Ashna doesn’t confine herself to one activity — DECA business conferences, nature hikes with family friends, rounds of golf and even kickboxing sessions all manage to fit into her schedule.

One of the friendliest faces around, her gentle presence reverberates kind energy to those around her.

Over the past four years, she’s grown out of her own shell, reaching heights she never thought she would and expressing herself in more ways than ever. A good listener by habit, she made a conscious effort to open herself up to voice her thoughts more frequently throughout her high school experience.

“In eighth grade, I was very quiet. I was a big introvert, which people are shocked to know because I’m pretty talkative now,” she said. “I did not talk, and I was really quiet. I didn’t really say anything. Through high school, I grew up and matured, and I started talking more. I became more confident in my own self and grew closer to my friends, and I found my place in high school.”

She nods as she speaks, a grin somehow always managing to surface its way back onto her face. Straight black hair frames her face, bouncing every time she laughs.

She channels her positive mindset and outlook on life to take on one of her personal challenges, the confidence to speak up about her thoughts and what she believes in. She implements little changes into her day to day life to reinforce this attitude.

“I never go to bed angry. If I’m fighting with someone like a friend or my mom or someone, I always try to solve a problem before I go to bed,” she said. “I just don’t like to go to bed with a bad state of mind. I’m a pretty positive person, and that’s just how I try to keep myself positive.”

The activities she jumped into in her high school career only enhanced her journey — for example, joining DECA during her freshmen year encouraged her to reach out of her comfort zone, talk to new people and develop new relationships. Additionally, during her summer moving into sophomore year, Ashna joined a seven week summer program called Girls Who Code, where she not only discovered her fascination for computer science, but also where she learned to confide in herself and her abilities.

She credits her transformation to her constant and reassuring support from her parents, both of whom do their best to tell her how proud they are of her.

“My dad’s always told me not to stress about things and that life will do whatever it wants,” she said. “It’s kind of been my thing. I try not to stress about things and just live life as it goes. It’s really cliché, but I’m just happy in the things I do. I try to do things that I love to do. My dad’s been really good about making sure I don’t stress too much, and it’s hard, but I definitely do try to carry that with me wherever I go. You can’t really control what life does.”

One thing that hasn’t changed? Ashna still enjoys exploring and trying new activities. Over the summer, she joined a kickboxing class with Meena Gudapati (12).

“I’ve gotten really close to Ashna in the past few years, and I can definitely say she’s one of the most caring [people],” Meena said. “She always understands, and she’s so supportive. We went boxing twice a week every week this summer, and I feel like we both just transformed together.”

Ashna’s emotional transformation proved to be extremely rewarding in her four years of high school. The shift from middle school to high school challenged her socially; she grew more confident in her own skin. Her friends find her the most honest out of the bunch, never afraid to speak the truth, even if it’s hard to hear.

“Over the years, she started getting more confident, started dressing her own style, making a name for herself,” her close friend Jenna Sadhu (12) said. “I think that it’s really great to see her over the years transform into this wonderful human being that’s conquering so much.”