Standing near the front of math teacher Bradley Stoll’s room, Ashley Jia (12) spends the second half of a long lunch helping run Interact Club. In her light blue Interact sweater, she occasionally glances down at her computer as she notifies the club of the upcoming events.

Although some students join clubs such as Interact or partake in community service just to meet their graduation requirements, others contribute because they enjoy it. Despite originally attending the club to fulfill her community service hours requirement, looking back, Ashley regards joining Interact Club as one of her most impactful decisions.

“As I got more involved in it, I realized how great the community was and also learned a lot about leadership and social issues, and how I can contribute to that,” Ashley said.

Finding her love for contributing to the community, Ashley now holds the position of Community Service Coordinator in Interact Club.

“Although a lot of time goes into it, it’s really cool seeing so many people brought together by this one event that I did,” she said. “It’s worth it to me because then I can see as a leader how other people get involved in this and how they also fall in love with Interact…seeing more positive actions going out into the world is really cool.”

But the sense of community does not only manifest itself through service. Within a community, Ashely strives to establish a more open, honest environment.

“I usually just talk to people. I try to find friends who are not super busy all the time and are willing to listen to me and discuss certain topics and how they view it,” she said. “I wish people were less narrow-minded. How people talk and express their opinions through their words and actions…they’re kind of ignorant of how they affect other people and how that makes an effect on a lot of big issues.”
By simply having discussions, she is able to talk to and reach a lot of people.

“She seems to be able to make friends with anyone. I really admire that about her,” said Clarissa Wang (12).

Even though she interacts with many, she shows her more reflective side among friends.

“On the outside, she seems like a typical extroverted social butterfly kind of type, but once you get to know her better, she has her more introspective moments,” said Angela Li (12).

Outside of school, Ashley enjoys thrift shopping with her friends. It is a great bonding experience for them.

“I picked it up about a year ago and I started going to thrift shops with my friends and watching thrift shop youtube videos and it was pretty cool because there are a variety of things there that were unique and used before. Getting it second hand was cool because it was environmentally sustainable.” Ashley said.

With an open personality, she has helped many, from visiting a San Jose park to hand out free lemonade to simply lending an ear and giving advice to a friend.

“She’s really just a sweet girl who has a really open personality and I think she has definitely helped me overcome some of my own insecurities about approaching other people or social stresses in general and I’m really grateful for that,” said Sara Min (12).