My name is Ayaan Hegde, and this is my website! Here, I’ll let you in on some of the key things in my life. I'm currently a junior at Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI. My sending school is Saint John's High School in Shrewsbury. I live with my parents and my brother in Grafton. My favorite book series is the Percy Jackson series. My favorite shows are The Office and Suits. I absolutely love playing and watching sports like basketball, football, table tennis, and volleyball. This is just a brief preview of my life, so scroll down for more!
Model UN
One of my favorite clubs in high school was Model UN. In Model UN, you simulate the real-world United Nations with actual real-world problems. For example, I have been on committees that dealt with antimicrobial resistance, modifying the health care system, and even simulated the India and Great Britain dispute. Doing Saint Johns Model UN helped me gain a new perspective on the real world. In addition, I gained public speaking skills that have greatly benefited me. Most importantly, Model UN helped me to form bonds with my peers and vastly develop my communication skills. Model UN is a great club to try out if given the opportunity due to the many skills gained from it.
Math Competitions
Math has been involved in my life since my early elementary school years. I first was a part of the Math Olympiad and participated in many mathematical competitions. As the years progressed, I began to love math more and more. From 4th-8th grade, I was a student at the Russian School of Mathematics (RSM). I went under a rigorous schedule of Algebra and Geometry during these 5 years. Not only did I develop math skills, but I also created bonds with many other classmates. As I entered my freshman and sophomore year of high school, I was a part of the Saint John's Math Team. There, I competed in many competitions and enjoyed collaborating with others and challenging myself to the max. Even now, I still love math, and I want to keep developing myself and my mindset.
Volunteering
An important aspect of my life is contributing to my community. In that, I volunteer at many places. One is the Grafton Food Bank. In this, we strive to provide food relief to Grafton residents in need. Our job as volunteers is to carry food from place to place and show respect to those we help. Another organization I was apart of was the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In this, my friends and I raised over $10,000 towards those suffering from those blood cancers. Lastly, I volunteered most of my time at the Grafton Public Library . I helped shelve and retrieve books in the library. I loved doing this because I am a huge lover of reading. I will continue to volunteer throughout my life and continue to contribute to my community because I love helping out my family and friends.
Guitar
Playing guitar is one of my favorite pastimes. I have played the guitar for 7 years, ever since 4th grade. I just love listening to songs and learning how to play it on the guitar. A recent song I just learned is Brazil by Declan McKenna. I also have learned to play the acoustic and the electric guitar, but I like playing the acoustic more. Whenever I’m feeling stressed, playing the guitar would always be a source of peace for me.
Kayaking
One of my newest hobbies that I picked up is kayaking. Surprisingly, the first time I ever kayaked was in Vermont a couple of months ago. At first, I was insanely scared because I thought I was going to flip over. But I slowly got the hang of it, and that was the start of my new passion. I love kayaking because there is a huge amount of peace when you are just floating in the middle of the lake. After our class trip to Bournedale, I kayaked with friends, and I loved it even more. After this, I will continue to kayak more along with some friends.
Basketball
Basketball is my favorite sport of all time. I played travel basketball for Grafton in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. I also play a lot of basketball in my free time. Every time the Celtics played at night, I would head into the living room along with my dad and watch the whole game. Whenever I am bored, I would always play pick-up basketball at the nearest park with my friends. One thing on my bucket list is to be able to go watch a Celtics finals game in person. I strongly believe I will continue to play basketball in the years to come.
Volleyball
During my freshman and sophomore year at Saint Johns, I played JV Volleyball. When I first joined the team, I was totally new to the game. But along with my friends, I developed my skills and became better and better. Not only was this one of the most fun times I had, but this also developed my communication skills. Volleyball’s biggest challenge is proper communication. You need to be able to talk with your teammates loudly and coherently. For example, when the ball is headed directly in between you and someone else, you don’t want to crash into the both of you. You should be able to clearly tell your teammate that you are going for the ball. Playing beach volleyball with friends is another one of my favorite pastimes.