The sun’s barely out when she makes her way out of the school in blue scrubs, hands aching from hours of typing, flipping textbook pages and strumming her trusty guitar. Still, she pushes past that barrier, already on her way to train and observe the medical field in action.

Senior Ishani Pandey is enrolled in the practicum health science course where students shadow medical professionals at a nearby hospital, as well as holding the position of president of HOSA, which stands for Health Occupations Students of America. She is also a member of the advanced choir Seasons, serves as the choir Uniform Officer and is an active member of the theater program.

“I’ve been a member of HOSA all four years of high school, though freshman year we weren’t able to do much for the program because of COVID,” Pandey said. “This year, though, I got to serve as HOSA’s president, and that has been an incredibly rewarding experience, albeit a bit stressful. I love getting to see the people who are committed to the program get excited about the events that I’ve put in place and getting to learn more about the medical field. We’ve had a lot of changes in structure and administration over the last couple years, so it’s really been a journey to learn about how to lead efficiently and effectively.”

Pandey is continuing on the pre-medical path at Texas A&M University in the fall, and intends to continue that journey past her undergraduate degree. Her ultimate goal is to become a pediatric physician.

“I’ve been interested in the medical field for years,” Pandey said. “I joined HOSA as soon as I could and tried to stay involved even through the online school year, and have stuck to that work since then. I want to help people and give back, so pediatrics specifically really caught my attention.”

Despite her passion as a STEM student, Pandey is also active in the arts, having been a member of choir since middle school, and said she finds value in the performing arts programs. She is currently a member of the Varsity Treble choir and Seasons, one half of the choir group Soundwave.

“I have loved being a part of Seasons and serving as a choir officer,” Pandey said. “I have been in choir leadership for almost the entirety of my high school career, but this is my first year in Seasons. We do a lot more work than I expected there, but it is so fun to be around people who are equally passionate about the music we are creating. We spend a lot of time together and the other members of Soundwave have become some of my best friends.”

In addition to her experience performing for the school, Pandey is also an independent singer-songwriter and posts her original music online. She is also a member of the Poetry Club, and says her passion for poetry and verse go hand-in-hand with her love for music.

“Writing and singing music has definitely been my creative outlet, and I have continuously leaned on it during transformative periods throughout high school,” Pandey said. “I use it as a way to channel my energy in a creative manner frequently. Sometimes when choir gets busy I do find myself abandoning my individual art, but returning to it and getting to express myself individually is always comforting. It’s especially nice when so much of my life revolves around the practicality of the medical field, I think being in STEM can sometimes limit your creativity and my relationship with art helps to cancel that out.”

Pandey plans to continue involving her love for music in her life after graduation, though she said the contrast between that passion and her medical career is sometimes a demanding one to maintain.

“It can be difficult for me to balance the two, but they often really end up balancing each other. When HOSA and my academic life is overwhelming, I can turn to art as a way to relax and enjoy myself. Other times, when my life revolves around a show, the contrast of working on HOSA and putting my nose down to my work can keep me grounded and give me reprieve from performing. I think that will definitely continue to be true in college.”

Pandey has been a part of nearly every theatrical production the school has put on throughout her high school career, whether on the stage or on the technical crew.

“I definitely plan on keeping up with my personal endeavors in composition and music, and I’m thinking of joining an acapella group in college,” Pandey said. “I don’t know that theater specifically will still play as much of a part in my life, and music as a whole will definitely have less impact on my schedule as I would like to focus on my education, but I would love for it to still be present.”