Comedian and writer Trevor Noah visited the school for the annual Brown Family Speaker series on May 18. The series aims to host speakers relevant to the school’s community. Specifically, Noah’s book “Born a Crime” is read in the school’s middle school English classes. Noah is also a critically acclaimed television host, author and producer.
Student moderator of the event Dhara Jobrani ’26 said Noah’s speaking was impactful in unexpected ways.
“I was so happy I was able to interview Trevor Noah for the Brown Family Speaker series,” Jobrani said. “It’s incredible that we were even able to host him, and being picked to interview him was really an honor. I was inspired by how insightful he was when I was interviewing him and how genuine he was.”
Alice Torosyan ’27 said the event felt especially relevant for students at the school.
“What really stuck out to me was what he said about success,” Torosyan said. “It’s really applicable to my life as a student at Harvard Westlake, and a lot of other people’s lives here, because everyone is really busy focusing on the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. It’s always good to remember to have a parameter for success. That topic is talked about quite a bit, but no one is able to put it quite into the right words and give such good examples of how that might manifest in daily life. He really brought me back down to earth.”
Sascha Wiley ’27 said she felt Noah’s speaking was inspirational.
“I was really impacted by the way he spoke about identity,” Wiley said. “He read really well because his humor makes him genuine. That’s one of Trevor Noah’s best abilities — just being able to really connect to people on a base level. He has this ability to command attention without being overbearing. His lesson about doing things right the first time really stuck with me.”
Jobrani said he was very surprised by Noah’s great stage presence.
“Interestingly, he was actually a lot quieter off stage when I had met him, but he became more engaging once we went on stage,” Jobrani said. “Even though it was pretty nerve-racking for me, it made for a really fun and engaging interview. He was a perfect speaker and could appeal to our audience to give some very good lessons in life.”
Junior Prefect Jasiri Johnson ’27 said he loved what Noah taught him and everyone through the assembly.
“A specific moment from the assembly that stuck with me was the lesson that there are small lessons you learn, and if you don’t listen to them, then ultimately it will come back to bite you,” Johnson said. “When he was talking about his motorcycle experiences, he explained that he didn’t learn the lesson until things got extreme. There are a lot of lessons in life that people don’t learn until they reach that point, but it’s important to recognize the signs before it gets there.”
