Mihika Chalasani

Family

I currently live in Boylston, Massachusetts with my mom, dad, and older brother. My parents are both software engineers and my brother is graduating from UMASS Amherst with a Computer Science degree. Beyond my immediate family I am super close to my cousins, Nivi and Nihal. They are practically my siblings and always know how to have a good time. I especially look up to my older cousin, Nivi, because she inspires me to work hard at everything I do. My family is made up of the most supportive people and I couldn't have gotten anywhere without them!

Community Service

STEM Week

Stem week provided many opportunities for students to spread their knowledge and love for STEM to various elementary school children. We went to schools such as Tatnuck Magnet School and the Nativity School in Worcester. Students were able to directly interact with the kids and do fun STEM related activities. My favorite activity was the mirror maze. The activity utilized a series and mirrors, a flashlight, and various barriers. It taught the kids about angles and how to be creative in a fun and interactive way.

Stem Saturdays

The Mass Academy Community Service Club (MACS) holds events called STEM Saturdays where students are able to set up STEM activities in local parks. The event is promoted beforehand and children are encouraged to explore the activities. I enjoyed STEM Saturdays because the events were always super interactive and working with the kids was always fun. The events always ran for a couple hours so participation hours were flexible. This allowed students to participate around their busy schedules.

Kids Standard Tutoring

Kids Standard Tutoring is an organization that focuses on tutoring students in all subjects. I focussed primarily on helping kids who struggled in math. This organization was very enjoyable to work due to their open communication. This made it easy to change the schedule if need be or learn more about students in order to help them. The tutoring sessions were online and remained consistent, with meetings occurring once or twice every week. The hours were very flexible, as well, which was helpful during the school year.

Extracurriculars

Field Hockey

I have played field hockey since I was 12 years old, as a seventh grader at Tahanto Regional Middle School. I started playing after being inspired by my dad, who played field hockey in college. He pushed me to where I am today. I love being a part of a team and I have a whole new family from my field hockey team. I have never met a more determined and considerate group of girls. I play as a forward on the left wing and I absolutely love it! Last year I made the Mid-Wach D all star team and I can’t wait to see where this next season takes me! Click to view the list of Mid-Wach All star teams!.

Student Council

One of my favorite parts of my sending school was participating in the student council. From decorating for homecoming to attending the state conference, I loved it all. What I loved the most was being a part of making a change. For example, every year a council from every school runs into the freezing ocean in the middle of winter in support of the Special Olympics. Students are encouraged to raise money for athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities to participate in Olympic events. To learn more click here!. Though I was sad to leave my council, I am a proud honorary member!

Class Officers

Leadership has always been a big part of my life. I was class treasurer at my sending school and I loved it! My fellow class officers and I would always put together super fun fundraisers. Some of my favorites were selling personalized keychains and putting together a school-wide volleyball tournament. Being a class officer has taught me a lot of very useful lessons such as coming up with solutions for problems on the spot and delegating when class meetings get out of control. Though I was treasurer, the class officers would often help each other with our respective jobs, which taught me how important it is to work as a team and support one another

Clubs

I was in a wide variety of clubs at my sending school and I enjoyed every single one! Each one taught me how to be better and I was constantly learning. Math team taught me critical thinking, the business club taught me marketing tactics, LEOs brought me closer to the community, and so much more. I even started a club at my sending school for tutoring struggling students. I started the ACE club with one of my peers at the beginning of sophomore year and we were successful in helping students study for upcoming tests, finish their homework, and understand what was being taught in their classes.