Who am I?
My name is Pranav Shrivastava and I live in Princeton, New Jersey. I am currently in high school. My favorite subjects in school are American History, English Literature, and Mathematics. I enjoy these classes because they involve a combination of memorization, problem-solving, and creativity.
My favorite cuisines are Chinese, Thai, and Italian. When it comes to Chinese food, I enjoy dishes such as dumplings, fried rice, and fried duck meat. Thai cruise offers fares including Pad Thai, drunken noodles, and mango sticky rice. Italian food, while not my number one choice, includes dishes such as lasagna, pasta, and pizza. All three cuisines offer different flavors, ingredients, and spices which expand my knowledge of different cultures and their culinary practices.
When not working or studying, I enjoy many pursuits such as reading, watching documentaries, and exercising. When it comes to movies, I watch films centered around historical topics such as World War 2, The Civil War, and The Holocaust. These topics appeal to me because they are rooted in modern global history, nuance, and real-world themes and lessons. These topics have been a passion of mine since I was young and I also enjoy reading about them through books. I also exercise regularly to keep a healthy body and sharp mind. I am part of the Varsity crew team. I am current at Starboard position.
While I am still a teenager, I have my own aspirations in life. My goal is to go to college and major in History and Political science, which will proceed a career in either law or public service. I take courses related to those fields as I want to be sure of my career path and start on the right track. Law and public service are both fields that require critical thinking, service to others, and logical reasoning, factors that appeal to me and my personality.
My Interest in History
I have a keen interest in History. I have participated in National History Bee and I am part of my school's History Club. We regularly participate in regional and national competitions. My special interests in history are in American History, Modern History and European History. I am taking AP courses in History in my sophomore year.
My Volunteering Activities
Volunteering is one activity that I believe is necessary for a fulfilling, purposeful life. I have been engaging in volunteer work since the age of thirteen when I started volunteering locally in a variety of environments. This earned me the Presidents Volunteer Service Award in 2023 and 2024 (i.e. in my eighth and ninth grade), which was an honor to attain at such a young age. I have engaged in many activities ranging from planting trees to cooking meals for dozens of individuals at food pantries, churches, and shelters across the state of New Jersey.
I am also passionate about supporting vision related causes. Over the years, I have supported this cause through multiple channels and organizations. You can find more details in the section “My Passion Project”.
My Podcasts and Videos
I enjoy speaking to people from all walks of life. My interest is in their experiences, lessons, and advice. I usually record my meetings with accomplished people for my own records, and this helps me find motivation during times of hardship. Such individuals put their thoughts and ideas in a way that carry weight, and their conversations usually stick in my head.
Another way that I gain valuable insight from notable people is through podcasts. This has inspired me to start my own podcast and share my interactions with notable figures from my community and beyond, located below.
My Writings
Writing is an activity that serves me many purposes. It is a craft that I can turn to during times of stress, while also improving my organizational and communication skills. It is also a way to connect with peers, something that is important for sharing my ideas and beliefs. I have written for my school newspaper since the age of ten and even competed in several nationally ranked literary competitions.
My Passion Project
Vision related issues are a big problem globally. Forty-three million people around the world are blind and 295 million have moderate to severe visual impairment according to Orbis. If so many people around the world are facing vision issues, we need to help them so that they can live better lives. That is the reason for my project ‘Help me Spread Light’.
Over the winter of 2024, I went to India to volunteer at the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Society-Jamshedpur, located in Jharkhand, India. This chapter was a part of a larger organization dedicated to providing low-cost and free cataract surgeries to underprivileged patients across India. I spent my days learning about the surgery process and assisting with facility operations at the hospitals in which I was present. You can find more details of my work here.
During my school year of 2023, I joined a nation-wide organization called Changemakers dedicated to helping teenagers reach their full potential and help make the world a better place. I was in the program with many other youngsters and we each were assigned the task of choosing a cause we were passionate about and do research on that topic. In my case, I chose to focus on helping people in underprivileged environments suffering from vision -related issues as it is a widespread yet relatively unknown issue. I spent the entire year conducting research and interviews with patients and healthcare professionals to grasp the full extent of the problem and that motivated me to raise money on my own to donate to such a cause.
