Meet Haresh Muralidharan, a senior at North Allegheny Senior High School with a passion for cognitive science and community empowerment. Haresh’s curiosity and love for learning have led him to explore a wide array of interests, from piano to Taekwondo, to starting a chess nonprofit. What drives Haresh is a desire not only to learn but to share that knowledge with others, fostering a supportive community where growth is mutual. According to Haresh,
“I am incredibly driven by a simple ethical principle: always try your best to help the most people the most you can–and that includes yourself!”
Let’s dive deeper into Haresh’s journey as a youth leader and changemaker.
Building Community and Belonging at School
For Haresh, the feeling of belonging at school is deeply rooted in the collaborative spirit of clubs and communities. He finds meaning in environments where collaboration and competition coexist. Clubs like Science Bowl, Math & Physics, and Chess have been instrumental spaces for Haresh because he feels these spaces encourage students to push one another to improve, while also offering constructive feedback and support.
“A really powerful motivator for me is the drive to give back what I never had. Throughout middle and early high school, I didn’t have the guidance or coaching to figure out what I should be doing with my time and how to best prepare to achieve the goals and pursuits that I wanted. As a result, I wasted a lot of time and potential—so I want to give back that coaching and build a supportive community to foster growth.”
Expanding Belonging Beyond the Classroom
Outside of school, Haresh’s commitment to building community shines through his nonprofit, Chesspire. Haresh identified a gap in access to STEM education and a robust chess community within Pittsburgh.
“As a Pittsburgher, we love building bridges, so I sought to bridge this gap by creating a supportive community dedicated to giving free education, resources, and coaching to help students reach their full potential by developing the life skills instilled by chess.”
Chesspire, a 501(c)(3) organization, bridges gaps by providing free chess and STEM education to inspire problem-solving skills in students, particularly those who don’t have access to such resources. What started as a local initiative has grown to reach students internationally, with virtual camps in Latin America and Africa and partnerships with universities like Carnegie Mellon Africa and the University of Pittsburgh.
Haresh’s leadership role at Chesspire has shaped his approach to making a lasting impact. Managing a team of over 20 people, he honed essential leadership skills such as hiring, team organization, and meeting deadlines. His journey in leadership has taught him the value of adaptability and perseverance.
Haresh’s Guide to Getting Involved
Haresh understands that making a positive impact requires introspection and personal growth.
“Sometimes, you have to take time to care for yourself and build your own skills before you can make the biggest positive social impact that you can.”
When asked what advice he would give to other high school students considering getting involved in community programs, Haresh laid out this two-step plan:
- “First, do some introspection and figure out what specific type of impact you want to make in your community. This could be through education, fundraising, providing resources, making products, social activism, etc. —any kind of impact you want to and are best suited to make!”
- “Second, make a detailed plan on how you’ll get there. Start from the biggest goals and continually break it down into smaller projects and tasks until you have shattered a monumental goal into manageable steps. All that’s left to do now is to create some accountability to make sure you execute on the plan and continually make small tweaks to your plan as needed.”
Haresh’s journey illustrates how passion, leadership, and a drive to help others can spark real change. Whether building community in school clubs or expanding access to educational resources with Chesspire, Haresh is empowering the next generation of learners and problem-solvers, setting an inspiring example for young leaders everywhere.
Growing a Network for Youth Thriving | The Civic Learning Ecosystem
This story, and other Student Spotlights, represent the heart of what the Civic Learning Ecosystem strives to achieve: more young people finding their voice, agency, and sense of belonging in a world that often feels disconnected. Our network plays a crucial role in ensuring that more students like Cameron have the tools, support, and opportunities they need to grow into confident, engaged community leaders. By connecting schools, community organizations, and youth leaders, we are building an infrastructure that is reimagining civic education to meet students where they are—grounded in collaboration, innovation, and equity, and centered on the voices of young people themselves.
Be a part of this network!
Join us on October 8, 2024 for a workshop titled Youth-Adult Partnerships for Inclusive and Sustainable Decision-Making to learn from other young leaders and gain tools to amplify youth voices in your own work.
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