Senior Riya Mahale is president of several clubs at Dulaney High School (DHS) and an active member of various student organizations. Mahale hopes to leave a lasting impact on Dulaney through her leadership and energy in both the classroom and community.

Mahale challenged herself this year with a demanding workload consisting of several Advanced Placement (AP) courses including, AP Economics, AP French, AP Literature and AP Statistics. She has even managed to balance her studies with a job and an external internship. Mahale is interning as an ambassador for Global Refuge, a national non-governmental organization (NGO) that helps immigrants and asylum seekers integrate into America. She is also a camp counselor at Kids Revolution, an afterschool program that provides children with tutoring and fun activities. 

Taking on such an intense schedule is not an easy feat, but with Mahale’s interest in community service, specifically for kids, volunteering through United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Key Club felt natural for her. Mahale used these opportunities to enhance her personal development.

“I’ve been a pretty ambitious person for a large majority of high school and even younger than that…I wanted to do something that made an impact, and I feel that luckily I found organizations that did service but also really helped students…so you could really grow as a person with these clubs,” said Mahale.

Mahale is the president of Key Club, UNICEF and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Her responsibilities include leading club meetings along with supervising committees consisting of more than 500 members. Moreover, Mahale is accountable for planning charitable and productive events for both UNICEF and the District Leadership Conference (DCON), an event organized by Key Club. FBLA.

Mahle’s hard work has provided her with countless skills. 

“I know how to communicate myself much more now, online, so like emails, but also in person, being able to advocate for myself, facilitate communication between adults, kids or teenagers…I think I’ve grown my time management skills and organizational skills,” said Mahale. 

Mahale has dedicated her high school career to helping DHS and other communities. While she is proud of the impact she has made, she advises others to not overdo themselves and burn out too early. With this journey, Mahale has come to realize the importance of a work-life balance. 

“Prioritizing mental health is something I learned the hard way, and taking less commitments but doing your best at them means much more…I feel appreciative of this experience since I pushed but also understood more of my limits,” said Mahale. 

Mahale emphasizes that students should explore their interests while remembering to make time for non-academic commitments such as friends, hobbies and the parts of one’s life that make them happy. She hopes that her experience and contribution serve as an inspiration for future DHS seniors and graduates.

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