Stuti Dasgupta, a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School (LHWHS), is being recognized for her leadership and dedication. 

She was one of seven local high school seniors to be honored by Missouri State Representative Emily Weber for outstanding contributions to the Asian American Civic Scholars (AACS) program.

Stuti joined the AACS during her sophomore year and credits Ladue Schools for influencing that decision with their encouragement to engage in community service and extracurricular activities. 

“I am very grateful to attend such a great school district with so many opportunities and amazing people,” exclaimed Stuti. “When I witnessed the energy of the Student Activity Fair as a freshman, I signed up for a million different clubs; everything seemed interesting. At Ladue, I've always been surrounded by fundraising events at lunch, seniors helping freshmen, tutoring in the library after school, and teachers being actively involved in clubs. With such a collaborative, service-driven community, it only felt natural to get involved.”

AACS promotes civic engagement among Asian American youth through activism, leadership, and service to increase involvement in local communities. Like the Ladue School District, AACS has provided Stuti with diverse experiences.

“Last year, I was the Executive Team Director for AACS, so I acted as a liaison between our advisor, Dr. Liu, and the various team initiatives, such as social media, mental health, podcast, etc.,” she details. “I organized meetings, helped plan events, and built a website from scratch for our organization. This year, I founded AACS' largest and fastest-growing team, the Magazine Team. I wanted to create a space where Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth voices could tell unique stories and help tackle the standard of Asian underrepresentation in media. The quarterly magazine is called The AAPI Experience, and I am directing our team towards the first publication deadline in December.”

Stuti urges other students to get involved in extracurricular activities. 

“My first piece of encouragement to others would be to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. There are so many benefits to participating in extracurricular activities. Not only does it help students find their passions, it helps them find their people. For example, I found some of my closest friends in Viva Voce because of my love for singing. It also enables you to develop important collaboration skills and helps you become more responsible. You grow because you step out of your comfort zone,” Stuti concluded. 

Ladue Schools is excited to see what the future holds for Stuti Dasgupta and congratulates her on all her success as an advocate, leader, and agent of change!