My name is Siyona Nayampally and I am a freshman in Austin, Texas. I am on the swim team, train for triathlons, play the violin, sing and act. At school, I am in the UNICEF club and Model UN.

I think one of the biggest issues our youth faces today is gun violence. We are always at risk of a school shooting or a random mass shooting in a public place. This is not something children or anyone for that matter should have to think about and something must be done about it immediately.

One of the biggest takeaways I had from Global Scholar is that one action can affect so much and everything is more interconnected than you think.

I would recommend Global Scholar because it is so fun and you learn so much. The way they construct the sessions makes it more fun because it is more interactive than in a lecture or a class. The living in a dorm brings you so much closer to your peers and you get to meet so many cool and influential people, it really is an amazing experience.