The Paw Print

By Isabella Sun, Arts and Culture Editor

As the 2025 school year draws to an end, the Payton community stands at a moment of transition, ready to welcome new beginnings while honoring the achievements of the Class of 2025. Among the many outstanding seniors preparing to graduate is Dimitri Gunawan, whose journey through high school has left a lasting impact on peers and teachers alike. I recently had the chance to sit down with him to look back on his experiences, celebrate his growth and hear about the exciting path he plans to take next.

Paw Print: First, where are you going for college?

Dimitri: Northwestern University.

Paw Print: What are you majoring in Northwestern?

Dimitri: Mechanical engineering and possibly double majoring in economics.

Paw Print: Why are you majoring in mechanical engineering?

Dimitri: For mechanical engineering, I love building things. In high school, I’ve done a lot of robotics and I’ve built things like rockets and other stuff in Science Olympiad. So, that’s what I like to do, and I think that I would like to pursue a career in that. 

Paw Print: What are you most looking forward to in Northwestern?

Dimitri: I’m excited about the resources for start-ups. I would like to automate some parts of the delivery system in Amazon and in warehouses. I think that the resources that they have—they have lots of money, programs and mentorships—is what I’m most excited about.

Paw Print: What did you do in Payton that contributed the most to your growth as a person?

Dimitri: I’d say that robotics is the most impactful because it was my first STEM club here. I knew that I was interested in STEM, but I didn’t really have deep exposure beforehand, so robotics got me into applying my CAD skills for more useful things. It got me into understanding how a team works: something that we all want to make together instead of just building things on my own. That was my first and most significant club.

Paw Print: What will you miss most about Payton?

Dimitri: I definitely will miss my friends. I can’t say whether Payton is a good or bad school because it is my only experience, but I think that the people here are amazing. Some of my friends are the smartest people that I know and they’re also the nicest people that I know. I’m also going to miss going to the competitions with robotics and science olympiad. So it’s mostly my friends and the experience I had.

Paw Print: Finally, any advice for underclassmen?

Dimitri: I say definitely think about what you want to do in the future, and do as much as you can in those fields. Do a little exploring because if you don’t know what you want to do, it’s good to invest some time to do some things you are uncomfortable with, but if you really know what you want to do, stick with it and do the best you can.

Paw Print: Thank you so much for the interview.

Dimitri: You’re welcome.