Junior Aashna Dani is known for her balance, dedication, and positivity, whether she’s volunteering in her community, running cross country, or challenging herself academically. Aashna brings enthusiasm and kindness to everything she does, and her passion and work ethic continue to inspire her and her peers every day.
Dani has always loved staying active and involved, and she finds joy in everything from baking to spending time with friends. “My favorite hobbies include baking, hanging out with friends, and volunteering,” she shares. “These activities are super important to me because they allow me to relax and have fun.”
Her interest in helping others truly grew during the COVID pandemic, when she began volunteering more consistently. “I definitely got into volunteering during COVID because so many people were going through hard times, and it felt good to give back and serve others.” Dani continues, “One of my favorite places that I volunteered at was Medwish. At Medwish, a big group of my friends and I volunteered to sort medical supplies. These medical supplies would later be shipped to foreign countries that do not have access to some of these necessities.”
Many of Dani’s favorite memories come from extracurriculars and sports, especially cross country. She shares, “In cross country, especially, it was really nice to get close to the seniors and have a bond with them.”
In addition to all of her extracurricular activities, Dani also challenges herself with demanding courses, she explains, ”Some of my challenging classes that I am taking in school are AP Physics 1 and AP Pre-Calculus. I am involved in Interact Club, Cross Club, pre-med society, and I also plan to join Model UN.”
Managing schoolwork alongside activities hasn’t been easy, especially when taking such difficult classes, but Dani has learned how to stay on track and organized. She says, “One of the biggest goals I have is to stay consistent with my grades and my schoolwork. This year, I've noticed that it is super hard to balance my time between school and friends, but I feel like when I am staying consistent and doing a little bit of my schoolwork and studying over time, it keeps my schedule managed.”
Dani also mentions that a lot of her inspiration comes from her mom, “Someone I look up to the most is my mom. My mom has always been sacrificing for me, and I will always be appreciative of that. She keeps me motivated, and I always feel like I can talk to her about anything. She inspires me every day, and I constantly look up to her.”
Overall, Dani is a very well rounded student and athlete. Her peers and mentors cannot wait to see what she will accomplish throughout the rest of high school and beyond.
By Maddie Peters