Hi, I am Rajat, a Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science (MAMS), junior. I was born in Hyderabad, India and moved to America when I was about 2. I moved around a lot before settling in Grafton, MA in 2016. My family consists of my dad, my mom, and my sister, who is a CS major at UMass Lowell. Before MAMS, I was a student at Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA) in Marlborough, where I was involved in Speech and Debate, Math Team, Varsity Boys Tennis, Coding Club, and NHS. So far, coming to MAMS has been a great decision and I have enjoyed my classes and the different opportunities here. In my free time, I enjoy playing video games and going out with friends.

One of my favorite sports to watch and play is tennis. I played varsity tennis for the MHS-AMSA team, my sophomore year, and I would have played as a freshman as well but was unable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the early stages of the pandemic, I was able to get out and improve my tennis skills, while still social distancing. Last year, our team was able to make it to the states tournament and we won the Central Mass D2 Championship. Along with tennis, I enjoy watching and playing football in my neighborhood. Fall Sundays are my favorite time of the year for this reason. One brain "sport" I like to play is chess whenever I have some free time. Click here to see my chess profile and play me in a game!

Outside of school, I am a Boy Scout in Troop 106, Grafton and a current Life Scout. I am currently working on my Eagle Project of making a trail in Grafton ready to be hiked, along with adding blazes to the trail. I plan to finish my Eagle Project in May 2022 and get my Eagle by the end of the school year. My favorite part of Boy Scouts are the challenging hikes that we go on and cooking meals at camp. I have been in Boy Scouts since 2016 and I always enjoy going on different hikes and campouts and it allows me a way to get outside and enjoy myself in the outdoors.

Along with Boy Scouts, I volunteered for a Boy Scout Leadership Training Program called NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training). We had a total of 54 participants this year and I oversaw a patrol of 9. We taught younger Boy Scouts different leadership skills that help increase the quality of the troops in our council. Through this experience, I volunteered for around 200 hours and I had a great time running the program. I was able to gain different leadership skills through teaching and working with a team to run a successful program. Click here to see what I taught at NYLT!