and [at Malvern] during the spring,” Upadhyay said. “I’m first doubles this year, so I’m alright. It’s a varsity spot so…”

Upadhyay said he prefers sports that put an individual athlete on the spot. “I don’t like team sports because I’m not a team player. When I lose or something goes wrong I like for it to be my fault. With team sports it is usually not your fault,” he said.

Upadhyay likes to keep his interests and his opinions close to, and a part of him. He observed that the reason why he feels so reassured in his points of view is because of his logical approach to life.

“I think I’m really pragmatic… I think it makes me a straightforward person, and easy to understand. You’re never going to confuse me for someone else,” he said.

Upadhyay has always known a clear path for what he wants to pursue in life, and how he wants to live it. His sense of patriotism and respect for his country has left him with the desire to serve in its armed forces, and he has the full intention of pursuing those dreams.

“I want to go to Georgia Tech, for computer science and/or finance. But I want to serve in the Army after college,” he said. “I love America, I’m a big fan. Undeniably, America is the most prosperous nation on the planet… and I want to be a part of that.”

While Upadhyay has already formed strong ties to the military, he has always had even stronger ties to the Malvern area and community. Even when he wasn’t living anywhere near the town, he knew he was destined to return to the place of his birth.

“I was born here [in Malvern] and then I moved back here. I lived in England at one point… I didn’t like it, it wasn’t American enough. There’s no football, the food is bad, and people talk kind of funny,” he said.

Eventually, Upadhyay made his way back to the campus he knows and loves today.

“After [England], I moved to New Jersey after that until the seventh grade, and then I came to Malvern,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go to Malvern. My parents always wanted me to go to private school. Even when I didn’t live here, I knew the name of Malvern.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I think I’m really pragmatic… I think it makes me a straightforward person, and easy to understand. You’re never going to confuse me for someone else.”

-Sean Upadhyay ’19

[/perfectpullquote]

Even though Sean has always known who he is, he thinks he has changed a lot in the last year. “I’d say I am a lot more outgoing than I was a year ago. Just through doing more things with friends, I guess,” he said.

His friends, at least, appreciate these changes.

“He’s a real good guy,” Galilea said. “He’s helped me out a lot in school.”

Galilea thinks that Upadhyay’s personality reflects in every aspect of him. ”He’s a funny dude… his comedy is cruel and sarcastic like him, which kind of makes it funny, but also kinda bad… Yeah, that’s Sean,” Galilea said.

As Upadhyay grows and changes over time, he always seems to think about the things he cares about: his family, his country, and how he can give back to the both of them.

“My favorite person is my grandpa, for sure,” Upadhyay said. “He’s an immigrant from India, and has a really inspiring story. He came from nothing and raised my father… and he’s still working right here [in] Malvern.”

After speaking extensively about his culture, politics, beliefs, and own personal history, Upadhyay returns the key into the ignition, and sits for a moment—only to listen to the same track that has already played twice.

“Okay, no more deep questions,” he said. “The song is back on.”