Merced Union High School District

It’s going to be strange and a bit sad for Golden Valley High School activities director Laura Fragulia next year when there won’t be a Lakireddy sibling on campus. There’s been at least one Lakireddy at school the past six years and it’s been somewhat of a family dynasty the last three years with each Lakireddy sibling serving as Associated Student Body President during their senior year. It started with the oldest sister Siya (class of 2024), then Arjun (class of 2025) and now it’s the youngest sister Lilly’s turn.

 

“If I were to tell you what each one did better than the other, I would get a phone call from the other two immediately,” Fragulia said. “All three of them are genuinely outstanding students, motivated individuals, who understand their goals and have dedicated themselves to reaching them.”

 

You want to talk about following in some tough footsteps? Siya finished as valedictorian of her class and is now a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Arjun followed that up by finishing as valedictorian in his class and is now a freshman at Cal-Berkeley. Lilly is currently No. 2 in her class with an impressive 4.6 GPA. “It's actually interesting, the other two look up to Lilly academically,” says proud mom Priya Lakireddy. “She's very good at math. So at school, maybe Lilly looked up to them, but academically, they both look up to her.”

 

Lilly never thought of herself as a person who wanted to take charge and lead. It was her siblings who told her she has great ideas and to just go with what you know. Siya was the outgoing one and never shy to voice her opinion. “My sister, she was a great ASB president, because she could command a classroom,” Lilly said. “She was great at speaking with other people and great at connecting with people. My brother was the same way, but he connected with people in a different way. I think he was less of a shouter. He did love to talk, and he did have great ideas, too. I would say that I'm more like my brother, in that I don't tend to yell, shout or scream too much, but I do kind of pick my spots when to speak. I always try to connect with people.”

 

All three of the siblings excelled in the classroom while participating in extracurricular activities. Siya and Lilly both participated in band and Lilly is playing tennis this year. Arjun played basketball all four years of high school. “They all just loved being here at Golden Valley,” said Principal Mike Richter. “They want to be part of the school. With each of them we knew we were getting a great student, a great person and a great leader, and every school needs that. It’s kind of sad that (Lilly) is the last one. We're lucky to have three in a row like that. It’s very rare.”

 

Becoming an ASB president is not easy. According to Fragulia, at Golden Valley, to run for ASB office you need to be a junior or senior, have at least one year of service in leadership, and have served as a class president or vice president. After completing an application, you need three letters of recommendation from staff members, you must complete interviews with Fragulia, the current ASB president and the principal. “All parts of the process, including a school vote, are essential, with the interview holding the most weight,” Fragulia said. “It’s not just a popularity contest. All students must interview to ensure they are running for the right reasons. We expect our leaders to be positive role models at Golden Valley, with our ASB president leading the way.”

 

As ASB president, Lilly helps plan and organize school events. She’s been involved with ASB since her freshman year, serving in various roles throughout high school. This year she’ll help plan activities at football games, rallies, dances and other school events. “We just try to think of it from a student's perspective, and plan the best event possible to increase engagement and attendance,” Lilly said.

 

One of her top goals this year is to make school events more affordable for students. “I think that’s a big hindrance to our participation,” Lilly said. “Students have to pay to get into games, dances and things like that so right now we're working on getting games to be free. We're doing fundraisers to help with that.”

 

Priya Lakireddy says being involved in leadership and serving as ASB president has helped all her children and it has helped Lilly become more confident and assertive. “I think it has been very important for her growth and development as a person, just to learn to speak up,” she said. “I think seeing her sister and brother in action also helped her. There's so many friends that they have made in leadership and in band. I think doing these extracurricular activities really give you a chance to come out of your shell and experience things and do things that you never would have done.”

 

As a mom, Priya Lakireddy’s hope was that her three kids would make lasting memories in high school and they would contribute to their school community. Safe to say that was accomplished. “I think that the teachers, the staff, the administrators, have been extraordinarily helpful in the development of my kids and making them excellent human beings,” Priya Lakireddy said. 

 

Lilly hopes her impact or legacy at Golden Valley is to continue the good system her siblings set up and make sure students have a voice. “I just want to make sure that every student felt heard and represented and that they were able to come and participate in school,” Lilly said. “I want them to be proud to go to events. I want people to finish this year feeling proud to be a Cougar.”

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.