My name is Anoushka Dugar, and I’m a junior at Mountain View High School and a Design student enrolled in Freestyle Academy. I am Indian-American and have lived in both the U.S. and India and for the past 12 years I have called the Bay Area home. I adore going on local adventures with family and friends and meeting new people, but I also enjoy spending time alone on my couch listening to my favorite music albums! As a student and creative, I love participating in activities that allow me to expand my thinking and learn from others 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, going to museums, 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 to leave my mark in the world.
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. Through my work in journalism and the podcast I host with my friend, I love exploring the diversity of my community and highlighting stories of the people around me. I hope to continue exploring how I can unify each of my interests to create work which can help me me learn more about our 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.
Why I chose Freestyle
The project-based at learning at Freestyle creates an environment of personal growth and thoughtful work. For someone like me, who thrives in creative spaces, Freestyle felt like a place where this aspect of myself could be cultivated. Also, I was particularly interested in the English program at Freestyle because of my love for creative writing, which is a significant part of the curriculum. But most of all, I wanted to connect with other amazing creative students and form new friendships that I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life.
Since joining Freestyle, I’ve done everything from reading work by Kafka, learned how to edit photos in Adobe Photoshop, and even recorded an ABBA song with my classmates in a professional-level recording studio. At Freestyle, I have been encouraged to embrace authenticity, work through challenges, and share my story.