Surabhi Ashok, an aspiring journalist, has been writing for The Falconer’s Voice since her freshman year, covering topics like politics and government, world news, and the coronavirus pandemic. Often caught listening to Why Don’t We’s 8 Letters album or referencing her favorite TV show Gilmore Girls, Ashok also enjoys reading and writing, singing, and spending time with friends.
She is a member of the National Honor Society as well as the respective English, Rho Kappa, Tri-M, and Spanish honor societies. As part of this, she has participated in different restaurant fundraisers and created informational slides for the morning news segments, Monroe Network News. Ashok has taken a variety of honors and AP level courses throughout her high school career, even though Journalism I is her favorite class she’s ever had.
While she is an editor and staff writer for the school paper, Ashok is incredibly involved in performing arts, too. She’s had experience in the Freshman Chorus, Treble Chorus, and Concert Choir performance groups at the school in addition to the Central Jersey Region Chorus, otherwise known as CJMEA, outside of school.
Yet, her favorite memories from being in chorus include her performances of “You Will Be Found” from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen as well as “Truth.” Dealing with heavy subject matter like suicide and female empowerment, performing these pieces were incredibly rewarding for her.
Ashok also interns at The Millstone Times, a local newspaper company. She’s been interning for them for about half a year now and typically writes two articles a month. During this time, she’s written about home improvement trends, coronavirus as it relates to teens’ mental health, natural cleaning products, the history of Monroe Township, and most recently, fantasy maps.
Besides interning, Ashok started working as a page at the Monroe Township Public Library as of September of this year. Sorting and shelving books are the main tasks associated with this, but redirecting patrons to certain sections of the library based on their interests is something else she does. However, she started volunteering at the library long before she began formally working there. Over the years, Ashok has tutored elementary school children and performed as a narrator in a reader’s theatre play during the summer of 2019.
With a clear interest in politics and voting in particular, she is a co-founder of Rhizome, an organization which aims to increase civic engagement among the youth. The newly-formed organization already has 80 other officers from across the country and is proud partners with the YMCA and Broward County Public Schools. For more information regarding the work they do, visit their website at https://werhize.org.
Following graduation, Ashok is planning on attending college with a major in business and minor in journalism. She hopes this will allow her to not only continue to explore her passion for writing, but also delve deeper into the management side of business. Apart from further education, Ashok also wants to travel more, and Greece and Italy are at the top of her list.
To put it simply, she says, “I want to preserve my friendships, and I want to live life to the fullest and happiest.”
The Class of 2022 wishes her the best of luck with all of her future endeavors and as for the newspaper club, they will always be sure to remember her.
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