It was Mavericks, Half Moon Bay — stormy season. Adrenaline rushing, Aman surfed a 35-foot wave for the first time, eclipsing his previous record by 20 feet.

“I accepted the fact that if I wiped out, it would be totally normal because sometimes waves can be really rough, but at the same time, I was really confident so I was just hyping myself up to make sure I wouldn’t look back,” Aman said. “I just kept telling myself: ‘Even though it’s a really big wave, just stick with it.’”

Back in high school, Amandeep applies his daring attitude towards more mundane events.

“I’ve always felt like a lot of situations in life, I’ve been put on the fence on whether or not I can do something or should do something, whether it’s to sign up for a club or to possibly try surfing a wave,” he said. “I’ve always found that every time I did take that step forward rather than backward, it always ended up turning out really well for me.”

With his turban a nod to his Sikh heritage, Aman finds that embracing his differences is one of the primary ways that he learns to become comfortable in his own skin.

“My culture is really important to me. Personally, I think that just by being or looking different, I am able to inherently be more outgoing with myself and take risks that I may have not taken if I just felt normal,” he said. “I’ve used opportunities that have come up to meet new people instead of shying away from it because I’ve realized, people probably remember me easier and are probably just as curious to learn about me or to meet me as I am to meet them.”

Aman celebrates many Indian holidays that connect him with other people in his community.

“There’s this Indian dance called bhangra and it’s just a really unique way for me to be able to interact with other people in my community or my same culture,” he said. “Every year, we do a performance, and it’s not a competition or anything, it’s just a family event. It’s really nice just getting together with other people and sharing that kind of experience together.”

In social situations, Aman tries his best to bring a lighthearted presence to the group.

“I would like to be remembered as the guy you can always share a laugh with,” he said. “It’s always nice when you’re in a stressful environment and in between classes just be able to talk to someone and share a laugh before you go off to your next period or while you’re studying to make it less of a chore and just something you can do together.”

Chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine appreciates Aman’s sense of humor.

“If there’s one student I could be sarcastic with and know that they were not going to become uncomfortable, it would be him,” Irvine said. “We had a lot of fun and he could take and make jokes just as much as I could.”

But Aman’s love of jokes doesn’t interfere with his focus — he maintains a balanced perspective on the importance of education in his life.

“He stays on task, is really great to work with and keeps you honest,” his close friend Nick Acero (12) said. “I think that’s helped me with my teamwork.”

When Aman does something, from playing guitar to volunteering at the Pacific Autism Center for Education, he does it with gusto.

“Originally, I got into [volunteering] because I was interested in neuroscience and I thought it would be a way to dive into that,” he said. “I found out quickly that it was less about the science aspect of it and it was more the actual working on a youth leadership team together to fundraise for these amazing people that I have gotten to know so well over the years. I started freshman year. It’s been an experience that I never thought I would take to such a level. It’s really nice seeing the outcomes of some of our fundraisers. Last year, our benefit concert at Santana Row raised 6,000 dollars all for these kids.”