From running one of Highland’s most impactful clubs to working hard in the IB program to being selected as Highland’s social sciences Sterling Scholar, Anud Hashi is not a student to forget.
Throughout the past four years at Highland, Hashi has impacted many lives as she strives to make Highland a welcoming and inclusive place. She’s passionate about standing up for others and making sure all voices get heard.
Hashi’s love for the social sciences began during her freshman year in her AP human geography class. Instead of focusing on the typical physical geography of the world, this class focuses on the people—from the relationships between countries, to the structure of cities, to world religions, to—most importantly—how people interact.
“I think it was [my favorite] because it was so many things that I felt like I knew very little about,” Hashi said. “I think being able to go in depth learning about asylum seekers or learning about how genocide is actually classified [intrigued me]. It was very interesting to see how people have taken action in the past or how we’ve learned from that or maybe how we haven’t learned from that, and I think that made me really resonate with [the social sciences].”
After her freshman year, Hashi’s love for the social sciences and for social activism only grew. When she found out about the Sterling Scholar program during her senior year, she went out on a limb and applied for it.
“I think, at first, I kind of did it spur of the moment, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but I think I was a good candidate for it because I felt like my social sciences education has impacted me a lot and it was something that resonated with me throughout my experience in high school,” Hashi said. “And it really contributed to other things I’ve pursued outside of school; it led me to pursue organizing the Black Student Union as a whole. […] and I’ve participated in other campaigns regarding social science or social activism and things like that.”
This year, Hashi is the president of Highland’s Black Student Union, or BSU for short. She’s made a huge impact in the club by making sure everyone feels welcome and is included. Whether that means making sure every member has the opportunity to go on a field trip or organizing engaging activities for students. She’s also pushed for BSU to collaborate with Highland’s other clubs and to create cross-club connections.
This past February, Hashi was a big part of organizing the celebration of Black History Month. They highlighted different elements of Black history each week with posters around the school and events for students. Hashi’s organization and leadership was what pulled the whole event together.
“We thought Black History Month was a great success and it was really student driven. Student led, student driven, the way it’s supposed to be and that’s because of her,” BSU advisor Deirdre Straight said. “The students planned the week activities; they planned the meetings that month and also planned the collaborations. So, it was just fantastic to see that, and we were able to do that and do that successfully because of Anud.”
Hashi’s leadership in BSU is what has brought the club together as a community. She’s played a big role in making Highland a more inclusive and welcoming environment. From being involved in the Black Student Union to helping organize the Ram Fam speaker series, Hashi has made a powerful positive impact on Highland.
“It’s good to have an inclusive environment for everyone, just so that you feel seen,” Hashi said. “And so, to me [BSU] was really important because I wanted a place where Black students felt like they could gather and that there was a community and that they knew that they were being seen and that they were being represented.”
Among the Utah sterling scholars, Hashi was the runner up in the social sciences category, a big achievement for both Hashi and Highland High.
After high school, Hashi plans to attend the University of Utah as a pre-med major. She hopes to someday work in public health and continue to make a positive impact on the people around her.
