The auditorium was dark. Friends and family settled into their seats with program pamphlets gripped between their fingers, and an expectant hush settled over the room. All eyes were on Stacey Zhang ‘20, whose hands were poised over the keys of the grand piano.

And then it began.

A neat line of students filed into the auditorium to the sweet tune of “Butterfly Waltz,” as proud parents and friends looked on. On December 13, sixty juniors and seniors were inducted into the renowned National Honor Society (NHS), an organization which unites all high-achieving students across America. 

The ceremony began with the inspiring and enlightening speeches made by NHS President Cameron Keating ‘20, Vice President Rebecca Cao ‘20, Secretary Aishwarya Devarajan ‘20, and Treasurer Stephanie Wu ‘20. They explained the four main pillars of the National Honor Society: stellar academic achievement, unwavering leadership, selfless service to the community, and an honest and compassionate character. The inductees of NHS had to have exhibited a strong passion for learning. With weighted GPAs over 4.0, they upheld their academic standard by assisting their peers to understand content and exceeding their teachers’ expectations. They also had to have demonstrated their commendable leadership through officer positions in various clubs, as well as their involvement in community organizations, arts, and sports. Additionally, these inductees were selfless and helped improve their communities, by serving at hospitals, soup kitchens, churches, and temples. Lastly, their persevering and honest character shone through their achievements and efforts.

Aspiring to be a member of NHS is a goal that many ambitious and hard-working underclassmen have. The National Honor Society benefits its students in multiple ways, such as leadership and volunteering opportunities. Keating urged aspiring underclassmen to “get involved in at least a couple of clubs that you are passionate about, and work towards leading them. You can get officer positions by standing out and getting your friends involved!” Inductee Ayush Jasnani ‘21 voiced his agreement: “Be really active in one single club in the school and try to focus all your efforts on it. Build yourself up, and eventually rise to the top. I dedicate a lot of my time to FCCLA as the president of the club, and this helped me get inducted.” Member Ibrahim Iqbal ‘20 also shared a few tips: “You have to work hard! Be involved with your community, and work towards gaining recognition and leadership roles. As for your grades, don’t procrastinate or slack off.”

A huge congratulations to this year’s inductees of Edison High School’s National Honor Society:

Ashritha Akam ’21

Ahmed Ali ’20

Abigail Alvarez ’21

Danial Arab ’21

Rushi Athavale ’21

Alexander Belem ’21

Amanda Cender ’21

Gurnit Chauhan ’20

Raymond Chen ’20

Alan Cheriyan ’20

Olivia Chiarella ’21

Prathamesh Debnath ’20

Aditi Deshmukh ’21

Deshna Doshi ’21

Elyse Encarnacion ’20

Lauren Gaspar ’20

Rishab Gera ’21

Jazmarie Gutierrez ’20

Ashley Haines ’21

Emily Heller ’21

Genesis Hopkins ’20

Ayushi Jasnani ’21

Helina Jhaveri ’20

Rudra Joshi ’21

Harjot Kaur ’20

Maya Komatsuzaki ’20

Arvind Kruthiventy ’20

Aryan Kumar ’20

Hannah Martin ’21

Jinam Modasiya ’20

Ashley Montuoro ’20

Keya Nayi ’20

Tayla O’Brien ’20

Jennifer Palladino ’20

Aryan Patel ’20

Dhruv Patel ’20

Isha Patel ’20

Mohnish Patel ’21

Neil Patel ’21

Reena Patel ’20

Kayla Ramnarain ’20

Krystal Ramnarine ’21

Mark Rosario ’20

Hope Sabik ’21

Rohan Saha ’21

Cassandra Scott ’21

Haya Siddiqui ’20

Durga Singh ’21

Burrell Smithen ’20

Kanaksha Temkar ’20

Jasmine Tewfik ’20

Stanley Thomas ’20

Colleen Tonra ’21

Medhasri Veldurthi ’21

Jeanine Vidola ’20

Nandana Vinod ’21

Rodrigo Villar ’20

Kayla Wason ’21

Melodi Wheeler ’21

Nathan Witkowski ’21

Formed in 1921 by Edward S. Rynearson, the National Honor Society seeks to better education through encouraging scholarship, community leadership, service, and character amongst high school students. Today, the National Honor Society has over one million students, including this year’s crew of EHS inductees.