Sahil Maher is a junior here at FTHS! He was awarded January Student of the Month in honor of his Leadership, Dedication and Initiative in the Red Cross Club. In addition to his participation in the Red Cross Club, Sahil is also a part of the school’s swim team, Global Studies and is the State President of TSA . Thanks to Sahil’s continual persistence in assisting fundraisers, the Red Cross Club has had a very successful year. Congratulations to our January Student of the Month!                               

Good Morning!

– Good morning.

Before we begin, congratulations on receiving this award!

– Thank you!

Just after hearing your name announced in the halls just a short time ago, how would you describe your reaction to being promoted as student of the month?

– I was very surprised that I got student of the month, especially for the Red Cross Club because I wouldn’t have thought I would have personally received the award. 

First off, before we discuss extracurricular activities, why do you believe the FTHS staff nominated you as student of the month?

– I think I was nominated in honor of my hard work this month. I try my best to help out  and be sure that anything that goes on regarding clubs is going smoothly. I overall really participate to the best of my ability and put all of my Dedication that I have into that one activity .

All that hard work clearly makes you more than deserving of this award! To continue on, let’s discuss more details about your club involvement! 

– So in the Red Cross Club, I have two main roles: the first one being a state supervisor and Blood Services. We lead a team of over 490 volunteers across the state of New Jersey Gustav blood drives and ensure that the blood donors are welcome. We did our complete best to insure that the entire fundraiser would be an efficient process of the blood donations. The Red Cross is at the club level in Freehold Township High School and we recently held a blood drive at the end of the cafeteria about  2 weeks ago. This event had about 56 donors registered. Unfortunately we had to cancel so many because it was over successful so we had to cancel many donors who were supposed to come due to staffing issues. I was in the school for about an additional six hours that day to help the volunteers working in the cafeteria, as well as ensuring that everything is okay during the event.

It’s great to see your involvement in our school’s grounds! Now specifically regarding the Red Cross club, what would you say was your rationale towards joining this club?

– I joined the American Red Cross Club during the global mess of the pandemic, so I want to say it’s been about two years since I started. I decided to join the club because I can use my state experience at the club levels to really make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. I also  joined the Red Cross initially because I was with many people, looking for volunteering opportunities virtually because  at that time you couldn’t really go anywhere in person .

What kind of responsibilities do you obtain as a Red Cross Club member?

– So, one of my main responsibilities was attending the blood drive, as well as making sure that we have all the staff needed, and are keeping a proper flow in between the different donations being given. Another responsibility would definitely be just general club activeness awareness of the Red Cross. I stand by our life-saving mission of receiving blood donations for people who really need it. It’s all about that and I will do my best to help the process. Last year we did write out cards for Heroes type of fundraiser, we were able to donate a lot of stuff to the soldiers who are actually currently fighting a battle for the United States. So honestly I don’t really have one set responsibility. My main  task is just showing up. And of course ensuring that all our volunteers are all in the loop with everything they need to know about our next activity.

It’s great to hear your dedication to this club! To continue this discussion, what would you say is the overall motive of this club? And why do you believe it’s a good club to be a part of?- 

– So the Red Cross Club is a different club because it’s not directed towards one motive. It’s really a wide spectrum of things that we cover, one of them being of course our mission of getting life-saving blood. Another being donating gifts to the impoverished children in our community by donating food to those we meet during Thanksgiving and then we have given cards to Heroes fighting on the front lines. Right now our veterans might feel that they are sometimes left out of everything, so we want to make sure that everyone in our community is as safe as possible and that they are given  the resources that could improve their lifestyle. 

This club seems very action-packed! Now, do you personally feel that this club has bestowed certain skills or qualities on yourself?

– I think some of the best qualities would be leadership, responsibility and the ability to view the reaction of the community after you have done something to help. That is the main thing I’ve learned. These days, a lot of people in the world are not really self-motivated, and you have to encourage them to become motivated to volunteer. I drive to donate cards to make gifts for others, so I think by me getting that experience to know how to encourage people is just helping our mission end of the club 

Now, to divert from the original topic, how do you personally manage your time between school work, clubs, and sports alongside leaving time for personal hobbies? 

– So after school I swim for the school swim team as well as also participating in TSA. I am the State president of the TSA state of New Jersey. Of course with my current back and possible update supervisor, I am also a part of the Global Studies magnet program, which I’m currently enrolled in some tough classes. But throughout my extracurriculars and program, I  always try to manage my time as fast as possible. I tried to wake up as early as I could to get everything done, go to school, come back home, do my homework for maybe 30 to 45 minutes here and there and then continue with my sports in the evening. So really  it’s just time management and being able to just know what I need to do on a daily basis.  I’m making sure I don’t waste a single second. 

Before we part ways, is there anything you would like to say to your fellow colleagues and staff here at FTHS?

– Well, first I would like to say thank you for nominating me for January Student of the Month. It’s a big honor. I will  also continue to dedicate myself to helping the community, as well as reaching for my goals and vision to the potential. We can all reach our goals ourselves  and we’re not really limited to anything, even if there’s a lot going on. Everything that we do  matters in life so our goals really have no boundaries.

Thank you so much for meeting with me today Sahil. It was a pleasure talking to you and I hope that this club continues to surround you with many amazing opportunities! Congratulations again for your award!

– Thank you!

Here’s what Mr. Wong, the FTHS Red Cross Club’s advisor, had to say about Sahil: 

Sahil has been a member of the Red Cross club since Sophomore year. He goes beyond the requirement of the club by being an active volunteer in the actual organization where he helps run multiple blood drives. Sahil took leadership by processing all club members with their vaccination status (which is required by Red Cross to be able to volunteer), and he coordinated multiple meetings that required planning to ensure everyone would be ready to volunteer. Sahil did all of this on his own, which has made preparing for the blood drive seamless.