Alishia Sharma, an altruistic, diligent, and compassionate 10th grader at meridian world school. District winner and champion for DECA, state qualifier for DECA and HOSA, and our Tennis State Champion in BOTH 8th and 9th grade! On top of that Sharma is in Model United Nations, and is a co-founder/secretary for the Sci-Fair workspace. While participating in all these clubs and extracurriculars, what goes on inside her head and behind the scenes of this star student?
Nothing drives Sharma more than motivation and the diverse communities she delves into. Aiming to implement herself into the clubs she joins, her goal is always to “enhance the club experience for everyone!” Although the feeling of acceptance is one main drive for Sharma, her vigor towards writing and speaking is a “key contributor” to staying involved in her many endeavours. With the clubs she joins, it opens up a bigger field of interest in engaging events, for example starting up Sci-Fair Workspace Club with her friends and unveiling new competitions to participate in.
Furthermore, the Sci-Fair Workspace Club was a desire of her and her friends to “provide students with sufficient aid and exposure in science-related fields/competitions.” The club works alongside students, helping aid and supply resources they can utilize to excel in their fields of interests. Teaching them long life skills to use outside of school in either competitions, or GARSEF– One of Texas’s largest regional science fairs. Not only does this club help students reach their goals, but trains already learned knowledge, such as citations, familiarizing themselves with key concepts, designing their own experiments, trifold boards, and presentations. Sharma describes her role as secretary as “coordinating and facilitating communication between the officers and the members”. She has her hands full with ensuring direct and satisfactory communication towards members and officers, as she is the primary coordinator of information keeping the club up to date with events and plan changes.
Sharma is also active on the court, early on forming a mutual connection of tennis with her father and aunt, and as her passion grew as she got older, and so did her excitement towards competing and meeting new people. Tennis for her is a sport where foundation is dependent on discipline and resilience. Her passion for tennis allows for it to be an exciting experience and activity, rather than an obligation. This led her to winning state champion for 8th and 9th grade Girls Doubles here on Meridian’s tennis team. The massive amount of hard work towards the sport paid off, and the consequent feeling of excitement, gratefulness, and relief of the surreal moment was truly earned.
Moving onto the more competitive clubs, MUN drew Sharma in with the variety of global topics and promised to meet new people. With her found love or learning, speaking, writing, and socialization, MUN was the club for her. Learning about new perspectives and gaining other insights on world issues, unleashed a wide variety of opportunities for her. MUN is but one of the clubs she consistently participates in – HOSA is another student-led club that she enjoys.
In Hosa, Sharma earned State qualifier for her chosen topic of Researched Persuasive Writing & Speaking. Before moving on to state, she completed a preliminary submission in which she wrote an essay on “ whether the smartphone is the cause for the youth mental health crisis. ”, relaying how once she saw this topic she felt in awe. Feeling that it was calling to her, this competition was “tailored” to her desires and strengths. When preparing for submission she had to find a way to make her work more brief and straightforward, speaking fast and trying to fit her speech into 4 minutes. She managed to qualify for the Spring leadership Conference despite the obstacles. Sharma finds this to be one of her proudest moments, paving the way for the future of Meridian with this great feat, being the first time Meridian has qualified for SLC.
With all the incredible accomplishments, there is still more to Sharma. Which was winning district champion in DECA. In just her second year of participating with her partner, she earned the role of champion in both relief and excitement. Preparation for the district competition was rigorous with tests, practice exams, familiarizing herself with DECA terminology, roleplaying scenarios and reviewing vocabulary for the upcoming 100 question test on marketing facets and topics. She advanced to state, teaching her a lesson on the importance of teamwork and dedication in high pressure situations.
One may find this to be very stressful, however on the contrary, Sharma says instead she views stressful situations as a blessing. She views it as being fortunate of the opportunity she gains. She finds that lifting others in a time of stress helps heighten and helps handle pressure easier. She works strategically to avoid overcommitment .
Sharma works hard through her time at Meridian, and continues to shine in the activities she endeavors in. For every encounter and experience she has, it influences the outstanding student that she is. With her biggest role model being her mother, Sharma keeps in mind acts of kindness and positive outlook towards others, ensuring that her actions have a memorable impact on the community. Taking her mothers word, Alishia Sharma wills herself to be the best version of herself, helping others wherever possible.
