Ayush Jasnani ‘21, a November Senior of the Month, has a mission, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” When COVID-19 hit many teens took the time to catch up on their sleep or binge-watch the endless Netflix recommendations from friends. However, for Ayush, his case was different. He took the additional time to kickstart his own baking business, enabling him to become even more of a baking expert. As the young entrepreneur states, “My favorite hobby is my baking. I love to bake and it’s my favorite thing to do at any given time.” Attaining national awards for his cake-baking skills, Ayush will be running his business as a rising freshman at Rutgers University. 

The culinary arts has been his passion ever since he joined the FCCLA club at EHS. As president for the past two years, he cherishes the life lessons such as being a leader and advocating for himself and his peers. Stepping into high school, he described himself as an extroverted, outspoken, and eager person. Reflecting on his experience from a freshman to senior, he learned to set boundaries for himself and find his own identity. Yet, at the same time, he learned to do so in a crowd. Some advice he would give to his freshman-self would be “if you motivate yourself and try hard enough, anything you want to achieve is possible.” 

Reminiscing over one of his favorite moments at EHS, Jasnani fondly remembers being a part of the annual Fusion Show hosted by the Peacock Society club. Despite having a supporting role in the play, he describes it as one of the most enjoyable experiences he’s ever had—because of the people surrounding him. Likewise, he depicts his daily routine at EHS when meeting his friends at the same set of tables they’ve used for the past 3 years. Now he’s proud to be walking out of EHS with the same group of people who stuck by his side for the good and the bad. 

The pandemic has opened his eyes towards mental health and he especially would like to see the school get instructed by mental health professionals to assist the student body. Many people, Jasnani emphasizes, do not take mental health seriously or they overlook the topic thinking it’s too taboo. Nonetheless, with the pandemic and obstacles with isolation, mental health is more prevalent and vital in society. He would love to see action necessitated by providing the best possible ways to deal with stress and confusion outlets. 

He is grateful for the advice and guidance contributed by Mrs. Frey and Mrs. Connell, who served as his support systems and helped him grow as a person. “If not anything else, teachers, just like all of mine, are truly what make Edison High Great,” he noted.