Sahana is an AP scholar with distinction and serves as National Honor Society president and Varsity Golf team captain. She has received the Johns Hopkins Book Award, the Jefferson Award, President’s Volunteer Service Award, commendation from the President of Kenya in 2025 for TUFF Kids’ impact on equitable education, and endorsement from the Kenyan Minister of Education in 2024 for TUFF Kids’ national impact on education access.
“My experiences with TUFF (The Unity Faiths Foundation) Kids and working with underserved communities have shown me that lasting change begins with listening first: understanding what people need, not assuming it for them,” says Sahana. “In the future, I hope to use my background in public health to advocate for more equitable access to education, healthcare, and opportunity in regions often overlooked in the public eye.”
Sahana will be attending UCLA in the fall as a Public Health major. “I want to better understand how policy, education, and healthcare intersect, and how those systems can be improved to serve vulnerable communities,” says Sahana. “Personally, I hope to remain grounded in service. No matter where life takes me, I want to continue building meaningful relationships, staying curious, and using what I learn to contribute to something beyond myself.”
As someone with a deep passion for service and advocacy, a defining experience for Sahana was leading Carondelet’s 2025 Lenten project: She Reads, She Rises. “As I shared stories of young girls at the AIC Girls’ Rescue Center who had survived female genital mutilation, early marriage, and abuse, I saw my fellow sisters rise to the occasion,” recalls Sahana. “I watched fellow students turn empathy into action through a school-wide book drive and advocacy days, showing me what sisterhood truly means: solidarity, advocacy, and choosing to rise in unison.”
In looking back on the past four years, Sahana shares, “Carondelet taught me that growth often begins when you look beyond yourself, question your assumptions, and try to understand perspectives that challenge your own.” Congratulations, Sahana!
