By: Kate Gruetter and Michaela Thimot 

National/World and People Editors

Junior Nitya Jhamb is nothing short of a genius. As an LGHS student balancing a Varsity sport, five AP classes, a job, and extracurriculars, Jhamb is dedicated, hardworking, and, above all else, incredibly busy. This rigorous schedule is nothing new to the junior either; she’s played Varsity Girls Tennis since freshman year, and has always excelled academically. “My biggest accomplishment is probably keeping good grades . . . balancing everything,” Jhamb concluded, stating that time management is one of the key components to keeping up with a workload like hers. 

Jhamb started playing tennis at the age of six, and her dad was her first big supporter in the sport. “My dad taught me to play because he played growing up,” Jhamb shared, continuing, “he always shows up to my tournaments, and he’s always helping and coaching me.” Recalling her favorite tennis memory, she described the moment she won a big tournament when she was 12 years old, despite it being “the first one I’ve ever done.” Jhamb also appreciates all of the players and her teammates on the school tennis team: “I really like the people. . . it’s a nice community.” 

Out of her five APs (and one honors class), Jhamb is  most passionate about English, though she hopes to pursue medicine as a career. “It’s difficult,” Jhamb admitted, referencing her jam-packed schedule, “but you just have to know how to manage your time. Stay off the phone!” As if a 5.02 GPA isn’t enough, she also is part of the school’s Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) team and the Cats Against Poverty club, which she hopes to become the Vice President of. 

Over the summer, the Molecular Biology of Cancer program at UC Berkeley accepted Jhamb and she spent two weeks getting hands-on experience in the lab, applying what she learned during the lectures. Jhamb felt as though, “it was a good opportunity to challenge [herself] and learn more about what [she] was interested in.” Following the program, Jhamb took a break from studying and traveled to Italy with her mom, dad, and older brother. 

In the future, Jhamb dreams of studying either medicine or English at UCLA. When she manages to find a moment of free time, she enjoys finding new places to explore with her friends, as well as going on hikes with her family. With her fierce academic and athletic drives combined with her witty personality, Jhamb will have no trouble accomplishing whatever her future dreams may hold.