By Christine Jacob
FEATURES EDITOR

Looking for a role model? Allow me to introduce you to the perfect person for the job: IHA senior Sarah Cherian.

Sarah was not scared to jump right in when she walked through the IHA doors as a freshman. She has been a general member of the Photography Club since freshman year and holds the position of vice president in the club this year. Sarah has been volunteering for school open houses and registrations since she was a freshman. She is a peer mentor, the current National Honors Society Science Department liaison, and is a tutor for National Honors Society.

Not only is Sarah extremely active at IHA, but she is also involved in her own community. Sarah volunteers at BuddyBall Sports where she mentors children with disabilities and teaches them basic soccer skills. Sarah also published a chemistry study guide on Apple iBooks this past year. In the book, she explains basic chemistry principles in order to help other students. During the summer of her freshman year, Sarah was accepted into a creative writing program at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC.

“IHA has definitely taught me the importance of time management. I was really involved, so figuring out how to handle my various responsibilities was helpful,” Sarah said.

You would guess that since Sarah is extremely involved in extra-curricular activities, she doesn’t have much time for academics. However, this is definitely not the case. Sarah has challenged herself since freshman year by taking all honors classes. Throughout her junior and senior year, Sarah tackled AP Chemistry, AP English Language, AP English Literature, and AP Spanish. Sarah’s academics were not only limited in school. During her junior year, Sarah took online courses on global poverty and justice taught by professors from Harvard and MIT.

Sarah’s enthusiasm in the academics is reflected in the classroom. “[She] is a very hard worker who is curious and wants to know how things work together. She genuinely enjoys learning and she enjoys helping her classmates understand by sharing her insight,” said Mr. Stephen Opremcak, the AP Chemistry teacher at IHA.

As a final thought, Sarah said, “I’m grateful for the wonderful teachers I’ve had at IHA and the amazing friendships I’ve made. There are so many incredible girls in my grade and it was a  pleasure getting to know them all.”

In the fall, Sarah will be attending Bucknell University. She plans to double major in Chemistry and Economics. She also plans on developing her interest in environmental science in response to her interest in climate change. IHA wishes her the best of luck and knows that she will do amazing things.