Amidst the tumult of health care routines at Kaiser Permanente, a moment of tranquility unfolds as Diya Mukherjee (12) stands beside an elderly patient. She attentively guides him through the final steps of his hospital journey. As she wheels him out of the hospital, the weight of illness gradually lifts, replaced by a tangible sense of gratitude emanating from the patient. In this simple act of discharge, she embodies the spirit of her volunteerism, illuminating the immeasurable impact of empathy in the healthcare experience. 

Driven by her natural sense of compassion, Diya’s reassuring presence ensures the support of each patient as they navigate their healthcare journey. Throughout her two-year tenure as a volunteer at Kaiser, Diya consistently demonstrates her commitment to making a difference in the lives of the patients whether she’s completing administrative tasks or offering emotional support during difficult times, with each interaction making a meaningful impact on the hospital community. 

“It’s gratifying knowing that I’m helping people, especially when I see that they’re struggling,” Diya said. “People have their conditions that they have to live with, and if I can help with that, then I will. There’s a lot of people who are scared to ask for help, so volunteering gave me that experience of being the one to reach out to them and offer that help.”

Her drive to volunteer stems from her ambition to pursue a career in medicine. Immersing herself in a hospital environment and gaining firsthand experience in patient care has primed her for her future aspirations. She’s witnessed both the successes and setbacks of healthcare at Kaiser, exposing her to the benefits and tradeoffs in healthcare.

“She certainly has a very strong interest in medicine,” upper school Biology teacher Matthew Harley said. “She’s definitely one of a handful of students that I see every year, but she’s absolutely memorable for how much she enjoyed certain aspects of biology. She just lights up when she hears an antidote or a biological situation and is so visibly impressed and passionate about what she’s learning.”

In a tight-knit team of six volunteers in her shift, they collaborate to organize tasks and divide responsibilities. Apart from assisting visitors and patients around the hospital, they take moments of down-time to bond with each other. Especially through their mutual interest in medicine, Diya not only cultivates lasting relationships with other volunteers but also gleans invaluable advice from those with more experience than her. 

“A lot of the other volunteers are college students, so I listen to them about what they learned from college or just life lessons,” Diya said. “I’ve met a lot of people there who I consider older siblings. There’s a lot of people that I keep in touch with, even if they’ve left or come back occasionally.”

Regardless of the environment she’s in, Diya’s sociable nature radiates, making her approachable and eager to connect with new people. Close friend Saahil Kajarekar (12) affirms her outgoing demeanor and positive attitude, particularly during challenging moments.

“Diya’s very social and gets along with most people, so it’s easy for her to become close with new people she meets,” Saahil said. “She’s very confident in terms of talking to people and a positive person to the whole friend group. Especially for college applications, she helps us to not worry too much about the whole process.”

Diya attributes her confidence in conversing with people to her involvement in volunteering. Initially hesitant to interact with unfamiliar people, particularly in environments like hospitals where proactive outreach is essential, she now approaches such interactions with self-assurance, extending this attitude even beyond professional settings. 

“When I started out, I was more hesitant to talk to people who are strangers, especially since a lot of the time at Kaiser, people don’t come up to you and ask you for help. You have to be the one to approach them and ask if they need help. Now I’m more confident in talking to people because I’ve been through so many of these situations.”

Her confidence in speaking extends to her involvement in Public Forum, where she’s compelled to step forward and assert her viewpoints regarding technical or world events. She began speech and debate in middle school and fully embraced competitive public forum in high school, drawn to its collaborative nature. 

As second speaker, Diya’s responsibility is not to make her team’s case, but to counter the arguments presented by the opponents, preparing for both the pro and con side. She notes that her engagement in Public Forum exposed her to global events, reshaping her outlook on politics and broadening her perspective. 

“I’ve learned that there’s always a counterpoint to everything,” Diya said. “Every single point you can make, no matter how true it is, there’s always something that you’re missing or not thinking about. I’ve been forced to constantly think ‘If you have a perspective, what are its flaws or its downsides?’ You can always try to find something that’s misleading, which has changed the way I think about politics or my personal political opinions.”

As Diya’s public forum partner since junior year, close friend Mariana Ryder (12) and her formed a strong partnership due to their respective strengths and weaknesses complementing each other. She praises Diya’s ability to quickly analyze and synthesize information, allowing her to navigate nuanced discussions. 

“Diya’s really talented at public forum because of her ability to make logical arguments and extend her thinking without needing to research,” Mariana said. “She’s also able to understand advanced topics very quickly and also see the connections between what we’re debating and historical context. This is really necessary, not only for her as a second speaker and being able to make rebuttal arguments, but also understanding the round in general.”

Diya’s experiences in both volunteering and debate not only refined her personal skills but also served as catalyst for self-discovery. Her willingness to reevaluate her goals, fueled by both personal ambition and a sense of social responsibility, prompted a transformative shift in her aspirations.

“Something I’ve learned about myself through debate and at Kaiser the most is that I’m a very people-oriented person,” Diya said. “For most of my life, I thought I wanted to do only medicine, but now I’ve changed my goals so I still want to do medicine and in the long-term do public health or something more policy-related. They’ve shifted what my future looks like.”