Overachieving: It’s all relative

In Saratoga, where many consider the children to be above average, students can find it difficult to stand out. Whatever you can do, someone else can probably do better. Sleepless nights are commonplace; sky-high grades and SAT scores are the norm, and most students seem to play a musical instrument. 

At a school where overachievement is the norm, what constitutes overachievement? One example would be sophomore Meera Rachamallu, who excels in sports, music, academics and more. 

Rachamallu has boasted a spot on the school’s varsity tennis team for two consecutive years. Last year, she was one of only two freshmen to make the varsity team.

“My parents signed me up for it, but I really enjoyed it, and I wanted to stick with it,” said Rachamallu, who has been playing the sport since second grade.

        Rachamallu shares the same dedication toward music. She plays the cello and the piano, reaching Level 10 in the Certificate of Merit program. Rachamallu spends a few hours a week playing the piano for patients at Kaiser Permanente, where she also assists nurses and interacts with patients.

“It’s a good experience,” Rachamallu said. "Helping the sick patients gives me a chance to realize that there are bigger problems in life than failing a math test. We take so much for granted."

When she is not rehearsing music, volunteering or playing tennis, Rachamallu is preparing presentations for the school’s Environmental Club, of which she is co-president and co-founder. 

Her interest in environmental science blossomed while she was at Redwood Middle School. While there, she designed several environmental science-based projects for the Redwood science fairs.

“I truly was passionate about the environment, and I was looking forward to joining the high school’s environmental club,” Rachamallu said.

      Upon arriving at SHS, though, Rachamallu was disappointed to find that the school did not, in fact, have an Environmental Club.

Sophomore Michelle Shen, who is co-founder and co-president of the Environmental Club, and Rachamallu decided to start this club upon finding none in high school. This initiative also pushed Rachamallu to join the school’s Science Club, Girl Effect Club and the Baby Advocacy Club, of which she is a co-secretary. 

Surprisingly, Rachamallu’s extracurricular activities have so far had little impact on her sleeping schedule. She reflects that time management is key. 

On an average weekday, Rachamallu comes home between 1:35 and 3 p.m., spends two hours on homework, plays the piano for around an hour and then practices tennis for 1-2 hours. She is usually in bed by 9 p.m.

        “I come home and go to sleep as soon as possible,” Rachamallu said. “I don’t really like spending time on Facebook or YouTube, so I guess that is why I go to sleep early.”

Weekends, however, are her “busy time.”

“I’m pretty packed on the weekend,” Rachamallu said. “I don’t have time to go to a lot of the parties that my family gets invited to.”

With her spare time on the weekends, Rachamallu tries to get ahead on her schoolwork. On Sunday nights, she will often complete Monday’s Trig/Pre-Calc Honors homework so that she has less schoolwork on Monday night.

Rachamallu challenges herself academically. This year, she is taking three AP and honors courses: Trig/Pre-Calc Honors, Chemistry Honors and AP Music Theory. Despite her rigorous course load, Rachamallu is a straight-A student. Next year, as a junior, Rachamallu will take a total of six honors and AP courses. 

“I think the difference between me and most students is that my parents are not telling me what to take. In general, my parents don’t interfere with my course schedule and my extracurricular activities,” Rachamallu said. “They want me to choose courses that I will truly enjoy.”

Sophomore Ankitha Sarvesh, who has been friends with Rachamallu for over eight years, believes that “[Rachamallu's] drive for excellence is something that inspires many.”

“Being able to juggle so many different activities makes her a well-rounded and unique student,” Sarvesh said.

Despite such comments, Rachamallu doesn’t see herself as an “overachiever.”

“A lot of people call me that, but I think about the outstanding people at this school, and I just feel like that is not me,” Rachamallu said.

Like many students at the school, Rachamallu often doubts the scale of her accomplishments.

“Sometimes, I feel like it’s never enough,” Rachamallu said. “I have to do more and more, and then I just have to stop myself and say, ‘No, you are doing enough. Even if you don’t get into an Ivy League, you are still self-motivated, and that will take you far.’”

Rachamallu realizes that her perception of her accomplishments may be skewed.

"I've learned that we don't realize how much we do until someone points it out," Rachamallu said. "I just feel like I'm just doing all my regular activities. I'm just used to it."

Yet, Rachamallu is not just a "regular" student. She is an athlete, a musician, a humanitarian and a scholar.

"I do all these activities and study hard because I only have one chance at high school and, as much as I want to just hang out with my friends every day, I also want to invest my time for the future," Rachamallu said.