Arush Nath

Q1. Please share a brief introduction about yourself – when did you join PSG, what interests did you develop over the years.

I joined Pathways in the second semester of Grade 2. I still remember this vividly because shortly after joining I went on the annual school camps, a first-time experience for me. Pathways opened me up to many such new experiences – one of these was the tech lab which I got access to from the second grade itself. The integration of technology within the classroom built a newfound passion for technology over my years at PYP.

Over my past 7 years at Pathways, I have developed various distinct interests. My interest in technology sprouted in Grade 5 – I used to love creating presentations through different software, this later evolved into participating in international robotics competitions, learning numerous programming languages and developing a keen interest in the world of electric vehicles, solar energy and AI.

My other interests include the Piano and Debating. I have been playing the Piano as a hobby since Grade 2. Over the years, playing the Piano has evolved to become a means for me to unwind after a long, tiring day of work.

Finally, in Grade 7 I developed my latest interest which was debating. I teamed up with my peers Vidhman Agarwal and Mihir Malik participating in many competitions held by the “Behes” organization, reaching the final rounds and attaining best speaker awards throughout. Though I don’t want to pursue this seriously in the future, it's always a fun way to spend time and adds an additional skill to my plate.

Q2. In 2022, you won the 'The Rookie All-star Award' at the First Robotics Championship held in Chicago. What urged you to participate and how was the experience?

What urged me to participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition was actually the FIRST Lego League. Before I participated in the FRC, in Grade 5 I participated in the FLL. The FLL is similar to the FRC but for younger students who have a keen interest in robotics but are not at the age to handle advanced micro-controllers like Arduino and Raspberry Pi. In the FLL my team won at the national level and went on to represent India at the World Championship held in Detroit. Each year the FLL is based on a different theme – for the year I participated it was called “Into Orbit”. Being one of the youngest members of the team, interacting with students from many varying schools helped me develop my collaboration skills. Traveling out of the country to represent India at such a young age was definitely one of the most formative events of my life.

The FRC serves as a progression to the FLL aimed at relatively older students. I once again was in a team of strangers almost all of whom were older than me. Working in a proper team setting, with a team leader and students assigned to different components of the competition that we had to work towards. This experience gave me valuable lessons on leadership, teamwork and time management since we were a relatively small team working in a short time frame along with the challenges associated with the pandemic. In the end, we flew to Chicago where we had to reassemble our entire robot, however at the end all of this culminated in us being awarded the “Rookie All-Star” award which was rewarded to the best first-time participating team at the competition; this was a highly acclaimed award as the FRC Midwest Regional had teams with 10+ years of experience and consisting of 30+ members as compared to our first year with just 10 members.

Q3. A brief on what you are up to these days, your plan for the near future.

Currently, I am working on a project quite close to my heart: an AI Solar Waste-sorting Trashbin. I drew the inspiration and ideas for this project from two summer programs that I visited – the Brown Pre-College Solar Energy & Engineering Program as well as the InspiritAI Scholars course.

While I was sitting, eating my food at the Brown Cafeteria I observed how students were paying little to no attention to which bin they were throwing their trash inside – people simply did not have the time or didn’t care enough. When I investigated more into this further, I found out that the reason that waste sorting is important is that improper waste segregation is one of the primary causes of large landfills. Over the years of my childhood, I had seen the formation of the humongous Bhandwari Landfill take place near my home, and so this problem instantly clicked with me. Moreover, previously I had also attended the InspiritAI course, so bringing in the knowledge from the two programs together I came to the idea of the AI Solar Waste-sorting Trashbin.

I created the first prototype of this wastebin over the span of a week for my design portfolio in Grade 9. This was a wastebin that I made with plywood in my wastebin with the help of my driver – a Grade 9 design portfolio never needed to be this hard, but I just really wanted to make this. A year later I created the second commercial-level prototype for the wastebin this time with the help of my driver, an interior designer, solar engineer and programmer (albeit still in my basement). This project was still too hard by the standards of a personal project, I had to dedicate too much time to it, taking a toll on my academic performance and as an added bonus I also got dengue looking for the parts of the wastebin. When people asked me why I did this, my answer still remained the same “Because I wanted to”. Genuinely, making things – this is my passion, and I will continue to go to unimaginable lengths to fulfil it.

As for my plans for the future, I aim to patent this project and partner up with a willing private company to install this project in at least 10 places throughout the Delhi-NCR. It may seem unattainable, but I will try my best to make a dent in Delhi-NCR’s huge waste management problem!

Q4. As President of the Student Council, please tell us a little bit about your vision for MYP and the changes have you been able to bring about so far.

Looking back, our student council was a blend of 24 distinct minds all collaborating for a single purpose – serving the students of MYP. We embarked on a journey to transform the way things currently worked, starting with a vibrant facelift for our newsletter using Canva, aiming for heightened engagement. We also centralized communication through an organized MS Team, erasing the chaos of numerous groups on different platforms.

We also set out with the goal of bringing Ted Ed Student Talks to MYP. After navigating the rigorous application process, we secured acceptance for the same and are currently working towards implementing them in the school. We also had the pleasure of hosting numerous competitions such as the inter-house music competitions and Locked Heads 4.0 – PSG’s flagship debating event.

Combatting substance abuse, we created compelling anti-vape posters and also drafted a detailed protocol for handling related on-campus issues. The flawless organization of the Spic Macay, Science Fair, and MYP5 Prom showcased our team's seamless collaboration.

As our term draws to a close, we diligently collated student concerns, presenting a concise yet comprehensive report to school authorities for actionable solutions. The council's unwavering commitment and tireless efforts in reshaping the 2022-2023 MYP year have set a remarkable path for future success.

My goal, from the start of my term, has been to lead a streamlined and efficient council that would make small changes to facilitate big impact. Seeing the brilliant work that the council has put up is heartening, showcasing that my initial goal has been fulfilled par excellence. To work with a council that truly wants to make a change, to do something for their fellow students while fostering a humble and welcoming culture throughout.

Q5. Your advice to your juniors who take inspiration from you and would like to make a difference in their own way.

Be kind to others is my one simple advise to my juniors. Even though it might sound basic, I believe it is worth being said – and it's simply to be kind to everyone. I think a lot of us say this, but we don’t really implement it or understand what it means to be kind. To me being kind is simply recognizing that everybody around you is a human being. I like to explain this to people with an experiment of sorts. I discovered this just by talking with a friend on the way back from a party. The next time you’re in your car on the road, I want you to look ahead. What do you see? Well, more cars on the road of course. Select one car. In that car, there are 4 people. Each one of these 4 people just like you have their own families, their own dreams, their own struggles and their own stories. Every person in that car has an entire story behind them, just like yours. Now zoom out and see how many cars there are on the road – isn’t it crazy? Think about it. It might sound like I’m just babbling here, but seriously, try it. For me at least, this puts into perspective the vast complexity and value of human life.

We don’t put much thought into our interactions with other people, but we should. If you know me, you will know that when someone approaches me regardless of whether I know them or not, whether they are in PYP1 or MYP5, I will always converse with them and treat them the same as if they were a close friend. And if you don’t know me, well then just wave to me and I promise to you that Arush Nath will never give you a blind eye. I want every single one of my juniors to be like this. To just be kind, maybe just wish everyone good morning. Often when I go into the washroom, or down the hallway I just start chatting with juniors who I don’t know about how life is going or whether they are enjoying MYP because I know that I would feel good if someone cared – and they would too. So, for starters, just try this – just start talking to people and make them feel like a human. I’m human just like you who reading this – I’m in no position to be preaching, but if asked, this is truly my only “advice” on how to make a difference.