Alvira Agarwal

“I want to be remembered as someone who puts effort into all their personal relationships and as someone who, when they care about something, never drops the ball. I like to gift origami and to share food with people like buying food, drinks, whatever. That’s my love language,” Shimeka Sahu (’26) said.

In AP Computer Science A, chatter fills the room as former computer science Susan King lectures at the front. Through the discussion of ArrayLists and classes, a rustling can be heard. Between talking with her group members about how to write the code for a problem on the board, Shimeka Sahu (’26) folds red origami paper into a rose.

Shimeka started origami in frosh year through YouTube tutorials on how to make origami roses. Spending hours practicing until she could get the folds right, she found patience and relaxation through her art.

“Origami is like a de-stressor for me,” Shimeka said. “Late at night, I’ll be listening to music, and if I have time I’ll be folding origami or at least trying a new pattern or trying to make my own pattern. Obviously there are patterns that are very, very hard, and there’s a lot more complexity that comes with it, but it’s a learning curve: Once you understand it, it’s not as hard as it initially was.”

Beyond origami, Shimeka brings the same focus and creativity into her studies. History teacher James Tate highlights the way she shines in collaborative settings, noting her adaptability to challenging situations.

“Shimeka’s definitely a person who does fine on the regular kind of standard AP style classwork,” Tate said. “But she does even better when she’s able to interact with others and put her brain and her EQ and her social awareness in line with her intellectual abilities. She’s a complete student, a complete young person in that sense.”

Shimeka applies her emotional and social skills in her part time job as a lifeguard and swim instructor at central YMCA. She found that interactions with people from different backgrounds appealed to her and continued her job into the school year.

“My part-time job has helped me get tougher skin,” Shimeka said, “I have had people be very hurtful to me and about the way I look or how I enforce rules, and I’ve learned to not let it get to my head because if I do then I’m going to let them walk all over me. I’ve learned to be strong in what I believe, or at least firm in how I stand as a person.”

Shimeka’s persistence inspires the people she interacts with, whether friends or students. Having to work with people of all ages and backgrounds, she quickly gained the skills needed to motivate others in a way that works for them best.

“One time I was teaching a kid and he didn’t want to go underwater at all, no matter what I tried,” Shimeka said. “So then I told him, ‘Fine, we’re going to pick this aquatic ring off the floor, and I’ll carry you on my shoulders. I will do whatever I can, but we’re going to have to get under the water.’ And then slowly he wrapped his arm around me and on the count of three, he went down. He got the ring, and then after that he got over his fear of water.”

Shimeka’s friends observe her emotional intelligence and empathy through their daily interactions. Close friend Danika Gupta (’26) met Shimeka in sophomore year Chemistry class and immediately found her to be a very social and supportive person.

“Shimeka’s very good at first impressions, just with her natural personality, “ Danika said. “There’s a lot of people who just seem walled up and mean, and she’s not that way at all. She’s very supportive and lighthearted. She isn’t dramatic or anything. If I need someone to listen, she just listens, and it’s just really nice and comforting.”

Beyond just listening to her friends’ struggles, Shimeka makes it a point to give useful advice. Close friend and co-Origami club president Nikhil Sharma (’26) praises how despite the number of things she has to handle every day, she always makes time for other people.

“Sometimes I have a tendency to make stupid decisions, and she usually has a different perspective that stops me from doing that,” Nikhil said. “She’s made me a bit more of a thinker before I act. Sometimes I just act impulsively, and she thinks a lot more through. She’s very supportive, she’ll tell you her thoughts, and usually her advice is really solid.”

Whether through gifting someone a paper rose for their birthday or helping them swim across the pool for the first time, Shimeka invests time in every relationship in her life, balancing between prioritizing her own needs and paying attention to others. She takes pride in assisting others through big and small actions, and she hopes to carry this legacy forward.

“I want to be remembered as someone who puts effort into all their personal relationships and as someone who, when they care about something, never drops the ball,” Shimeka said. “I like to gift origami and to share food with people like buying food, drinks, whatever. That’s my love language.”