This week, meet junior, aspiring fashion designer, and James Baldwin fan Ani Mehta-Shah.

Scarlet Gitelson (SG): What do you think is the biggest compliment someone can receive?

Ani Mehta-Shah (AM): I think the biggest compliment is when somebody tells you that you light up a room, because I feel like it's not very easy to do that. And it speaks to your character and not just the way that you articulate yourself, but also your presence, which obviously has to do with your personality, but I think it's able to show more of who you are than what you might see on the outside. Like if you light up a room when you walk in, that's because of the way that people perceive you.

SG: What's your favorite class you're taking right now?

AM: Probably English. It's always usually English, but right now it's English because we just finished reading James Baldwin, and that was my first Baldwin book. I just fell in love with everything about the book. And we watched a movie called “13th,” and it was really empowering. It made me think about how backwards the system of imprisonment is in the United States. And it really made me connect things from what I was learning in U.S. History and think more critically about just encompassing English, history, and current events.

SG: What was your favorite part of the book?

AM: I like the parts where the main character was talking about her fiancé in a way that almost makes it seem like she's talking about herself. I liked the way the writing was so beautiful and articulate that it made you feel like she was talking about herself and how she knew him so well that it was almost as if she was inside of him, and she was able to communicate so well of what he was feeling and thinking. You could tell there was an actual true love there.

SG: If you could write your great American novel, what would it be about?

AM: I think there's a lot of representation now in modern times of Indian representation and neurodivergent representation. But if I were to write a book, my goal would be to bring something that isn't talked about enough to light. So, for example, I don't know if you've read “White Tiger.” It's basically the narrative behind the driver in India. And I’m able to experience seeing that narrative in real life when I go out to India. So something that I would want to do is write a story that's fiction but that brings a more personal side to a real-life issue. So maybe that looks like the lack of research in women's healthcare and how that affects a young girl or something like that. But I would want it to be impactful.

SG: What's the biggest thing you do to try to connect with people when you first meet them?

AM: I'm an open book. Socializing with people has always come very easily to me. And I take pride in that because I know that it's not something that is easy for everybody. I am grateful that it comes easy to me, because I think one of the main reasons that I am such an open book is that I am curious about people. So when I meet people, it's instinctive for me to just start asking them about themselves. I like to listen and hear about people. I like to have them tell me what they want to talk about, not me talking about myself. I like when people are open with me, and it's hard for me when people are closed in, but that makes it more fun because then you can make it a case.

SG: What's the thing you're most excited about in the next month?

AM: I got a lot of fabric recently, and I'm excited to hopefully have more time to sew.

SG: What are you hoping to sew?

AM: I got a lot of fabric when I was in India. You're not going to find clothes that I would wear that are a little more revealing when you go to India. My goal was to come back with fabric so I could make the clothes that I wanted in the fabrics and prints that are more Indian. I wanted a little skirt and tank sets and bandanas and just to wear some more summery and revealing-ish outfits than you would normally find in India.

SG: What's your favorite thing to get from the kiosk?

AM: A very basic iced latte with vanilla and whole milk.

SG: What's your favorite kind of fruit?

AM: Mango. I do have a weird aversion to all circular foods, like tomatoes and grapes and cherries. I genuinely will eat anything except that.