In 2020, a wildfire evacuation order for her California community quite literally sparked Arushi’s interest in preparedness. Seeking to learn more about fire preparedness, she contacted her county’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) coordinator. That led Arushi, a 12th grade student, to co-found a disaster preparedness club called Solidus, in which she serves as president and has led projects that have reached more than 2,000 people. Through the club, she has planned and organized nine preparedness fairs for elementary school students and hosted a webinar for her county with the CERT coordinator as a guest speaker.
Arushi also works with her county fire department to educate herself and others on fire preparedness. She has presented her fire preparedness projects at the global finals of Destination Imagination, an international STEAM (science, technology, arts, and mathematics) competition, placing in the top 10 of the 1,100 teams that entered.
With an interest in singing, acting, and performing, Arushi has taken part in musical theater productions for nine years, honing her teamwork skills along the way. She also enjoys baking, playing piano and reading in her free time.