My name is Ishana Saroha. I live with my mom, dad, and younger brother. Growing up, I have always been extremely close with my family and I enjoy spending time with them. Some of our favorite activities to do together include going for walks after dinner, hiking, and going for long drives. My favorite food is cheesecake, and my favorite tv shows are Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls.
One of my favorite activities is hiking, whether it be small hikes in Massachusetts or longer ones in the White Mountains. My goal is to finish the entire presidential range before I graduate from high school, and I have just two peaks left! I have completed several advanced hikes, including peaks such as Mt. Washington, Mt. Eisenhower, and Mt. Jefferson. This past summer, I traveled to Colorado and spent a week hiking in the Rocky Mountains. I have been hiking since I was a child and feel that it is a perfect way for me to relax after a long week of school.
My favorite winter activity that I enjoy is snowboarding. I am a self-taught snowboarder and have been snowboarding for three years. After a long week of school, I enjoy heading up to Wachusett Mountain on Fridays for snowboarding with friends/family. I hope to continue that tradition this school year. Snowboarding has taught me to take risks, even when it can be a bit scary. I have also learned patience and resilience. Most of all, I have been able to let loose, be in the moment, and enjoy myself.
From a young age, I have loved mathematics. In 2018, I joined the middle school math team, eager to develop my problem-solving skills. I was part of the Shrewsbury HS Math Team during my freshmen and sophomore years. At math team practices, I helped students solve advanced problems using a variety of methods. I successfully explain new concepts to peers using simplified processes. I have also participated in Math Olympiad, Mathcounts, AMC 8 and HMMT. This year, I also joined the math team at Mass Academy, where I hope to continue growing my mathematical skills.
Since 7th grade, I have enjoyed participating in the science fair, where I have won multiple awards at both the regional (WRSEF) and state levels (MSEF). I have always viewed science fair as an opportunity to extensively research a new scientific topic I have no experience with. Topics I have researched include acids and bases, environmental impact of solar panels, microbiology, and most recently, drug toxicity prediction using GNNs (Graph Neural Networks).
In my free time, I love spending time with my family and friends, whether that be volunteering
or simply hanging out and talking. I also enjoy listening to music. Here is
a link
to one of my favorite playlists.
A new hobby I recently picked up is making my own jewelry. I love having the freedom to buy
(or find!) my own materials and combine them in unique ways to create new jewelry. Sometimes, finding pictures online help me think of new ideas that I wouldn't
have originally thought of, and I use those images as inspiration for future creations. I also find this activity to be incredibly relaxing.
When I feel overwhelmed or stressed out, taking a break and making new creations allows my mind to disconnect from school for a little bit.
I have also begun writing articles for LA Times HS Insider , where my first article was published a few months ago. My plan is to continue writing about the topics I love.
I also enjoy playing the cello, which I have done since 5th grade. At the end of a difficult day, I like playing the cello to
relax at home, and I find the process of learning new music very calming.
Over the summer, I spent a lot of time volunteering at the Community Harvest Project and Mustard Seed. At CHP, I helped weed, harvest, wash, sort, and pack fresh produce for local communities and food banks. At Mustard Seed, I help prepare and serve dinner at their community service center, as well as volunteer at the weekly food bank, where I was able to give out some of the fresh produce from CHP!