At a Science Olympiad competition at the University of Michigan, senior Arpita Das got lost amid the Ann Arbor campus.
She eventually found her way back to the group; this was one of the many memories Arpita gained from high school.
During her high school years, Arpita has participated in numerous activities throughout the school: Model UN, DECA, and Science Olympiad. Through these, she has found her passion for pursuing business.
“[Business] has always interested me since I did DECA and Model UN,” Arpita said. “I think a combination of those helped my passion for business, which is something I really want to pursue.”
Arpita participated in the Science Olympiad from her seventh-grade year until her junior year. However, she stopped being involved in it once she realized that it didn’t relate to her plan of pursuing business.
Arpita has been participating in Model UN since her junior year, Model UN is a model of the United Nations, where each student represents a different country, and all countries meet to discuss world issues. Arpita represented Singapore, Canada, and other Boards of Executives. She found that the experience of Model UN was very beneficial to her.
“Model UN really helped with my public speaking skills,” Arpita said. “I took the class and the club. [The conferences] were really good experiences and contributed to my confidence and public speaking skills, and I met lots of new people.”
Along with Model UN, Arpita was also a part of DECA, which she joined during her junior year. The Distributive Education Clubs of America, helps students develop business and leadership skills through academic conferences and competitions. She found that after doing DECA and finding herself to be good at it, she realized what she wanted to pursue.
“DECA was a new experience for me,” Arpita said. “I got to learn more about the business world and how corporations and conglomerates work. In my first year doing DECA, I went to districts and then made it to the state level. It was exciting because it felt like a sign from the universe telling me that business was my thing.”
Because she participated in both of these clubs, she found her passion for business. Arpita is going to spend her next four years pursuing business at the University of Toledo this coming fall. After a troublesome college hunt, she eventually decided on the University of Toledo.
Arpita is extremely excited to dive deeper into the world of business, and can’t wait to step onto the campus.
“I chose the University of Toledo mainly for its environment,” Arpita said. “Also, nobody I knew was going there. It was tough to choose a college because I didn’t know which college would be the best fit for me.”
Arpita has loved exploring different activities throughout her high school career, from Model UN and DECA to The Central Trend. While she does not plan on focusing on writing in college, she hopes to continue with it in the future.
“The Central Trend has given me not only a voice,” Arpita said, “but a way to make an impact with my words. I feel like being a part of that class is so much more to me than writing, it’s a family.”
As she moves on to the next aspect of her life, Arpita wishes her predecessors the best of luck with the rest of their high school careers. To try their best and not stress about their grade too much, enjoy high school.
“Focus on the aspects of high school that you’re passionate about,” Arpita said. “I feel like it’s nice to know that even though everyone strives to get straight A’s sometimes. It’s not always attainable, and that’s okay. Try your best and focus on the things that you’re good at.”
