After months of studying strategies and practicing, senior Keshav Kotamraju sits down at the chessboard at his first tournament. As the clock starts, he quickly shifts into focus, each move a careful and patient decision. The game progresses slowly, with Keshav weighing every option, analyzing his opponent’s moves and anticipating their responses. Keshav eventually discovers a sequence of moves that leads to a checkmate — he’s just won the tournament without losing a single match.

Keshav’s chess experience began in the summer as a rising eighth grader, when he lost to his uncle while competing in just a few moves. Following this defeat, Keshav became determined to learn chess and defeat his uncle.

“I wasn’t thinking of chess as a long-term pursuit,” Keshav said. “But then, as I started watching videos and learning, I became really interested in how it works. There’s almost an infinite amount of possibilities. It was really interesting and I found it nice to be able to sit down at the board and mentally challenge myself.”

Once he eventually defeated his uncle, Keshav continued to improve and began attending tournaments. During his first tournament in sophomore year, he went undefeated and found motivation to continue participating in more tournaments. Through his experience in chess tournaments, Keshav has learned valuable life lessons that extend beyond the game itself. He emphasizes how chess has impacted his academic journey and his  approach to challenges.

“Chess taught me how to be okay with taking time to think about things,” Keshav said. “With chess, when you see a problem on the board, like a threat from your opponent, you sometimes have to be patient, and having that mindset has helped me a lot because I’m able to relax even when there are deadlines or other things that are coming up.”

Keshav then started teaching chess to elementary and middle school students, which began with helping his peers at Harker understand concepts. As he found teaching enjoyable, he combined this with his love for chess, giving lectures at the chess club and assisting his chess coach. 

In addition to chess, Keshav also teaches other subjects like computer science and astronomy. His enthusiasm for these fields stems from their intersection with other disciplines and their potential to shape the future of humanity.

“With computer science, there’s so many different ways to go with it,” Keshav said. “All these different fields like neuroscience and astronomy need computer science to work. For neuroscience, you can’t get through two terabytes of data without a computer helping you along. I like how in all these fields computer science enables that progress.”

Keshav’s dedication to teaching others about his passions derives from his belief in the long-term impact he can have on his students. He finds fulfillment not just in the present, but in the potential future outcomes of his efforts.

“I find value in what I do because when I look at the things that I’m doing 10 years from now, I can see something with it,” Keshav said. “For example, one of the students I taught could become really interested in astronomy and pursue that further.”

Keshav’s influence extends beyond his own pursuits, impacting those around him. Senior Vedant Yadav, a close friend of Keshav since third grade, acknowledges Keshav’s role as a source of motivation and inspiration. 

“He’s been a very strong positive influence on my life,” Vedant said. “Whenever I want to spend some time doing something that’s not productive, he’s always pushing me to be productive and make better use of my time.” 

Similar to chess, Keshav initially approached rock climbing as a casual activity, not expecting it to become a long-term passion. As a sophomore, Keshav tried it out for the first time while visiting his cousin, an avid climber. Since then, he’s regularly visited rock climbing gyms, drawn in by the satisfaction of steady progress. Through his journey in climbing, Keshav realized the importance of stepping out of his comfort zone and trying new activities. Despite never considering the pursuit of climbing as a hobby prior to this, the memorable experience of climbing for the first time with his cousin had a lasting positive impact on him.

“New experiences don’t always end out good, but one good experience is worth 10 new bad experiences,” Keshav said. “That one will stick with you forever, and it could become something you pursue for your life. Even if it’s just a one-time thing, those experiences are good memories to keep. For me, climbing is something I’ve continued, and I’ve come to enjoy it all because of that one time I tried it.”

Senior Sohum Arora, another close friend of Keshav, appreciates Keshav’s unique ability to connect with others on a deeper level, beyond his academic accomplishments. 

“He’s obviously quite academically proficient, but he also has another side to him,” Sohum said. “A side that’s not so serious; a fun side to him that he’s able to balance with his other life, like academic stuff. I don’t really meet that many people who are like that.

Dr. Pauline Paskali, Keshav’s english teacher in his junior year, praises his resilience and positivity and encourages Keshav to carry these strengths with him as he moves forward into college.

“It’s easy to be critical and down on things,” Dr. Paskali said. “But he just perseveres and keeps that hopeful, upbeat attitude. My advice is that no matter how difficult a class gets, just to keep going.”

Keshav’s approach to life roots itself in a deep appreciation for the impact of his experiences and the people around him. He values the moments that shape identities, believing that they leave lasting impressions that extend far beyond the classroom. 

“I hope to leave behind a legacy of curiosity,” Keshav said. “People should have that freedom to explore what they want, and they should also want to explore. I also hope to leave behind an emphasis on the connections you make with other people. For me, that was with my friends, students, and teachers. Those connections are great life lessons, and they stick with you forever.”