Senior Kishore Annambhotla has dedicated four years to Southern Lehigh High School’s Spotlight newspaper. Three of those years he spent in editorial positions, as Our World and Entertainment editor his sophomore year and editor-in-chief his junior and senior years. He feels these positions have helped him inspire his peers and impact his school for the better.
“The clubs I’ve been a part of have taught me how to engage with the community and work with others,” he said. “I think that the teamwork and collaboration that comes with being part of the Spotlight will be very useful in my future.”
As of now, he will be living out the next few years of that future as a student at the University of Pittsburgh, where he will major in Computer Science. Because AP Computer Science A was one of his favorite classes in high school, he is excited to delve deeper into that area of study in college.
“I’m not yet sure what I want to do with that diploma, but I know it will take me far,” he said.
Regardless, he knows that he plans to live in a small apartment in New York City, since he appreciates a relaxed lifestyle.
“It’s comfortable to keep few possessions and be worldly,” he said.
Annambhotla plans to use skills learned from his activities outside of the Spotlight as well. Most notably, he has learned leadership as president of the high school’s National Honors Society this past 2023-2024 school year, a position in which he helped manage the organization’s tutoring program.
He also dedicated himself to Scholastic Scrimmage, representing the school in academic competitions requiring a wide range of knowledge. His three years on the school’s tennis team taught him teamwork, and he worked to better his school and community by participating in No Place For Hate and Key Club.
But, out of all of these experiences, he feels that his favorite memories were formed through the Spotlight, specifically by collaborating with peers as the club worked to publish its work.
“I fondly recall working on the newspaper in the publication lab with the editorial staff,” he said. “It was always a good space to decompress.”
Of everything that he himself wrote, Annambhotla is the most proud of an Opinion article he published during his junior year, titled “Antisemitism rhetoric must come to an end.” Written in response to the rise of antisemitic comments on social media and in mass culture, he gave Southern Lehigh students a chance to voice their thoughts on the issue.
“This was my favorite article because I felt it was the most socially impactful article I wrote,” he said, “so it carried more meaning for me.”
Annambhotla’s advice for current students—a lesson he himself learned through juggling extracurriculars, classes, and leadership positions in each—is to remain focused and ambitious. With that sort of mindset, he feels you can achieve anything.
“It’s gonna get challenging along the way,” he said, “but you should always remember what you’re working towards and keep your goals in front of you.”
