![Incoming Student Union President junior Aki Bejamin and other SU candidates sitting on stage while waiting to give their speeches during the May 18 SU Debate. Aki said he plans to “burn [the SU] all down and start anew.”](https://thhsclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9600-e1782439128607-1200x1131.jpg)
Seniors Vidhi Patel and Vaibhi Patel have spent the last four years making long-lasting friendships and memories with their peers through team building and collaboration. Through their dedication and commitment, the senior twins have racked up eight leadership positions across various clubs ranging from Robotics to Key Club. They spoke to The Classic about their accomplishments as their senior year is starting to come to a close.
“What makes the high school experience great is not what I learn and what academics I have, but it’s because of the people I surround myself with and the extracurriculars I do,” Vidhi said.
Vaibhvi agreed with that sentiment and said, “the years between high school and college are the years where you can fail as many times as you want, because you will always have support.”
Communication is another key feature that both said they use in their various roles. As Vice President of THHS’s Robotics team 2601, Vidhi said that she tries to “portray and to embody good communication, being kind to everyone, being able to direct and delegate work.”
“As both a teacher and a coach, I look for students who truly understand what honor and character represent, not just in words, but in action. Vidhi and Vaibhvi are clear embodiments of these values,” robotics team mentor Joel Heitman said. “Their ability to balance task-oriented focus with emotional awareness helped stabilize the team during difficult periods.”
Additionally, as president of the THHS Key Club, Vaibhvi described her challenges. “I had to figure out a lot and I learned a lot,” she said. “ I learned a lot of the administrative side of [Key Club]. I learned how to get the checks from the treasure. I learned how to schedule a trip, how to figure out chaperones, how to get kids excused from school to make sure they’re not getting marked absent.”
Because of the workload, Vaibhvi struggled to juggle all her other commitments. She said that she used to be “running around the school, trying to find people to talk to about certain issues to solve them. Thus, [she] couldn’t help tackle the issues of other clubs, but [she] communicated that.”
Despite the pressure from academic and extracurricular expectations, their positive attitudes didn’t falter as they continued to support others
Key Club Webmaster Sydney Zhang said, “their encouragement and positive attitude inspire me to work hard and lead with the same energy and compassion. They never made me feel like my questions were ‘stupid,’ and I think they really showed me how to communicate with others.”
Vidhi and Vaibhvi are also the president and vice president of ModIT, a STEM-focused club which teaches students website creation and financial literacy through “hosting a virtual stock market,” according to Vidhi.
Guidance counselor Nafiza Tarannum, who became the advisor to ModIT in September 2025, said that Vidhi and Vaibvi are “ literally sunshines and rainbows… and exude positivity all the time.” Mrs. Tarannum said how they were crucial in growing the attendance of the club and ensuring many frequent return members.
Alongside their other responsibilities, Vidhi and Vaibhvi both hold significant positions in The Classic Critic as food editor and managing editor respectively. Vidhi said she believes that being able to critique things gives her more control and helps her reinforce the belief that her opinion matters.
With such a tight schedule, organization became critical in balancing all of their different tasks. Vaibhvi has found that using “trackers on trackers on trackers…even for college apps” has helped her stay organized. She believes that successfully using Google Sheets and AI software like Notion is key to staying on top of work.
Vidhi uses similar time management skills and also adds that “if I needed an extension, I just let my teachers know and give them the reason why.” Both said teacher understanding helps them succeed at THHS, and part of what makes THHS so special is that teachers give students grace because they realize that everyone has a lot on their plate.
Like many other first-generation Harrisites, their eagerness to persevere is part of their upbringing. Vaibhvi said her “family plays a key role as to why I take school so seriously, and a lot of my leadership is really serious as well. We are the first women in our family to go to college.”
After four years at THHS both students are heading to college in the fall and are deciding between Ivy League schools. Both siblings were accepted into Columbia alongside Vidhi’s Brown acceptance and Vaibhvi’s Harvard acceptance. Though unsure of where they are going, Vidhi and Vaibhvi are each in pursuit of engineering degrees.
