Her black Puma sneakers tapping rhythmically on the bench, her long fingers fiddling around with one another and her hair waving back and forth in its ponytail. Arushi Nety (12) lives in motion. 

As a six-year old, Arushi could not stop moving. Noticing her active nature, her parents signed her up for a multitude of organized sports, ranging from basketball to soccer. One sport stuck – softball. 

“I just love all the strategy involved in softball. There are so many different combinations of plays that could happen,” she said. “You have to be smart knowing where to make a play, at what point to do stuff, because even a millisecond can change everything.”

Throughout the course of her adolescent softball career, she found her perception towards the sport slowly changing with time.

“I guess before when I was younger, I never really took it seriously. I thought it was just fun to run around,” Arushi said. “And then as I got older, I started appreciating the intellectual side of it, the strategy, the plays. Trying to make the most out of every situation, no matter what is going on. Just keep fighting.”

After almost eight years of playing competitive softball, she was forced to stop since the combination of the long pants and thick socks of the uniform with the dirt from the field aggravated her eczema. 

“I was so disappointed, but I think if I had continued, I wouldn’t really appreciate it as much as I do now,” Arushi said. “I learned to just take everything in stride and try to figure it out.”

She instead devoted all her restless energy from softball into baseball. When she isn’t playing fantasy baseball, she’s watching major league games. Although upper school economics teacher Dean Lizardo doesn’t teach Arushi anymore, he appreciates that their interests align in baseball. 

“One of the things we like to talk about is baseball. It’s awesome because I like to think I know a thing or two about baseball, but she knows a lot about baseball,” Lizardo said. “I would probably get completely destroyed by her if I tried to play her in fantasy baseball.”

Even though she quit softball, Arushi’s passion for the sport didn’t stop there. She started looking for volunteering opportunities that involved athletics and came across Special Olympics, where she’s been volunteering since freshman year. 

“The best part about [Special Olympics] is definitely not only working with the athletes but also who else you’re with, like the families and the coaches. There’s just such a big support structure around all of them,” she said. “Getting to know them and the people they’re close with makes it a really cool experience to grow with someone and make someone just a little bit happier.”

Close friend Catherine Zhao (12) describes Arushi as “analytical, methodical and detail-oriented.”

“Through my experience being in class with her, you can definitely tell she’s someone who really cares,” Catherine said. “It’s really rare that you find someone with such great insight into not just the coursework but also the things around her.”

Arushi credits Special Olympics to teaching her how to create the perfect balance between being a good person and a good friend.

“I learned how to lead with empathy, trying to meet them halfway, but also knowing when to put your foot down and make disciplined routines,” Arushi said. “Just knowing how to use that certain tool was really helpful in other aspects of my life.”

Senior Vishnu Jaisim values her honesty, friendship and compassion in any scenario.

“When orchestra went to Carnegie Hall in ninth grade, we were walking to get boba, and Arushi used her pure intuition based on where things were, and she led us to the right place,” Vishnu said. “It really showed how smart she is but also how kind she is, and we were talking the entire way, and it was a really great experience.”

For Arushi, all roads lead back to softball. What initially started as a pastime she could funnel her energy into has turned into an inseparable aspect of her personality.

“Softball taught me so many things – how to be patient with myself, how to be resilient and most of all how to create these immensely strong bonds with my teammates,” Arushi said. “Coaching kids almost came naturally to me just due to how much I loved the sport and how much I wanted to share my passion with other people.”

Additional reporting by Sriya Batchu and Helen Zhu.