Sahil Shaik '22 Recruiting Profile

“You was never really rootin’ for me anyway.” 

Growing up in an academic cutthroat society like mine, it was either conform or fail, stick to the predestined CS or medical route or simply give up. For the first few years of high school, that was what I did—and what ultimately zapped my confidence. 

Yet, looking back at my high school experience, these lyrics from Lil Nas X’s hit song Industry Baby, unfortunately, embodied a significant part of my high school experience. Music has always been a tool to escape reality, a form of therapy and catharsis, and finding my love for composing my own music has allowed me to step outside these boundaries and evolve into my true self.

A few years ago, I faced tremendous social pressure from my “friends” and felt that I had to be perfect. I cared so much about others’ opinions, and succumbed to the “I can, therefore I must” syndrome. To fit this mold, I forced myself to take on a rigorous course load that I was unprepared for. I was continuously reminded of the prestigious accolades my peers received, while I struggled to maintain my grades in school. I became overly conscious about my self worth, which made me question if I was good enough.

Slowly, I re-found my groove through an effort to prevent other teens from what I had gone through, I founded a nonprofit called Mental Health Initiative (MHI). Our mission has been to encourage transparency about “performance pressures” between students and their parents—who were raised with expectations about fulfilling obligations to others and pushed to maximize performance despite mental health drawbacks. Through multiple webinars and podcasts, publishing mental health importance messages in school newspapers, and collaborating with my school’s clubs centered around mental health, I advocated for taking action to improve student wellness in school.   

The impact of these efforts were game changing. Personally thanking me, parents disclosed that I had opened their eyes to the importance of mental health—often a taboo to discuss or acknowledge in our culture. I learned that even as an inexperienced 16 year old, my ability to help people had substantial potential. Leading MHI has meant everything to me. By acknowledging the value I bring to my community, I grew my self-confidence and gained an internal liberty to take control of the shape of my life. 

Working alongside and building personal relationships with mental health advocates also helped me realize that I must stand for what I find important, and that my mental health should be prioritized. Being unapologetic and confident about what I believe in is the only way that change from within will transpire. Once I opened up to change myself, I noticed and found fulfillment in how my candor inspired others to make a change within themselves.

Fast forward to this fall’s homecoming festivities—in a scramble, and only two weeks before our class events were to be performed, I was asked last-minute to choreograph four dances for our senior class performance, three of which included 40 participants who had never danced before. I realized that my interest in making music and my experience in Bollywood dancing could all come together to ignite my school community.  

The moment I stepped out onto the quad to perform my solo, I realized how far I’d come. I finally felt proud of myself, hearing my original song play throughout the school speakers while the crowd chanted along. I danced with a newfound confidence to prove my doubters wrong. 

There exists something exhilarating about the magnetism of a group and the explosion triggered when we unite. In what seemed like a full circle, I realized that the mental wellness in my community that I was trying so hard to build alongside MHI, produced the same spirit as this homecoming rally—that forward momentum when we feel supported by each other, inspiring us to be our best selves.