My name is Anoushka Dugar, and I’m a junior at Mountain View High School and a Design student enrolled in Freestyle Academy. I have lived in both the U.S. and India and for the past 12 years I have called the Bay Area home. As a student and creative, I love participating in activities that allow me to expand my thinking while also being able to express my own artistic visions. When I’m not practicing the latest steps and teaching kids in my Indian classical dance class or editing the Opinions section for my school paper, you’ll often find me journaling my latest thoughts or redecorating my room. I love my family, friends, visiting museums of all sizes, PB&Js, spending time in nature, watching National Geographic documentaries, novels, and meditation.
My Core Values
Resilience, compassion, and integrity are some of my core values. I strive to work hard and lead with joy in my life. My family members are some of my greatest role models and supporters and their dedication to show up every day, embrace mistakes, and ability to lead with courage and kindness continues to influence the way I approach my work. Throughout my life journey, I hope to make a difference in the lives of others while also embracing change in my own through experiences.
My Passions
I love everything to do with writing, art, and storytelling. In dance and poetry, I work towards finding unique ways to express my emotions and ideas through movement and words while performing and organizing events and opportunities for my community to engage in these art forms. With my work in journalism I write with others to share the unique stories of the people around me that often go untold. I seek to write and create work which can help me me learn more about the world and share my story. My passions center on subjects I deeply care about; student voice, community empowerment, and cultural preservation, and reflect my belief that creativity remains one of the most powerful tools we can use to learn and create positive change in our world.
As a student, I sought creative classroom settings that schools doesn’t traditionally provide. Thus, I chose to join Freestyle Academy. The project-based at learning at Freestyle created an environment of personal growth and thoughtful work I could learn in. Since joining Freestyle, I’ve done everything from reading work by Franz Kafka, editing photos in Adobe Photoshop, and even recording an ABBA song with my classmates in a professional-level recording studio. During my junior and senior year, I have been encouraged to embrace authenticity, work through challenges, and share my story.