Josie Schwartz

Gianna Liu ’25 (center, holding the “I” balloon) has been involved in Walk It Out all four years of high school. This is her second year as program director.

West Side Story: When and how did you get involved in Walk It Out (WIO)? 

Gianna Liu ’25: I was first involved in Walk It Out in my freshman year. I joined the East Asia region, and we were trying to think of performances to do, and that was also when I was most obsessed with K-pop. So obviously, ‘Why don’t I just start a little K-pop performance?’ And it has been a very fun time just dancing with friends, because not only do we get to kind of show off a part of our region’s culture

WSS: What kind of work goes into planning the show?

G.L.: So this year, I mostly focused on the overall show, logistics planning. So this year included a lot of figuring out what we needed for the show, figuring out food, advertising, also delegating responsibilities and just assisting with people whenever they needed help.

WSS: What is your favorite aspect of WIO?

G.L.: My favorite aspect of Walk It Out is just putting on an event where community members can come together. I really appreciate the diversity at West. I think it’s really unique that we have something that can showcase everyone’s cultures and experiences. It’s really fun seeing people upstage and embracing themselves and just enjoying time together with their friends.

WSS: What makes WIO unique?

G.L.: I think it’s unique because we bring so many people together. You don’t really see the same people together anywhere else or any other time, and especially when we have the dinner, that’s where people try a bunch of different foods they typically never get to try. There’s also no judgment, there’s just a very accepting environment. 

WSS: What is your favorite cultural food?

G.L.: Probably Indian food. I can bust down three plates of that, like in one sitting, I could do it.

​​WSS: How do you feel now that you have finished your last show?

G.L.: I feel it was stressful organizing it, and especially last year, I was very stressed out throughout the show. But at the end, after performing one last time in Walk It Out, I’m just very proud of how far the show has come along, and hope we keep continuing a tradition that was started a while back. And it’s just very satisfying to see the entire show come together. I feel really good that I was able to partake in the club these past few years. 

WSS: What would you say to any students considering joining WIO? 

G.L.: I say go for it, even if you don’t have a cultural background you identify with, you can also help the show in other ways, like as stage manager or with the lights crew. We really need everyone to help us run the show, and especially if you do identify with a cultural background, you should definitely join the show because it means so much to express yourself and have other people appreciate it.