Senior Aishani Singh’s small nine-year-old hands made their way across the microboard, running along the chips, the LEDs, the antennae, with a budding curiosity. Although her coding experience beyond Scratch blocks was limited, the microboard beckoned with possibilities for creation, drawing Aishani into a new world of circuits, diagrams and displays. When she emerged from the spontaneous gift with a fully functioning tic-tac-toe game, she knew she had found the perfect fit for her aspirations. 

“I saw this one aspect of myself that loved to do anything with her imagination, who loved to think about who she could be,” Aishani said. “Computer science was how I could become what I wanted to be. It was how I could manifest that creativity into something physical and tangible, like that microboard. I could literally touch what I created.” 

From her first moments programming the microboard to middle school memories piecing together Python code line-by-line, Aishani’s drive to enact change shines through her computer science projects. She uses her creative instincts to tackle social problems from innovative angles, like when she used artificial intelligence to design smart glasses for the visually impaired in her frosh year. Between her research projects and aspirations to bridge public policy and AI, Aishani strives to not only leave an impact on the world, but to do so in a way that is truly hers.

Outside of her innovations, Aishani continues to serve those around her, spotlighting the Harker community through her work as a Managing Editor for Harker Aquila. After joining the staff in frosh year, she’s written everything from a passionate defense of digital note-taking, earning 12,000 site views, to an in-depth feature on Asian-American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Although journalism was difficult to balance at times, Aishani felt the bonds she formed with staff were well worth the effort. 

 “There have been times where I’ve wondered, ‘Why put in all this work?’” Aishani said. “You put in this work because you’re part of a community. Sometimes it feels hard, but everything feels hard. If everything was easy, we would never do it, or it would mean nothing. You do journalism because you put in work and you get something out of it: teamwork, community, to see your name on The Winged Post or in Aquila.” 

Aishani’s fellow staff members assert her contributions not only to the team but also to the community at large, with many journalism partnerships blooming into friendships outside the classroom. Senior Shiv Deokar first met Aishani in Intro to Journalism, and has been her close friend ever since. He highlights the impact of her compassion on his life over the past four years. 

“She’s genuinely one of the kindest people I know, and I’m super grateful to have her in my life,” Shiv said. “I don’t know where I’d be without Aishani. I can’t imagine how life was before her, because she’s made such an impact just by how there she always is.”

Storytelling comes naturally to Aishani, extending off the page in journalism to the stage. As a performer in various fall plays and Student Directed Showcase productions, Aishani traded her perennial smile for the tears, rage and grief her roles demanded. Although many of the pieces she took on were emotionally challenging, such as the wrenching “Laramie Project,” she savored the process of bringing the production to fruition with her castmates. 

“Every time I came to rehearsal, I’d be excited, I’d want to make more memories,” Aishani said. “Every time we blocked a scene, I could really see this play coming together, and that was a really beautiful thing. Over time you get to see how this whole play, how this whole story is coming together.” 

While Aishani’s various commitments would prove challenging to manage, her connections with those around her drove her in all aspects. Her ability to make time for her friends and family even amid stressful times remains a testament to their importance for her. Math teacher Bradley Stoll, who taught Aishani in AP Calculus BC and Honors Discrete Math, attests to her ability to stay grounded during intense seasons.

“She takes her academics seriously, but she also makes sure she gets outside,” Stoll said. “That’s really nice that she knows what’s really important. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I got to do school work, but I also want to take care of myself.’ She doesn’t get caught up.”

Close friend senior Ananya Das echoed Stoll’s sentiments, praising Aishani’s dedication to her friendships. She appreciates Aishani’s unflagging support for the people she loves.  

“She’s always a good listener,” Ananya said. “Even if you’re clearly in the wrong, she’ll listen and hear you out, but at the same time she’ll be supportive. That unconditional support and love that she has for the people around her is what’s special about her.”

When she looks to the future, Aishani’s dreams encapsulate many things. She wants to make the world a better place, all the while holding onto the creativity that drove her to these paths in the first place. She’s already begun her mission, in the impacts she’s had through her projects, her articles, her performances, her classmates and her closest friends. As she continues beyond high school, she hopes to never lose sight of the connections she fosters with others. 

“I want to bring joy into people’s lives,” Aishani said. “Hopefully, my legacy is that I made people smile when they were feeling down, when they were feeling like they couldn’t smile that day. Hopefully, I made them laugh. I hope I made them see that there is some light in this daily life that we live in.”