Look at what our team member, Stacey, found in her fortune cookie:

Hello all,

As some of you know, we'll be using this page as both a fundraising page and a weekly blog. Through our blogs you'll learn about our MISTAKES, FAILURES, and SUCCESS. However, all of in Team Vitae realized that we've never formally introduced ourselves, so how are you supposed to know who we are when reading our blogs? Let's introduce Team Vitae:

Aayushi Jani (Co-Campaign Leader): 

My name is Aayushi Jani and I am one of the co-campaign leaders. I live at home with my parents, my grandparents, and my younger brother, who is in fifth grade. I enjoy reading and watching movies in my spare times. I am also very passionate about speech and debate, an activity I have been pursuing for almost 4 years. Link to personal fundraising page: https://bit.ly/2qqmy3p

Lauren Ho (Co-Campaign Leader):   

My name is Lauren Ho, and I'm a current sophomore at Lynbroook High School in San Jose, California. In my free time, I enjoy reading, drinking exotic teas, and people watching. I have a dog named Abbee, and for the next few weeks, she'll serve as my stress reliever. Link to personal fundraising page: https://bit.ly/2F1bblA

Lauren Okamoto (Team member):

My name is Lauren Okamoto, and I’m a sophomore at Lynbrook High School. I live with both my parents and with my younger sister, who is currently in fifth grade.  I spend most of my time diving competitively and just hanging out with my friends after school.  I also like to spend my time reading manga and occasionally watching anime. Link to personal fundraising page: https://bit.ly/2qqnpB9

Snigdha Agarwal (Team member): 

Hi! I'm Snigdha Agarwal. I'm a current sophomore at Lynbrook High School. Link to personal fundraising page: https://bit.ly/2CC8IQz

Stacey Kawabata (Team member): 

My name is Stacey Kawabata and I'm a sophomore at Homestead High School. My biggest passions are music and reading. I play the piano and flute. my favorite book is Harry Potter. I started playing tennis this year and I would love to continue. I'm a senior girl scout and completed the silver award last year. Link to personal fundraising page: https://bit.ly/2AumcZp

TEAM VITAE is ready to make a difference in the fight against cancer! Best of luck to all 21 teams in the SVMB SOY 2018 Campaign!!!

Hello all,

It's the eve of the Students of the Year (SOY) 2018 campaign launch! I know everyone in Team Vitae is excited to get started. Our team has been preparing for months on end, and we've already endured so much; the hardships revealed to us the inner strength we're capable of, while the moments of prosperity taught us how to gracefully celebrate our success and to thank those who have helped us along the way.  Although the campaign has not quite begun, Team Vitae has already perservered through many obstacles. Our campaign started a long time ago, it started the moment Lauren and I wrote our signatures on an offical paper, pledging to our Co-Campaign Leader roles. Since that moment, sitting with anxious grins, our team has grown. Not by much, but the quantity isn't everything, the quality is. Our team may not be the largest or the most experienced, but our team has the highest quality team chemistry. The obstacles we've encountered has only made us stronger as a team, and that is what I believe the key to success is. Everyone on Team Vitae knows that the offical campaign is just beginning, however, we all know that we're prepared, as long as we go through the experience together. Starting tomorrow, we will be writing a weekly blog which will document our experiences. I can assure you that our blogs will mention everything from our MISTAKES, FAILURES, and SUCCESS. If you choose to follow along, it'll be like you're apart of Team Vitae, helping us, and we'll be thanking you every step of the way.

Sincerely,

Team Vitae: Aayushi Jani, Lauren Ho, Lauren Okamoto, Snigdha Agarwal, and Stacey Kawabta

Hello all,

As you may know, my name is Lauren Ho, and I'm the Co-Campaign Leader of Team Vitae. If you're wondering what a "WHY" is in SOY, let me tell you. A "WHY" is the candidates personal intention(s) for participating in the SOY program. As a teenager belonging to the Generation Z, my dad often likes to tell me that I'm a member of the "entitled" generation. While, I'm not at liberty to claim whether or not this is true, however, I must admit that to some extent, I have never been told "no" before. Being apart of LLS, I have encountered several of the following phrases: "no", "sorry, that's a no", and "Lauren, that's unrealistic." These phrases have taught me how to plan, prepapre, and propose realistically; true insight that any teen, or successful entrepreneur requires. In the very beginning of creating my SOY team, I imagined LLS to be a breeze, sailing our team's campaign to succes without a hitch. As it turns out, the SOY experience has proved to be quite the opposite, and I don't say that with any dismay. The lessons I've gained from mentors, teammates, and scary CEOs have shown me so much already, and so far, this experience has turned me into a much more confident, educated, and mature individual. LLS & the SOY program has shown me the amount of effort, time, and passion it takes to create an impact; by donating to my team's fundraising page (TEAM VITAE) and my own, you're creating an impact just as powerful as those apart of the SOY program. It's an exhilarating feeling having people open to accompanying me though this experience as well. 

Lauren Ho

Hi!

My name is Aayushi Jani, and I'm the Co-Campaign Leader alongside Lauren. Personally, I joined LLS because I wanted to make a difference in my community. I have known several people who have suffered from cancer, and I cannot even begin to imagine the hardships they and their families went through. LLS SOY campaign allows students like me to help blood cancer patients, survivors, and their families by fundraising. Not only does this campaign allow me to help my community, it also helps me grow my leadership and business skills. From leading a team to contacting different people, I can definitely say that I have learned a lot already from the experience of this campaign. LLS SOY has given me the wonderful opportunity to help cancer patients in a way that also helps me grow as a person. This campaign has impacted me in many ways, and I can truly say that I will always remember this experience.

Aayushi Jani