Kalil Riley ’27

Whether he’s on the court or on the stage, Kalil Riley ’27 loves being a part of a team. 

Riley joined the Tower Hill community in ninth grade. The combination of hearing positive things from friends who were current students and the basketball team having a championship-winning season made the prospect of becoming a Hiller all the more exciting. 

Riley is a shooting guard on the varsity boys basketball team and scored more than 400 points this season, making him one of the leading scorers in the state. He enjoys being a part of a team and working together toward a common goal. He and his teammates are always encouraging each other through their group chat by discussing practices and games. They start every practice warming up together as a team. 

“I love the togetherness of basketball, the energy and the enthusiasm of the team,” he says. 

Off the court, Riley joins his fellow Hillers on stage in the chorus and vocal ensemble. He initially joined the chorus after hearing his classmates’ encouraging words who often listened to him singing during class. After students shared his talents with Lindsay Alexander Owen, the director of Middle and Upper School Choirs, he was convinced to try it out. 

His hard work and performance in chorus encouraged Riley to audition for the Vocal Ensemble. 

“Ms. Owen came up to me after class one day and she told me that she thought I would be a really good fit for the Vocal Ensemble,” he says. “I’m having a really good time. It’s one of my favorite things to do and I look forward to it.” 

As one of a handful of bass voices in both groups, Riley holds the lowest vocal role, providing a foundation for harmonies among the soprano, alto and tenor voices. 

“I love the difficulty of it, it’s a challenge. I like learning different parts, seeing how high or low I can sing,” he says. One of his favorites to perform is “Moon River.”

This March, the Upper School Vocal Ensemble was invited to participate in the International Festival Choir Collaboration at Cadogan Hall for Vox Anima London’s biennial “Sing Here Together with VOCES8” event. They joined four other nationally recognized high school choral programs in the United States. 

In the classroom, Riley enjoys math and science. He likes to dig into solving problems or coming to a solution, especially through experiments and lab reports. He also enjoys other aspects of Upper School life including gathering for assemblies and working alongside students and faculty to improve his study habits and writing skills. 

No matter what Riley is involved in, he loves being a part of a group. He said being able to share his interests with friends and continue to see each other progress is something he values about being a part of Tower Hill. 

“The Tower Hill community means a lot to me,” he says. “It’s probably what influenced me to come here because I knew that, considering it’s a small school, I would have strong relationships with my peers and teachers.” 

As Riley looks toward the future, he knows Tower Hill is setting him up for success through his academics and extracurricular activities. He hopes to continue to apply his love of math, science and sports in the future, potentially through a career in medicine, business or sports management.