by Mokshada Bhemineni
Editor’s Note: When we think of local leadership and service, it’s easy to presume that there are experienced adults behind the action. That isn’t always the case. In this story by high school sophomore Mokshada Bhemineni, meet Lily Kedrowski, Natalia Prince, and Nidhi Deepak — three students in our neighborhood schools proving that the next generation of leaders is already making the decisions, handling the logistics, and shaping our community today.
As student role models, they have some valuable advice for their peers.
A lot of students in Apex do work that nobody really notices. They’re not always the people running the event or getting the attention. They’re the ones mentoring younger students, organizing volunteers, answering emails, and providing support behind the scenes.
Lily Kedrowski, Natalia Prince and Nidhi Deepak all do this kind of work, just in different ways. Lily went from being a shy middle schooler to a leader in Apex Youth Council and Civil Air Patrol, where she now mentors and teaches other cadets. Natalia balances community service with school leadership, a part-time job, and STEM, while also tutoring younger students. Nidhi coordinates volunteers and committees for Apex Youth Council and has also found a way to combine her love of art with service.
Lily got into Apex Youth Council because she wanted to volunteer at events she used to go to as a kid, like Touch a Truck, Oktoberfest, and the Apex Christmas Parade.
Since then, she’s gone from volunteer to board member to president. Now she spends much of her time meeting with the AYC board, delegating responsibilities and making sure everyone’s on the same page.
“There’s definitely a lot of communication that goes on behind the scenes in order to make everything go smoothly,” she said.
For the past three years, she’s been a Flight Commander and Flight Sergeant in Civil Air Patrol, leading around 15 cadets and teaching classes. She also leads a group of middle school girls through her church’s youth group.
Lily said she was shy and quiet when she first joined AYC and never thought she’d end up on the board. But getting involved made her more confident, and she realized she genuinely enjoyed helping people.
Natalia Prince somehow fits service, leadership, a job and STEM into one schedule.
She’s a senior at Green Hope High School and president of both National Honor Society (NHS) and SkillsUSA, plus Student Body Vice President. On top of that, she’s Carolinas Key Club District Secretary, a former shift leader with Apex Youth Council, an NHS tutor, works as a barista and does research because she wants to become a biomedical engineer.
A lot of what she does, people don’t see. Last year, her school’s prom venue was sold in March, just a month before the April event, so Natalia and the other student leaders had to scramble to find a new one, tour it, get it approved and make sure it would actually work.
“Sometimes things are going to go wrong, and you just have to be able to adapt and figure out what to do next,” she said.
As Key Club District Secretary, she keeps records and communication going for over 200 Key Clubs across the Carolinas, taking minutes, writing newsletters and messaging officers and advisors when she needs information from them. Through NHS, she also tutors students at the elementary, middle and high school levels.
From all of these roles, Natalia said she’s learned how to work with people who have different backgrounds, personalities and goals.
Nidhi Deepak ended up at Apex Youth Council for a different reason. Her mom signed her up in seventh grade because Nidhi was extremely shy. It was supposed to push her out of her comfort zone, but it turned into a commitment she actually wanted to keep.
Now a rising junior at Apex Friendship High School, Nidhi is Volunteer Coordinator of Committees, overseeing five committees at once. She keeps track of projects, checks in with committee chairs, sends out announcements and plans meetings. She even built an all-encompassing Google Document to manage the committees. It includes a system for the whole year, information from each committee, projects, goals, timelines and her own notes and ideas.
She said people are usually surprised by how much work goes into a volunteer event, even if the event itself only lasts a few hours. The prep can take a month or more: emails, scheduling, gathering materials and coordinating volunteers.
One event she’ll always remember is the Magic Yarn Project, a nonprofit that makes yarn wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy. Nidhi first participated in an event with the organization as a ninth grader, helping crochet the wigs that would later be styled. After becoming committee chair, she organized another event with the group. Watching other students enjoy it as much as she did made all the extra work worth it, and the event has continued as a tradition.
Nidhi’s work with Ageless Art is another way she gives back. The organization holds accessible art events at senior centers. Each month, Nidhi and her team brainstorm activities, put together a volunteer group through local schools and visit the senior centers to lead the activities, help seniors when needed and spend time connecting with them.
For Nidhi, the best part is watching people connect, especially seeing children make new friends and feel like they belong.
Even though they are taking different paths, Lily, Natalia and Nidhi have gained real skills from their involvement, not just volunteer hours. Lily is more confident and learned how to help younger students become leaders, too. Natalia learned how to handle setbacks and work with all kinds of people. Nidhi developed organizational and communication skills by managing projects, creating systems and talking to adults and outside organizations.
They all have their own reasons for sticking with it. Lily likes trying new things and looking back at how much she’s grown. Natalia likes seeing a plan actually come together after all the chaos. Nidhi said she genuinely loves community service.
If you don’t know where to start, Nidhi’s advice is simple: “Explore.” Don’t stress about finding the “perfect” activity. Just look for something that matches what you’re already into. That’s how she found Ageless Art, turning her love of art into a way to work with senior citizens.
Lily’s advice is similar: Try something new, even if you don’t know where it’s going to take you yet.
For students, getting involved behind the scenes can mean more confidence, new friendships and real responsibility. For parents, it’s a chance to see their kids become more independent and connected to their community. And for the organizations behind it all, it means having students who are willing to contribute their time and energy.
Next time you’re at an event in Apex, you’ll probably just see the finished product. You won’t see the emails, the meetings, all the hours that went into making it look easy.
But that work is still there. And it matters .
Mokshada Bhemineni is a sophomore at Green Hope High School with interests in science, medicine, writing and community service. She stays involved in youth and community organizations and likes taking on new opportunities that push her, grow her interests and let her learn outside the classroom.
