Rajvi Shah (@Rajvi Shah34) is one of those girls. She dares to change the world, dreams, and challenges everything and anything in the pursuit of progress. She’s the type of girl who is, quite literally, impossible to doubt. A sophomore majoring in neurobiology with a psychology minor, Rajvi Shah is no stranger to challenges. As a pre-med student with a plate full of activities, honors and commitments, she’s always on the go. She spends her time on campus as an Honors Program Ambassador, serving on the Honors Program Student Council and Student Health Advisory Board, committed to the pre-medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon, and dedicated to her job as secretary for the South Asian Student Association. She is a force to be reckoned with, on and off campus, as she dares to make the world a better place to live.
When asked what she was most passionate about for KU students, Rajvi had to think for a minute. After all, it was clear she was passionate about so many things, it seemed hard to choose just one. After a moment’s deliberation, Rajvi said, “I’m most passionate about school spirit, even if that sounds cliche. I want other people to fall in love with this university, the very same way I fell in love with it.”
Rajvi is intent on making other people enjoy the college experience and the KU community for all the reasons she does and many, many more. After all, KU, according to Rajvi, is such a beautiful, amazing place, a place that’s magic should be shared with anyone and everyone. Rajvi loves KU, for all that is, for all that it may one day become. She knew KU was the right place for her during her first week of school, when she took a moment in the hustle and bustle of Hawk Week to appreciate the architecture and let the beauty of her campus take her breath away. This joy, this ultimate devotion to the world and all its beauty, is what truly inspires Rajvi to do what she does best: serve.
All of Rajvi’s service is directly tied to providing all people with the access and quality of life they so rightfully deserve. On KU’s campus, this service can be seen in the new chapter of Med-Life. Rajvi serves as the advertising officer for the new chapter. Med-Life is focused on raising money to serve underprivileged and impoverished individuals and families with access to many provisions, including clean water, medicine, sanitation needs, etc. It provides opportunities for students to go on trips throughout the world, to ask and serve others in the ways they most need it. This opportunity for fundraising begins this Friday with a concert in the Kansas Union called Music 4 Medicine. Music 4 Medicine is a concert featuring local bands and free food for interested KU students to raise money for the chapter and its services. When Rajvi talks about her new project, her eyes light up, and the passion seems to radiate off of her. It’s impossible not to dream when she’s around.
Despite the seriousness of it all, Rajvi is never afraid to throw back her head and laugh. It’s this ability to chuckle that makes Rajvi so electric. According to her, sometimes she can’t help but look in the mirror and say with a smile, “How am I even this person?” Rajvi admits sometimes she’s ridiculous, in only the best ways. She doesn’t pretend to take herself too seriously. And according to her, her friends certainly don’t either. For Rajvi, life must be lived with a smile and a bellowing laugh resting in one’s stomach. Sometimes it’s all too brief not to appreciate every single second of it, no matter the ridiculousness. When asked what her biggest piece of advice was, Rajvi said, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. So many people come into college thinking they have it all figured out, but sometimes it’s a lot harder than one might think. There’s so many services available, utilize them; that’s what they’re there for.”
It’s this kind of humility, a comforting humbleness that drives Rajvi to dream only the biggest dreams possible.
At the end of it all, Rajvi’s story seems to be one molded by others, for others. She does what she does, so that one day all of the people of the world can live their lives to the fullest. She feels the obligation to serve down to her very core. For her, it’s simple really. She’s a human being. She’s a part of humanity, and for this reason she has an obligation to serve the other human beings around her. Despite her optimism, Rajvi is also an important realist. She knows everyone has motivations, dreams, ambitions, but they also have bad days, and in life, it’s all about taking the bad with the good. In the end, she desires to make a difference. Whether this difference is on a Lawrence scale or on a millennium time scale, Rajvi encourages others to do so as well. Rajvi sees every person as deserving an underlying quality of life. It is this view that dares her to believe. It is this view that dares her to dream. It is this view that drives her to passion, ambition, and commitment. It is this view that makes her, in all of her glory, that girl.