2024 Outstanding Young Citizens
will be announced Thursday, April 25!
Congratulations to our 2024 Outstanding Young Citizens.
Udbhav Akolkar
Pine-Richland High School, 12
Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
Jagriti Dashora
Academic Achievement
Coca-Cola Scholarship Semifinalist, Member – 1 Year
GE Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program Semifinalist, Member – 1 Year
National Merit Scholar, Letters of Commendation/ AP Scholar with Distinction, Member – 3 Years
Pennsylvania Communication Association’s Jeanne Lutz High School Speaker of the Year Award, Member – 1 Year
Citation from Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Member – 1 Year
Extracurricular Activities
Pine Township Youth Council, Founder, President – 3 Years
Varsity Tennis, 2023 WPIAL Section Doubles Finalist, Team Leader – 3 Years
Pine-Richland Forensics Team. Compete in Lincoln-Douglas debate, previous experience in Congress, Public Forum Debate, Parliamentary Debate, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Impromptu Speaking, Team Manager – 4 Years
Research Student at Brown University. Participated in the “From Idea to Publication: Building your own Research Project” program. Analyzed and wrote a paper on the impact that political awareness and activism had on the mental health of high school students. Interviewed 40+ students, teachers, and government officials, Research Student – 1 Year
Self-taught guitarist, Player – 4 Years
Community Involvement
The Pine Gala event – Raised awareness and funds for youth mental health issues. Community book drive – collected over 300 books of UPMC Family Care Connection Center, President, Lead Organizer – 2 Years
Volunteered at polls during the 2022 general election, Lead Organizer for Youth Council Volunteers – 1 Year
Invited to speak at Inspiring the Next Generation community breakfast held by PA State Rep. Rob Mercuri. Spoke about the digitization of education, the impact of social media, and what schools could do to better prepare students for future, Speaker – 1 Year
Volunteered to help coach tennis lessons to players of all ages, Student Volunteer – 3 Years
Participation in local government initiatives: Glass recycling program – promoted and periodically maintained the bin / Adopt-A-Pineway – cleaned litter off streets / Pine Township Trunk or Treat – set up a trunk and also ran several other stations / Pine Township Holiday Dazzle – ran a booth to promote civic engagement and also sell holiday-themed baked goods / Snow Angels – created Pine Township chapter, Lead Organizer, President – 3 Years
Plans
I plan to dual major in philosophy and political science, which are my strong passions. I look forward to studying them in depth and having meaningful conversations with my peers. I then plan on attending law school, where I hope to specialize in Constitutional Law, which is the best field for me to continue my work in empowering others. However, I have also considered pursuing a PhD. in philosophy and going into academia so I can help shape political landscape of modern world.