In high school, I was involved in various extracurricular activities that required consistent participation, volunteering, and dedication. One of the activities I took part in for several years was swimming. I joined the South Metro Storm Swim Club at the age of 11 and continued training with the team until I graduated from high school. Starting in 7th grade, I also was on the Prior Lake Swim & Dive Team, swimming on the  junior varsity team in middle school and on the varsity team through all four years of high school. Because of an injury, I was the manager during my 11th grade season, but was voted captain during my senior year. My final year on the Prior La ke Swim & Dive Team proved to be the most successful for both the team and myself. We went undefeated in our dual  meets, won True Team Sections, placed 7th at True Team State, and won our Section meet for the first time in many years. After an impressive last season, teammates and parents commented on how the leadership really changed the course of the swim team and how it got Prior Lake’s name back out there in the sport. 

I also took part in National Honor Society (NHS) my senior year at Prior Lake High School. This organization stressed four important qualities: leadership, scholarship, character, and service. These “pillars” determined admission into and participation in NHS events. I helped volunteer in the community and plan activities at the high school. Some events included Spirit Week, dances at the high school, and fundraisers/food drives for the homeless and hungry. At the end of the year, our service paid off and NHS at Prior Lake was awarded the Star Chapter Award (given to 4 high schools in the state).

Another activities I was very interested in was the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) which was sponsored by various rotary clubs in the United States and Canada, and which took place in Winnipeg, Canada every year in May. To participate in MUNA, students must be nominated and selected by teachers at the high school. I went on the trip in 2010, representing the country of Bangladesh, and in 2011, as a representative of Russia. The months leading up to the conference were spent research and getting into character for the assigned country, as well as learning what stance your country would take in each of the four resolutions for that year. In 2011, my friend and I received Honorable Mention as delegates of Russia from the Consulate General who was present at MUNA.

A few other activities I participated in during high school were Mock Trial (11th grade), where I played the role of a nutritionist in a case that involved the death of a teenager who was taking sports performance enhancement, and an English mentoring program for 7th graders (10th grade), where my group and I explained the importance of reading, writing, and speaking to students who would eventually be entering high school. Although these activities only lasted one year, I learned significant lessons in defending arguments in public as well as being an example for younger students.