When Balkarn Singh Shahi looks back on his high school experience, one activity stands out 鈥� the University of Colorado Boulder鈥檚 Public Achievement program. As a student at Centaurus High School participating in the program, Shahi and peers responded to national public shootings by spearheading a public campaign to prevent gun violence with support from the faith-based community, the City of Lafayette, the Boulder County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, and other influential organizations.
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鈥淟ooking back, what shocked me was we approached high-power local institutions and they took us seriously,鈥� Shahi said. 鈥淲e found out that we could actually make a difference and create change even as high school students.鈥� 听
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Now a sophomore at CU-Boulder, Shahi could not resist the opportunity to give back to the听, which pairs CU-Boulder students as coaches with groups of underrepresented K-12 students seeking solutions to their identified salient social issues. Shahi has been a Public Achievement coach, and this year he served as a teaching assistant for the corresponding civic engagement course and new class of coaches.
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鈥淭his program tells you 鈥榶es, you can make change,鈥� and I wanted to ensure other students had a similar experience,鈥� he said.
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Photo: Balkarn Singh Shahi, in red, and his Public Achievement team at Centaurus High School.
