Senior Spotlight: Khushi Shah

Aliyah Lima|June 12, 2023

Khusi Shah celebrates her cheer and colorguard senior night to end her final Fall sports season.

Khushi Shah is an 18-year-old senior here at JFKMHS. Shah reflects on her life both in and out of the classroom and shares her plans for the future.

Getting to Know Khushi Shah

The Shah household is one full of love and fun, with a sibling and parents, there is always someone to connect with.

“I have an older brother, Yash, and he’s the best brother in the world,” Shah states. “ I love him so much, though I will never admit that to him. We are polar opposites, but he is so awesome and he really takes care of me when I need it. Now for my parents, my mom is an absolute doll. I love her. She really knows how to light up a room. Her favorite thing to do is make fun of me with my friends, they all enjoy it so much and so do I. Genuinely, that woman is a powerhouse, I don’t know how she does it all. She really is a hard worker and someone who will always be my rock. And then there’s my dad, Samir. As much as I denied it growing up, I truly am a daddy’s girl forever. I take after him. He is the best father in the world, nothing but good things to say about him. He always provides and is always there for everyone. I can go hours talking about him, he is my favorite person on Earth. I aspire to be him in my future; he is someone I look up to the most. I really hope I am making him proud every day. He’s always been my number one fan and always will be, and I’m his. I love him so much.”

Growing up in a household of freedom, with a loving support system, has given Shah the opportunity to experience life and learn from every moment.

“They have never judged me or fought me on the things I’ve done, but they teach me ways to find my mistakes and find a better path,” Shah states.

Besides being part of JFK’s class of 2023, Shah has many “things” that make her who she is. When asked to describe herself, she spoke about the characteristics that make her stand out the most.

“The name Khushi actually means happy, joyous and pleasant,” states Shah. “ But there’s so much more to me than just the meaning of my name. I am loving, caring, positive, bubbly, energetic, and I think the most important thing is that I’m genuine. When I really love the people around me, I will give my all to them and make sure I am always someone they can confide in. I love when people feel that they can have a blast with me whenever we’re together.”

Activities and Clubs

During her last four years, Shah has been an active member of the Kennedy community. She has been involved in Key Club, American Cancer Society, Eco-Friendly Club, Student Council and Hereos & Cool Kids.

“It was important to me to be a well-rounded student,” Shah states. “I never thought about how it would look good on college applications, I just enjoyed being a part of the clubs. I feel that being a part of so many clubs and teams helped build my character and allowed me to help my community.”

Additionally, Shah is heavily involved in JFK’s football season. She is currently the only person, in Kennedy history, to have done both colorguard and cheer.

“I joined colorguard because of a friend that was already on the team,” Shah states. “ I saw her doing it and I thought it was really cool. The summer going into my freshman year, I joined the team. I always thought it was interesting to be able to do tricks with the flags. It definitely takes a lot of work and the flags are heavy, but these past four years on the team have been amazing.”

Shah’s interest in cheer formed after seeing the cheerleaders perform during her sophomore year of high school.

“Before COVID, colorguard [team] would have to dance on the stands if we weren’t performing,” states Shah. “ That year, because of COVID, we were on chairs in the track and I would just stare at the cheerleaders and it looked like a lot of fun, so I decided to try out the summer going into my junior year. Cheer has been a wonderful experience. Apart from learning how to stunt, specifically back spot, cheer taught me discipline. You always have to show up for your team, even if you’re tired, you have to give it your all. That’s really what I admire most about cheer.”

With back-to-back schedules, for both teams, Shah shares how she managed to handle it all.

“Football season was super-duper crazy,” Shah states. “It was difficult to handle, I actually asked a lot of people what they thought I should do before trying out for cheer. A lot of people told me that I shouldn’t do it, especially since it was my junior year. I did it anyways because I knew I would enjoy it. Yes, it was stressful but it was worth it. I’d have thirty minutes in between each practice to relax and then it was straight to the next sport. It was all worth it. It is a huge commitment and I faced many conflicts along the way, but I had the support of my amazing coaches and Mr. Cabrea who allowed me to pursue both sports at the same time. I will appreciate them forever they never let me down as a student or an athlete.”

