By Megha Lakha
When I found sophomore Riya Patel, she was hard at work in the alcove, locking in on Honors Precalculus.
Riya told me she wishes that she could be doing ceramics instead of math, which happens to be her new favorite subject. “I love it because I get a break during my day and I can be creative,” Riya said. “It also doesn’t require much brain power.”
Riya told me she’s looking forward to Track and Field State because the girls just won regionals. “There’s a new coach this year, and she’s hardcore, but everybody is improving this year,” Riya said.
She went to state last year for the 4 by 200-meter relay. “We are also going this year, but I have a different team because last year we got 4th place, and I think we can get even higher this year,” she said.
Riya discovered her love for track last year. “I decided to join Track because I used to do soccer and realized I was good at running.” She’s also enjoyed the friends she’s made.
Besides track, Riya also participated in Winter Cheer. “It’s a huge switch from cheer to track because they’re such different sports,” she said. “But I love it because I’ve made friends from both teams.”
Outside of school, Riya is an aspiring philanthropist. “I’m in NCL and do a bunch of volunteer work through that,” she said. “I just ran bingo at Rosetta Stone and love volunteering at the Shepherd Center.” She also does Agape Teen Leaders where she tutors kids. Riya also connects with senior citizens through GlamourGals.
Riya said sophomore slump is getting to her, but she is trying to ward it off. “It’s definitely a lot to manage my courseload and extracurriculars,” she said. Riya’s toughest class right now is AP World History with Mr. Tuttle. “I have an A- right now, I’m desperately trying to keep that,” Riya said.
Her summer plans are motivating her to keep up her work and finish off her sophomore year strong. “In June I’m going to Vanderbilt for a Psychology program,” she said. ‘Then In July, I’m going on an African safari, and I’m also interning at Agape.”
Riya is also “ultra thankful” that she has finally acquired her driver’s license. “Hanging out with friends this summer will be so much better since I can finally drive,” she said with a grin.
I ended our alcove conversation by wishing Riya luck on her track state endeavors and, of course, telling her to stay safe on the roads!
