Ruhi Gilani is in 11th grade at Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek. Along with schoolwork, she also balances a tremendous number of activities. She is on the fabrication team of her Robotics team, building robots that are consistently competitive on a global scale. She is in the Washington Aerospace Scholars program, which is a program designed for high school students interested in STEM related pathways. She is in The Knowledge Society, a world-class course training youth to become leaders and innovators in our society. With a small 15 percent acceptance rate, being a part of this prestigious program is a true testament to one’s capabilities, and this holds true for Ruhi. She uses her leadership to co-run an extraordinary program known as Project Redesign. Project Redesign aims to fill education gaps in our community, and has already created 6 courses, with 3 more to come this year. She is a fantastic student exemplifying leadership, innovation, and integrity in her daily work. 

In Ruhi’s free time, she likes to do art. Whether it be painting, sculpting, or anything in between, she loves them all. She has even turned this hobby, along with all of her other qualities, into a marketable skill by working at her parent’s art studio, FEELartistic Studio, based in Everett. Ruhi is now qualified to teach many different mediums catered toward all ages. She can lead drawing and painting classes geared toward younger students and even helps with classes like pottery and glassblowing for adults. She also does routine maintenance around the studio such as cleaning art stations, loading and unloading the pottery kiln, and more. 

Ruhi has taken her art to her community as well, drawing traditional henna tattoos on her peers’ hands at prayers and celebrations. Henna tattoos are a staple of South Asian culture and are very important in many cultures. She is staying rooted with her heritage in an amazing way, even though she lives thousands of miles across the globe. She has even led classes teaching students how to draw these designs. 

Ruhi has also brought Project Redesign, one of her many initiatives, to the studio. One of the courses in Project Redesign covers the interweaving of art and science, a subject that is very storied with many prominent figures at the forefront. People like Leonardo Da Vinci, Samuel Morse, and other incredible innovators are great examples of this subject at work. However, it is often overlooked in daily classroom discussions, so Project Redesign created a course about it. Ruhi personally took charge, teaching this course at the studio, thus increasing its influence and spreading the message further. 

Ruhi Gilani truly is a remarkable example of a leader. She is at the forefront of many programs, commanding attention toward her causes. She is creative, working to find new solutions to old and neglected problems. But above all, she is caring. She is caring about her heritage, preserving her rich culture for generations to come. She is caring about her peers, making strong efforts to enrich their lives. And she cares about her community, as all of these things are for the people around her. And there is no cause more just than that.