Authored by Michael Greene
Since her freshman year Priya Merchia has been the most involved student at OA. The little ball of energy has thrown herself into every possible activity in order to discover her true passion in life.
Every minute of Priya’s schedule is filled with something. Between different clubs, sports, internships, or community service she has overextended herself in a major way. However, there may just be a method to her madness.
“I’m not really sure what I want to do with my life, and I’m not really sure what my one interest is. So by allowing myself to be apart of all these clubs I can get a better insight into community events and can involve myself to figure out my interests. I think it is really important to be able collaborate and cooperate with other people.” As she laughs at every other question.
Joining every club possible can be taxing on the mind. However, she is still finding her passion in life and her way of coping with it was to try everything that was at her disposable. She fidgets in her seat unable to stay still. Over her years as a high school student Priya has picked up the role of class secretary, the Daily Olivian student life editor, and the Vice President of National Honor Society. She also qualified for the international stage of DECA this year. Her whole life is centered around working with others, even though she has yet to figure out her own goals in life. Next year she is heading off to Northeastern where she is undecided in her major.
“I’m on the exploratory track which means you can basically take whatever classes you want in order to figure out what you want to do. I applied for biomedical engineering for all my other schools but I’m still not really sure, so I wanted to explore other majors like business, public health, things like that.” She says with her neck stays tilted back in its natural position having to look up at everyone.
Her interests are all over the place which brought her to Northeastern because it was the best opportunity for her to pinpoint a specific interest which she could work on. The exploratory track is built for her to find out what she loves in life. Hopeful to figure out her passion life Priya took up two different internships over the last few years, one with a journalist writing for the Easton Journal, and one with a neurologist doing intake with patients and mental exams.
“I’ve always been interested in biology and stem and stuff of that nature, but I have always been more interested in the anatomy of it, like applying it to humans and in real life. So that’s why I think I would be interested in a medical profession, but I’m not really sure because I have many other interests.”
Most teens have no idea what they want to do with their life in high school. Some do, but most have no idea what they are even interested in. Priya falls into that category, and that is why she tries so many new things. But there is one value of hers that separates her from all the others. Priya has a love for all people. A wide, welcoming smile fills her face at all times. As she walks the halls of Oliver Ames she waves at almost every kid who she has somehow created a connection with.
“I think putting yourself out there and just being open about your feelings towards certain things, just talking to people. I think in high school people like to put labels on different groups of people, like there’s the band kids, there’s the jocks, the athletes, or whatever. But if you look at it from a perspective that people are just people then there’s none of those subgroups. So I think talking to everyone and realizing there is something to talk about with everyone allows you to connect with so many different people.”
That small, constant noise making machine known as Priya has yet to stop talking since she was born. Whatever she does or wherever she goes off to Priya knows that she must have people surrounding her. She has an endless supply of energy which is used up by interacting with people. A lab is no place for Priya, couped up in small room with no one to talk to and nothing to talk about. There is no clear cut path for her yet, and she does not know what she wants to pursue yet.
However, there is one option she could follow. It is a very broad option, but she put it simply, “My passion is in people”.