Wearing her signature puffy jacket, Sriya Prathuri’s (12) hands move left, right, up and down as she gestures wildly around her. She brushes a leaf of the brown bench as she scoots over a couple of inches to avoid the sun on her face. Her eyes scrunch up as her smile widens and her lips move a mile a minute as she talks about politics and the impact it has on everyone’s life.

“I was drawn to politics because I recognized the importance and relevance of it and how it has a strong powerful impact on all of our lives and it’s important to take action on critical issues. Seeing everything on the news and talking about it with my teachers and peers made me realize that I want to learn more about politics and gain experience in that realm,” Sriya said.

Sriya wasn’t always interested in politics and its many different perspectives, but ever since the 2016 election, Sriya has felt fascinated by politics and its effect. She now believes that it is important for everyone to have a voice in such matters, leading her to be a part of many different activist groups.

“As citizens of the United States and being a part of the greater collective, it’s imperative and incumbent upon all of us to be aware and present in everything that’s happening because we all have a stake in it. It doesn’t matter what you want to pursue in life, it’s still essential to be civically engaged regardless of political affiliation,” Sriya said.

Sriya is also passionate about Future Problem Solvers (FPS) and Model U.N. She loves to share her ideas and perspectives with other people in a setting where most people have different opinions. Along with talking about her passions, she listens to others’ ideas and implements them into her own ideals. 

“She has a way of managing a crowd, so when she’s at committee and there are 30 to 40 people trying to get something done, she’s in the center of it really helping to coordinate and having a leadership style that doesn’t yell at people and in a way that is very professional, especially as a young student,” Carol Green, a faculty advisor for Model U.N. and ex-faculty advisor for Future Problem Solvers, said.

Even with her busy schedule, Sriya manages to set aside time for her personal life. She never fails to follow up with a friend and ask specific questions about an activity or their well being in general.

“Whenever she sees me she always asks how I’m doing and she really means it. She expects a real answer about my day or week,” Simren Gupta (12), Sriya’s friend since eighth grade, said.

Sriya is also invested in music. She has been involved with music since she was in fourth grade. Whether it be the piano, flute, trombone or singing, she has always had a musical outlet throughout every stage of her life. 

“It’s just more about the people around me whenever I play an instrument or sing. Especially during singing everybody is sitting and there are four or five other kids there too,” Sriya said. “It’s just connecting with those people at that moment like hearing them sing and syncing up with them is just really relaxing. I hope to be musically involved in every stage of my life.”

Sriya has made an influential impression on people because of her personality, as she looks quiet and introverted but her true colors shine through as time goes on.

“I first thought that she was quiet and serious but I now know that she’s got a great sense of humor and that she’s very smart. She’s always looking to engage with people and is able to do it easily. She’s more of an introvert so it takes her a while to warm up and jump in but once she’s comfortable she jumps right in like when we’re playing Pictionary,” Donna Gilbert, Sriya’s advisor for three years, said.