Amidst the inundation of various responsibilities, Shekar Ramaswamy (12) worked, often behind-the-scenes, to keep himself afloat—optimistically paddling through “just another day in paradise.”

“My work ethic speaks a lot about my personality,” he said. “They’re pretty connected honestly in that a work ethic is a very personal thing. You don’t necessarily need to broadcast it. It’s just the idea of staying in your own lane, doing your own thing, getting your work done. Both my personality and work ethic are very much independent: staying focused on the task at hand and doing the best you can and, after that, just having fun.”

Whether studying several days in advance to perform well on an upcoming exam or working out daily to dunk a basketball or hoping to assist impoverished populations in third-world countries in the future, Shekar applied his goal-oriented attitude both in and out of the classroom. Yet, from the outset, he derived a “grind it out” mentality from his belief that he can only reap what he sows.    

“I know that whatever challenge that is presented to me, I’ll be able to overcome it,” he said. “I believe I have the knowledge and the ability to complete whatever’s put in front of me [because] I know I’ll try my hardest.”

Despite his independent work ethic and self-motivated confidence, though, Shekar relished drawing insights from the diverse opinions of his peers, not as a blind follower but as an insightful listener and keen observer.

“I’ve always heard people say, ‘When you raise your hand, you only think about your question, and you don’t think about what everyone else is saying,’” he said. “When you really want to say something, you block out what everyone else is saying for that time, and I think you lose a lot. If you’re just thinking about yourself, you’re not really spending your time effectively. I just like listening and observing what other people have to say or do and learning from that.”

From jamming out to “Autumn Leaves” to competing on the tennis court to designing iPhone applications, Shekar combined his work ethic and optimism to gain from the experiences of those around him while always walking in his own shoes.