How Aleez Lakhani has used his unique high school experience to build a foundation for his future

Sonya Pandya, Editor-in-Chief, & Neha Gurram, Features Editor

Moving to an entirely different continent can be tough on anyone, but for Aleez Lakhani, it became a chance for a new opportunity. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Aleez Lakhani has faced a unique high school journey. After moving to Ga. last year, Aleez Lakhani found himself in a new community full of new challenges and changes from his life in Australia.

"Australia was small compared to the [United States,]" Aleez Lakhani said. "When I came here, it was much more developed. There was always something going on, [with] activities and even in school."

Regardless, Aleez Lakhani took this change positively. He channeled his hobbies from his time in Australia into his new life in the United States, from playing new sports to doing community service. Since moving, Aleez Lakhani has involved himself in various sports, playing for Northview's cricket team and varsity football team.

"Since a very young age, he was involved in cricket and soccer," Raj Lakhani, Aleez Lakhani's father, said. "[In America,] he's a part of [Northview's] football team. He [also] plays cricket and other sports with his friends."

Despite his short time on both teams, Aleez Lakhani has made an immediate impact as a player and teammate. On the cricket team, Aleez Lakhani both bats and bowls. On the Varsity football team, he is a kicker. While he played cricket during his childhood in Australia, American football is new territory for him.

"I played Australian football, which is the main reason I wanted to do American football because it resembled [Australian football]," Aleez Lakhani said.

The rules for Australian and American football are completely different, which made the sport more difficult for Aleez Lakhani, but with the help and encouragement of his teammates, he was quickly able to learn the ins and outs of American football.

"Since he started playing Australian football [first], he didn't really know much about the rules, so I think it was nice to see him develop as a player," football teammate Cooper Willis said. "He grew because he understood the game more and knew what was happening." 

For Aleez Lakhani, this learning curve didn't apply in cricket. The first year he was on the team, he became Vice Captain. His skills were quickly apparent in tryouts, but they especially shined during the game.

"He told me that in his prior experience, he played tape ball [cricket] in Australia," former Northview cricket captain Aakash Bakhru said. "So I saw his skills during tryouts, and I saw he had a lot of potential, and [that there was] still so much room to grow. I think he's a phenomenal player."  

On the field, he's not only a great player but a dedicated teammate. When times get rough for the cricket team, Aleez Lakhani is there to pick his teammates up through positive messages and encouragement. 

"People saw how bad the situation was and didn't look forward too much. But Aleez was always there. He [was] always pushing us up and saw the bright side of everything," Bakhru said. "He definitely made the environment more positive [for] everybody."

Alongside sports, Aleez Lakhani has continued to engage with local events with extracurricular activities, back at home and in the US. In Australia, he was an avid member of his community, and he has furthered this passion through participating in activities Northview offers.

"He was very involved in Australia, and he [did] volunteering as well," Raj Lakhani said. "He was very involved since a young age, and was part of his community, [whether] it be sports or competitions."

Ever since he moved, Aleez Lakhani's close friends, teammates, and family have noticed his personality mature as he managed his academic responsibilities and extracurricular activities. Packing up and leaving a country one has lived in for nearly their entire life can be difficult, but Aleez Lakhani seamlessly integrated into his new life and grew as a result.

"When he moved to America, I realized he started getting a lot more mature during the process of moving," Aryan Surani, Aleez Lakhani's friend from Australia, said. "It was really cool to see him start to understand how things work [with] friendships and everything."

Even though Aleez Lakhani has had to continue his life in a new country, he has been resilient, noting the importance of moving on and accepting new changes in his life. Whether it be expanding the sports he plays or continuing his higher education in the U.S., he has accepted these new paths as part of his journey. 

"We're happy, he's happy with the adaptation," Raj Lakhani said. "Obviously, it was not as easy to adapt to new things, but he's [been] resilient to this [change] and he's done far better than what we [initially] thought."