Notable achievements at Upper Arlington High School
As a proud member of the Class of 2018, I was heavily involved in many projects and student organizations while at UAHS. Beginning my sophomore year, I joined Culture & Diversity Club and discovered an opportunity and an imperative for change within the district. Going on to become a student leader of UAHS’ annual Culture Fair, supporting the district’s cultural competency professional development, and, today, serving as a member of the district’s inaugural Equity Advisory Board, I have found continued purpose and drive to do what I may to foster belonging for all students in UA.
During my junior year, I had the privilege of joining two incredibly formative communities: Upper Arlington Idea Day (UAID) and Speech & Debate. As a member of UAID’s inaugural team, I worked closely with a dedicated and entrepreneurial group of students and mentors to put on UA’s first iteration of Idea Day. This team and I still connect often to this day. On the Speech & Debate team, I had the privilege of learning from and training with a group of incredible peers and coaches, making it to the state tournament twice in my two years of competition.
As a graduating senior in 2018, I was honored to speak as my class’s Cum Laude speaker. The opportunity to reflect, share and connect with so many members of my class was truly an invaluable experience.
College / career experiences
I am a continuing third-year student at University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Berkeley Haas School of Business, a bachelor of arts degree in sociology, and a minor in human rights. Over the past two years, I have had the privilege to serve as a resident assistant and, presently, as president of the Berkeley Forum, a non-partisan student organization that brings notable speakers to campus. Some of the most notable speakers I have had/will have the opportunity to hear from and meet are 88Rising founder Sean Miyashiro, Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin, and infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Continuing the pursuit of my passion in the equity, inclusion and diversity (EID) space, I have served as a member of the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Student Diversity Project’s Student Advisory Board and am presently the Internal DEI Lead within Berkeley Haas’ student government. In both of these roles, I continue to question the status quo of EID processes and operations as I seek to support the institutions and places I love in becoming spaces students of all communities can thrive in.
Career-wise, I have held a strong interest in the intersection between people and business and hope to continue this pursuit post-undergrad. I have held two previous internships within the human resources realm and am presently pursuing management consulting in my next steps forward. I eventually hope to obtain a graduate degree in public policy to further my potential impact in both the public and private sectors.
How did UA Schools prepare you for success?
As I continue to learn and grow with each year of college, I unceasingly value the relationships built and lessons learned while in high school. I continue to dream big and lead with both my heart and my mind and have become increasingly confident in my ability to incite positive change. Daily, I leverage my toolbox of skills such as public speaking, time management, empathy and collaborative entrepreneurship that I gained throughout my various high school endeavors, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to grow so much in UA.
In mindset and in practice, I am drawn, again and again, to Madame Julia Voegt-Brooking’s words from my sophomore year: that ignorance is not bliss, and that when we see inequity around us, we must seek action to create change. In my go-forward, and I encourage any reader the same, I will continue to critically assess the status quo, seek new ways forward, and keep hope and joy top of mind in whatever I pursue.