“We just need to move on.”
That’s what Anushka Sukhadia’s swimming coach said about her school’s latest scandal. Three members of the swim team had been caught under the influence on a school trip, and it was buzzing throughout Bartlesville High School.
Coach Chad Engleheart said he had already handled the matter and that nobody should be talking about it anymore.
Engleheart helped the students who were in trouble by trying to pull attention away from them. This inspired Anushka to help people. From that moment, she said, she always tried to be more aware of others’ feelings. Engleheart taught her that her mistakes are not something she should linger on for long.
Anushka is now 15 and is about to enter her junior year at Bartlesville High School in Bartlesville, Okla. She has quit the swim team so she can focus on her work, but she is involved with many clubs to stay involved in her community and to help at her school.
Anushka is now involved in five clubs. One of those clubs is Interact Club, which is sponsored by Rotary International and dedicated to helping the community and furthering international understanding as well as peace. She is also involved in Technology Students of America, the National Honor Society, student council, and leadership. All of these clubs build leadership skills.
Even though Anushka has quit the swim team, she still reflects on the lesson Engleheart taught her, and he continues to be an inspiration for her. She said joining the swim team has changed her and made her realize that there are things bigger than her.
“He lit a fire in me,” Anushka said about her coach. “He made me want to do that for someone else.”
Anushka’s coach is not her only inspiration, however; her parents have inspired her to help others as well. In 2001, an infant Anushka was cared for by her grandparents in India until her new adoptive parents could take her back home to the United States. Even though her grandparents weren’t keeping her, they still gave up their time to keep Anushka out of a potentially bad home environment. Because of their benevolence, Anushka said she decided to follow in her grandparents’ footsteps and always try to live selflessly.
Anushka said her entire family is selfless and enjoys helping others. They make it a habit, she said, to take their leftovers from restaurants to those who are less fortunate. Her father also dreams of opening an orphanage in India to help find homes for children just like her.
Anushka is unsure what she wants to major in or what she wants to do after college, but she does know that whatever it is, she will help people.
