Milpitas Unified School District

Milpitas High School (MHS) junior Aadya Rai’s commitment to volunteerism and pursuit of challenging personal and physical goals has garnered her a 2026 Congressional Award Gold Medal.

 

The MHS Speech and Debate student leader began tracking her volunteer hours in January of her freshman year and has since eclipsed 400+ hours of volunteer service to become eligible for this prestigious honor.

 

“I’ve learned so much from this district, particularly during my time at MHS. Volunteering, in my opinion, is the best possible way to give back to my community,” Aadya shared. “Every time I see a successful event that I had any contribution in–be it a tournament hosted by MHS Speech and Debate or a festival hosted by MHS Music–I feel infinitely happier than I did before.”

 

Among her favorite accomplishments is creating and leading Teach Speech. Over the last two years, Aadya has supported over 100 students from Curtner Elementary School with learning six different speeches, including classics such as MLK’s “I Have a Dream.” She also co-founded a non-profit called Garments4Goodness, a nationwide organization with 25 chapters which donates clothing to people in need.

 

“By participating in the Congressional Award, I have gained numerous life skills. I have become better at networking with people of different backgrounds and all walks of life, from little kids to adults to people with special needs,” she said. “I have also become more in-tune with my local community after spending significant hours working with students, staff, specialists, and other volunteers from the autism acculturation center, my local library, my school choir, my school speech and debate team, and my club teach speech. But most importantly, I have gained tremendous self-confidence.”

 

Aadya is also especially proud of her volunteering for Pragnya, a non-profit where she mentored and worked with neurodivergent children to help them overcome social barriers. In addition to these efforts, she led a campout for over 300 scouts in the Mission Peak District and served as a counselor at scout summer camps.

 

For her personal development goals, Aadya qualified for nationals in speech and debate (which she achieved twice), placing in the top 5 at the Stanford and Berkeley Invitationals, winning regional tournaments, and becoming more informed about global affairs. Her fitness goal was focused on improving stamina through runs and hikes. She hiked 25 miles in one day, completing a segment of the California Mission Trail from the Mission in San Rafael to the Mission in San Francisco.

 

“My biggest inspiration is my parents who constantly encouraged me throughout my completion of this award,” she added. “In fact, the 25-mile long trail above– my dad hiked it with me!

I was also greatly inspired by my advisor and assistant scout master Ms. Chrys Grace who worked countless hours with me and is the most amazing and motivating adult volunteer I know.”

 

Aadya plans to continue volunteering, including working with MUSD to implement Teach Speech across all elementary schools. After high school, she plans to study finance, business and economic policy in hopes of becoming an entrepreneur