Riyaa Randhawa (12) recalls joyous laughter punctuating the serenity of a spring afternoon at the upper school campus as she and her fellow lacrosse players ran around Davis field. They were drilling as per usual, but instead of using standard rubber lacrosse balls, they practiced with small, colorful balloons filled with chilly water, ready to burst at the slightest mishandling. What started off as lacrosse practice became a full-fledged dodgeball match, and everyone began flinging balloons at each other.

From a young age, Riyaa loved participating in athletics. She played water polo and competed in numerous tournaments over the course of many years, but after an accident that caused her to develop an allergy to chlorine, Riyaa turned to another sport. Riyaa first joined the lacrosse team in her freshman year merely to try a new activity, but she soon found a home within the community and developed strong bonds with her teammates.

“I switched to lacrosse in ninth grade, so this is my fourth and final year [playing],” Riyaa said. “I’m excited for the season, but it’s definitely bittersweet, as I wish I discovered it earlier [so I could] play more.”

Riyaa and close friend Thresia Vazhaeparambil (12) formed a tight-knit friendship both on and off the field after nearly four years of playing lacrosse together. The two of them first tried out for lacrosse together in their freshman year with no previous experience and used each other’s encouragement to cultivate their skills and drive themselves to work towards their goals whether in the sport or elsewhere.

“We both grew closer together [and] became better lacrosse players,” Thresia said. “I always had someone whom I could turn to who was of the same skill level as me and whose [opinion I could trust] … Also, it’s like a full circle: we started off as freshmen, barely knowing anything about the sport [and] walking onto the field with no practice, and now we are seniors.”

Riyaa now co-captains the lacrosse team and gained a close friend whom she can confide in. She exhibits her perseverance in pursuing the things she loves not only on the field but also through research.

Riyaa first dipped her toes into the realm of research in sixth grade. Through trial and error, she learned how to persevere through any differences between sources and her research and make the most of any oddities within her collected statistics.

“[When researching for speech and debate], I remember being very frustrated a lot of the time, as I would find an article but then find inconsistencies somewhere else,” Riyaa said. “At first, I thought that I [wasn’t] doing this right, [but] when you get more advanced, you realize that those inconsistencies are what you’re looking for.”

More recently, Riyaa has invested her time in researching topics more closely tied to her personal interests — from health policy to data science — through the Near Mitra program, as well as research papers with college professors. She not only incorporated the lessons she learned through researching in middle school into her current work but also now recognizes the importance of investigating contradictions, which can yield new ideas.

“In high school, you’re encouraged to lean into your own opinion and your own perspective about things, so knowing that these inconsistencies are of huge value is very exciting,” Riyaa said.

Hoping to expand her knowledge and research experience, Riyaa applied for the Near Mitra scholarship, a selective program that allows seniors to delve into a topic of interest related to history through independent research. After her acceptance, she worked closely with history teacher Chris Gatto and upper school librarian Lauri Vaughan, her two Near mentors, to research racial bias in the Philippines. Vaughan noted Riyaa’s sound work ethic and ability to cooperate with others.

“[Riyaa’s] biggest strength is her undying enthusiasm about this project,” Vaughan said. “It’s palpable when you speak to her, and that’s important — we really hope somebody is excited about their topic and is genuinely curious.”

Alongside participating in the Near program, Riyaa also worked with a professor from the University of Chicago on a paper discussing the effect of COVID-19 on South and Central America, which was published in The Milbank Quarterly, peer-reviewed specializing in original research in health policy, last year. She delved into the topics of social instability caused by the pandemic in order to better comprehend the history of health policy and racial bias.

“I had the experience of working with editors officially to see what goes into publishing [and] how something [is] peer-reviewed,” Riyaa said. “That was a huge accomplishment for me, as it instilled a confidence that I can leave high school and make a real change in college.”

Through the various research projects Riyaa has embarked on, she hopes to understand how the past has influenced the present. She believes that an anthropological lens and perspective on health policy helps her understand racial bias and how it has been carried into today.

“If you give me something to research, I [will] want to find everything I possibly can about it,” Riyaa said. “My drive to understand things from every perspective possible is what makes research so fascinating for me.”

From lacrosse to research opportunities, Riyaa exhibits her open-mindedness and willingness to face whatever challenges may come her way head-on. Close friend senior Ashley Barth (12) has witnessed her development as a friend, athlete and scholar.

“Riyaa is incredibly hard-working,” Ashley said. “She has a lot of things that she’s incredibly passionate about, whether that be lacrosse, sports in general, [or] Near Mitra. She puts all her energy towards those [hobbies], which makes her really successful.”

At the same time that Riyaa focuses on the task at hand when it comes to research or sports, Riyaa values her relationships and hopes to be a person whom the people she loves can count on. She works hard at what she does and tries to impact the world around her while doing so.

“Throughout my entire life, I’ve tried to intentionally grow myself into a person who is very selfless,” Riyaa said. “I want to make sure that everything I have can be used to give back to the community that has helped me become the person I am. I want to be sure that, if someone is facing a challenge or [is] stuck on an obstacle, I will be with them right there to help them through it.”