Eagle Era

Senior Lahari Tatikonda’s journey through student leadership 

By Keerthi Vasudevan

High school is often framed as a 4-year sprint toward college, but for some students, what defines their experience is not just passive participation—it is leadership. For Lahari Tatikonda (12), leadership has been at the core of her high school career, as she has shaped the student experience in multiple clubs and teams beyond the classroom. 

As prom commissioner since her junior year, Tatikonda has taken on one of ASB’s most demanding leadership roles, coordinating large-scale events that require months of planning, communication, and problem-solving. From ensuring events run smoothly to organizing logistics, her work behind the scenes affects the entire student body. 

“She does great work as our commissioner,” said Vidushi Agrawal (12). “Though she hasn’t been on for long, Lahari is super passionate about student leadership. She handles her responsibilities really well since she really loves what she does.”

For Tatikonda, ASB leadership is about more than just executing events; she wants to create memorable experiences for the whole student body. “I love watching people grow and enjoy the things we create for them,” said Tatikonda. 

This same mindset carries across everything she does. A multi-sport athlete in cross-country and track, a Mock Trial captain, and a head science camp counselor, Tatikonda consistently steps into leadership roles. But unlike many, her reasons for doing so are rooted more in initiative than recognition.

Tatikonda, overwhelmed by all the work she must complete piled up around her (Photo Credit: Keerthi Vasudevan (9)).

“I don’t really remember a time where I wasn’t trying to juggle 3 things all at once,” Tatikonda said. “It’s packed, but I somehow managed to get through it all with the help of my friends and lots of energy drinks.” 

Though under pressure, Tatikonda actively seeks out positions where she can take charge. “The chaos is what makes it worthwhile, and I love seeing the impact I have on whatever small community I lead,” she said. 

This year, Tatikonda became captain of the cross-country team, which made history as the first time the team won MVAL finals. Over the past 4 years, Coach Javier has watched her grow as both an athlete and as a leader in both track and cross-country. “On days when she could not attend afternoon practices, she would go to morning practice, which starts at 5:15 AM, to keep up with the weekly mileage,” said Coach Javier. “Lahari’s leadership has been beyond influential. She has set a high standard for what senior night should look like as well as rallying behind and welcoming the newcomers on the team.”

Tatikonda posed with cross-country seniors, [top to bottom and left to right] Aneek Mandal (12), Romir Gandhi (12), Gabriel Wang (12), Konnor Tan (12), Alex Natividad (12), Benson Tang (12), Sophia Huang (12), Vivian Luu (12), and Tatikonda (Photo Credit: Phoebe Luo (11)). 

Her leadership extends into Mock Trial as well, where this past year, Tatikonda guided her team through competitions as a captain. A close friend of Tatikonda’s, Sage Gebrekidan (12), used to run cross-country with Tatikonda and co-captained Mock Trial beside her. “She’s an amazing person to lead with and pushes the team to be its absolute best,” said Gebrekidan.

To many people, Tatikonda’s résumé might seem like a blueprint for success in today’s competitive college admissions landscape. However, her experience with managing so many things at once reflects a growing reality: students increasingly feel compelled to “max out” their extracurriculars to the point of not even liking anything they do. “I do all the things I do because I truly love them, but I know not everyone does that. I’m able to manage everything because I have interest in the things I am involved in, but I have so many friends that do things just for applications,” Tatikonda shared. 

This perspective of choosing what she wanted to do shaped Tatikonda’s leadership style. Her genuine interest in the few clubs and sports she participated in meant that her full attention was on being the best leader she could be. 

However, leadership at this level comes with trade-offs. Balancing all these extracurriculars along with academics often meant sacrificing personal time and rest. “There were many days she would go directly from practice to a Mock Trial meeting, then come home and still have homework to finish,” said Kavita Manava, Tatikonda’s mother. 

“I haven’t really slept over 5 hours regularly until senior year after applications were submitted,” Tatikonda admitted. 

Even so, she views these sacrifices as part of the responsibility that leadership requires. “I don’t regret doing it all, and if I had to go back, I honestly wouldn’t change anything.” She said, “I never thought about it too much because I really love what I do.”

Looking back, Tatikonda believes that she still left time to enjoy high school. “I think I definitely made the most of my time, but it wasn’t easy,” Tatikonda said. “My way of relaxing is hanging out with my friends. I rely on them a lot because they’re like my support system. But it’s hard to make time for fun when you know you have so much to do.” 

Kiara Cadelina (11), one of Tatikonda’s closest friends, shared that these small sacrifices never really mattered to her, and that a few hours of hanging out would relax her enough to get back to her work. “She is so genuine in everything she does,” she said. “If we wanted to go get food, or just hang out, it was so usual of her to say, ‘I have too much work’ and just not come. Somehow, she still found time for us, though, and we were always there for her when she needed some extra support.”

Now, as college decisions are out, Tatikonda is excited to continue her further education at UC Santa Barbara. For Tatikonda, high school was still a mostly fun experience despite the tremendous workload. “In the end, my 4 years have taught me about what my limits and priorities are and showed me how passionate I really am about leadership,” she said.