“Live in the moment because every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can never get back.” This quote is what senior Jayna Shah lives by.
From the work and things she’s accomplished, she lives life to the fullest, and makes that happiness for herself.
6:15 a.m. Shah’s alarm goes off, and lays in bed till about 6:30. She jumps in the shower, throws on some usual Niles West casual wear, eats her bowl of oatmeal, then drives on over to Niles West to tutor Early Bird in the Lit Center, then goes to VPE, AP Euro, Accounting, Spanish, AP Calculus, Lunch, AP Biology, and AP Literature. Afterwards, it’s to the cardio lab for a run or a run outside if she’s not in softball season. After all that, the girl FINALLY gets to go home and then proceeds to do homework about till one o’clock in the morning, then knocks out. The cycle repeats.
Now just let that sink in. All that right there is a mouthful already. But wait until you hear this- Jayna is also President of National Honors Society, treasurer of Spanish National Honors Society, participates in Science Olympiad, NWACE, Wolfpack, IndoPak club, RIOT, Chemistry club, and has played softball for four years along with playing volleyball and basketball freshman and sophomore year.
Although to the most average person, this seems like a ridiculous amount of work and time, but Jayna is truly one in a million, and fellow classmate and friend since the third grade, Priya Patel, agrees.
“She has a very bright future ahead of her. She’s worked so hard for everything that she has accomplished including basketball, softball, and all her hard classes she’s in. She stays up all night to study and always comes to school with a smile on her face,” she said. ” Never once does she complain about anything. If I were to ask her for help, she’d drop whatever she’s doing and help me out. Besides all that, she still has a social life that she maintains very well. Overall, she’s good at everything she does because she works for it.”
So what are this girl genius’s plans after Niles West? She plans on going to the college of her dreams (she’s applying for early decision at University of Pennsylvania), aspires to be either a doctor or dentist, and hopefully in the future, own her own clinic or office.
Just like Jayna’s sister, Niles West alum Brinda Shah who’s studying dentistry at Marquette, she’s Shah’s biggest inspiration.
“My sister, Brinda, is definitely one of my biggest role models. Although she’s still in college, her quick Skype chats or texts push me harder everyday. Knowing she has gone through similar experiences – whether they’re hardships or triumphs – are enough to get me through mine.”
So how does she keep this motivation up without getting completely stressed? Shah explains.
“It’s honestly really hard waking up early in the morning and sleeping really late. But I’m surrounded by people who love me and push me to do my best. When I was a freshmen my mom asked me “would you rather work hard for the next 10 years and live an fun life after or work hard the rest of your life?” Sometimes it’s about making sacrifices but also having fun at the same time. Sports helps too when I’m stressed. A couple hours a day I can concentrate on just my sport.”
Shah sums up high school in a few sentences.
“High school really brings out the true colors in people. I think I’ve really found myself over the past 4 years. Walking into high school, I was a shy and reserved individual, but I’ve grown so much as a person. My classmates, teammates, teachers, and coaches have all played a huge part in molding me into the person I am today. I’m more independent and strong in my own skin.” Shah says.
This Niles West Wolf is a real life Supergirl.