Achievements

This past fall, Shah was part of Kennedy’s 2022 homecoming court. The process starts off with a student vote and then teachers/administration decide whether one is eligible to move up to the next round. Before making it to the next round of voting, candidates are checked for their grades, attendance, teacher recommendations, fine/due payments and character. After the top five are announced, the faculty and students go back and forth with voting to decide who will be crowned homecoming queen.

“It’s really funny because the only thing the candidates do is post on socials and just hope people will vote, other than that, it really is up to the students and staff.”

Being announced as part of the top five this past September was one of Shah’s proudest moments as a Mustang.

“Being part of homecoming was so surreal,” Shah states. “ The amount of support that I had and I didn’t even realize it until that moment. I really did it for fun, it wasn’t anything serious until I made the top five. Homecoming will always remain so special to me, all the girls were so amazing, and shoutout to Caitlin Ticas for winning. Literally to this day I still look at the crown and it’s just so cool to see. I was so lucky to have been able to experience being a part of it.”

Homecoming also marks one of Shah’s favorite memories here at JFK. She explains that the day was made more memorable due to her involvement in cheer. For the cheer season of 2022, the program created a new tradition where all three teams perform at halftime together.

“Performing half-time for homecoming was one of my best memories,” Shah states. “We had to change our formation and routine, but it was such a good experience. It is definitely my favorite performance of the 2022 season. There was so much fun, love and laughter throughout the whole program that day.”

Shah will also be remembered as 2023’s April Senior of the Month.

“I used to joke about it all the time with my friends, but when it happened I was taken back,” Shah states. “I never once imagined myself up on the senior board. I felt like I wasn’t worthy enough to be on the board because there are so many good candidates in the senior class. It was a huge accomplishment, I was left speechless. I left class and went to go take a picture of the board with the hugest smile on my face. I still have a smile on my face weeks later because of it. My heart is ecstatic to know that people felt I deserved it. I want to say thank you to all the faculty, staff, students and my coaches.”

Reflection

With Graduation less than a month away, Shah describes how she feels about her high school career coming to an end.

“I’m so scared and nervous,” Shah states. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited and happy too, but it’s just like ‘wow’. I know my graduating class went through the struggle of COVID, which was a pause in our high school career, so it feels like it went by so fast. It’s crazy to think that in less than a month, I will be done with high school and going to college. I can’t fathom it, I’m left speechless at the thought.”

Being such an active member of the Kennedy community, Shah found places in the school that made her feel at home.

“The band room and the stage in the auditorium were my homes here in Kennedy,” Shah states. “Both places let me find my inner beauty in a sense and unleash my artsy side.”

Influences

All of Shah’s achievements throughout high school would not be possible if it weren’t for her hard work and amazing support system. Shah wants to give a special thank you to everyone who has ever entered her life.

“All the people I’ve gotten to meet have impacted my achievements and success,” Shah states. “So that includes my family, my friends and my coaches. I know it sounds very basic, but when going through the process, those are the people that can support you the most or let you down the most. My cheer team specifically has been amazing. We’ve gone through thick and thin, and they have always been by my side.”

Life Beyond JFKMHS

After graduation, Shah plans to attend Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences with a major in biological sciences. In her junior year of college, she plans to pursue a double major in healthcare administration and biology. She plans to further her education by going to medical school to pursue her dreams of becoming a physician’s assistant with a specialization in dermatology.

When planning out her future, Shah never thought she would ended up pursuing a degree in healthcare and the sciences.

“Funny story, all my classes this year are business classes because I thought that’s what I was meant to do,” Shah shares. “Business runs in my family, but after I applied to my first college, I was thinking about what I’m really meant to do. I really am an ‘act of service’ person, taking care of people is my thing. I think being a physician’s assistant is the right job for me. My interest in skin comes from my own struggles. In middle school and my early years of high school, I battled with acne and that’s why I want to specialize in dermatology. Your outward appearance really impacts how you feel about yourself and I want to help people feel confident in their skin.”