Aqil Merchant
When asked how the students have been nurtured to strive for academic success, Laila says, “Our family has fostered the value of academic excellence as a way to keep in line with Islam’s ethic of learning and seeking knowledge, but to also provide our children with the best future possible.” While prioritizing education, the family balances it out with other aspects of life including mental, physical, and spiritual health.
The Merchant siblings also credit their academic success and motivation to the sacrifices made by their parents. Aqil says, “their selflessness to work hard for the advancement of my sisters’ and my well-being continuously challenges me to make the most of opportunities and resources.”
According to Anusha, “one of the largest keys to academic success is utilizing the connections you have, as well as working to build new connections. Whether it be an internship I’ve had, an initiative I started at school, or research I have conducted, every single academic and career-based accomplishment I have had has been made possible because of connections. For students starting high school or even nearing the end, do not take your teachers and educators for granted --- they are knowledgeable, experienced, and might surprise you in how connected they are to the world.”
“One key that has been essential to my academic success is being selfless in my pursuit of knowledge by using what I have learned to serve the communities around me,” says Alma. She has served her community in many ways. Alma enjoys coding and has helped to build an app that helps increase biodiversity awareness for a local nature preserve. She also enjoys working with youth and has helped support underrepresented students.
Alma Merchant
In addition to excelling in the classroom, the siblings have earned a number of distinctions during their high school careers. Anusha and Alma were selected as Finalists for the Georgia Governor's Honors Program, and Aqil is a National Merit Scholar. Aqil has also recently published a report in the Harvard Public Health Review where he shares his findings from a survey to better understand the dissemination of COVID-19 facts to teenagers. Alma was a runner-up in the 2018 New York Times Student Podcast Contest. Anusha was named “Girl Up Hero of the Month” for her fundraising efforts to globally promote education to females, and she was also recognized as Prefect of the Year for her efforts to promote diversity and inclusion at her high school. All three siblings have been involved in Camp Mosaic.
While their work ethic and intellectual search tie the triplets, they are headed in separate directions as they begin college this fall. Alma is attending the Georgia Institute of Technology where she plans to major in Civil Engineering. She says, “Civil engineering is an incredibly effective means to improve the quality of life for all individuals,” and she hopes to improve transportation and infrastructure for disadvantaged communities.
Anusha Merchant
Anusha is at Barnard College in New York City, majoring in Political Science and Human Rights. She says, “I hope to become a lawyer, focusing on human rights, international law, and criminal and restorative justice work that surrounds minorities, such as women and people of color. On top of that, I would love to continue the work I have done in the political arena by continuing to work with national and local leaders to formulate and apply policies for working-class people and minorities.”
Aqil is a first-year student at Harvard University in Boston. He says, “I hope to concentrate in History and Science with a secondary in Global Health & Health Policy...My career goal is to work for the Aga Khan Development Network to help improve health care and standards of living within systematically disadvantaged communities...I hope to dramatically reduce global health inequity through sustainable health initiatives that also consider the implications of political conflicts and other diverse facets of quality of life.”
As the triplets go their separate ways, Anusha says, “It is definitely tough being away from both my siblings considering we have spent almost every day together in our lives thus far. However, I also find it exciting that I get to see my siblings flourish in new environments, study and practice what they enjoy, and overall become the best versions of themselves.”
