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Siira Rieschl

Biography

Highlights of Young Scholar Experience: Most of the Young Scholars when asked to reflect on their top experiences point to an overseas trip or a summer academic immersion course at a top university in the U.S.  Siira Rieschl had this to say about being a Young Scholar: “I used to be shy. When I met anyone new, I’d widen my eyes and clamp my mouth shut, tight. Sometimes I’d run into another room. I wasn’t an easy person to get to know. If you were to be introduced to me today, I’d look you in the eye, confidently, and offer my name. I’d ask you about yourself. I’d smile. Many people go through tremendous transitions in their four years of high school, but not many can pinpoint the root of their transformation. I can: the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.”

Profile: Siira grew up on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, south of Seattle.  At her local public high school she seemingly was involved in every activity happening on campus or on the island, home to about 10,000 inhabitants. Summers were spent at various colleges around the U.S. thanks to the Foundation, but the one experience she’ll recall is her one-month trip to Japan through the Experiment in International Living that “taught me so much more than I could learn in a classroom.” An honor student at Vashon High School, Siira, in the words of one of her teachers, is destined for great things.  “I can imagine Siira as an outstanding teacher, artist, aid worker, politician, caregiver, parent,” said the teacher.  What are Siira’s current career goals?  Honest to the core, the young lady simply said: “I have no idea yet . . . there are just too many possibilities.”

Inspiration: Through the Foundation, Siira was able to take saxophone lessons from an elder gentleman on Vashon Island named Buzz Brusletten. Even though the lesson was supposed to be 45 minutes, Siira and Buzz would sometimes talk for hours, “not just conversing about saxophones and music, but history, his experiences abroad, painting, mathematics, his cats…. I would look forward to the time I spent with him because he would make me think with both sides of my brain and push me to think beyond the ordinary.” When Buzz passed away in November of 2010, “I realized how much he had taught me not only to love music, but to be passionate about everything, especially good conversation.”

Aspiration:  Siira’s still a long way away from a career goal.

Making a Difference: Siira’s visit to Japan “made me push myself in so many directions . . .  I pushed myself to talk to strangers on the street in a language that was not my own, to make friends with kids I met, to eat suspicious looking food, and to generally take the risks I knew I wouldn't regret.”

Accolades: Siira was recognized by the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers, was a member of the Vashon High School National Honor Society, received her school’s Special Achievement in Mathematics Award, won the local Veterans of Foreign Wars essay contest and for all four years in high school was an honor roll student.

Interesting Fact: Let Siira explain how she was given that name:  “My mother was traveling in Europe before I was born, and she went by the name ‘Siira’ to appear less American. It stood for Sassy Impatient Irrational Robust Amazon.  When she came back to the US, she gave up her traveling ways and settled down, passing down the name to me.”

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