Aayush Shah holding his U.S. Presidential Award for Volunteering (All Photos: Aayush Shah)

My name is Aayush Shah, and I am an “average” high schooler at Irvington High School. Like all students, I wander around, play video games, spend time on social media, and I love being in my world, more so during these hard times. Now, this is the story every high schooler will tell you, but there is a lot more to us than even we know. What if I told you that I am also a US National rated chess player, varsity tennis player, and a stand-up magician. All of a sudden, this “average” high schooler has become a person wearing many hats and my life story suddenly sounds more interesting. My goal with this article is to share my experiences and life story on how I discovered these passions, what life lessons they taught me, how I became more focused, and, more importantly, how I became a better human being.

As a young kid when I used to go to chess tournaments, I saw many kids with earnest faces holding notation books in their hands. Many of them with tons of experience and strong competitive spirits motivated by their parents. Now, when you go to an enormous room with hundreds of chess players and all you can hear is the passionate clicking of clocks and the shuffling of chess pieces, there is no question that you are going to be emotionally riled up. As I went through the journey with repeated exposure to this intimidating environment, I practiced controlling my emotions and worries. The key is to only focus on the game itself. You are there to play chess. The goal is not to be intimidated by others. Chess taught me how to think a few steps ahead of an opponent’s move and think of the multiple variations that could occur and I loved it! After a point, I enjoyed the game and played over 50 state and national level tournaments at various venues in the Bay Area, Reno, Vegas, and many more. Currently, I am a US National Rated Chess Player with a rating of 1600. For those that know Chess, know that a rating of 1600 takes some serious magic.

Talking about magic, another skill I picked up was performing card tricks. A hobby that started as a pass time activity during the summer, I got fascinated by it and could do a variety of tricks from the simple ‘double lift’ to the ‘devil’s elevator’. It would be fun to trick my parents and grandparents with the card tricks I was learning, however, as they saw me becoming serious about it, they asked me to perform at the Gujarati Cultural Association Garba event… in front of hundreds of people… What was supposed to be a simple card trick presentation at a community event turned out to be one of my biggest challenges. That’s when I realized that I had anxiety and stage fright when performing in front of a large audience. With reluctance, I presented my simple card tricks and thought that was it. My career for card tricks is over. However, when I was about to give up, a little boy with his father came to me and asked, “Will you teach my son how you perform these tricks?” Call it luck or a sign from the universe, I was truly moved and with my half-cracked voice, I happily obliged. That one simple gesture was a big booster for me to overcome my anxiety and stage fright through this wonderful art of card tricks. I am currently part of an association called, “The International BrotherHood of Magic – Ring 216,” where an amazing group of magicians convene to perform and learn. My true inspiration is David Blaine, I would love to watch him live and if I ever get the opportunity, perform with him one day!

Being awesome, Check. Chess, Check. Card tricks, Check. So, what’s next? How about tennis?

I happened to watch a live tennis game with my uncle for the first time. Keep in mind football is my favorite sport and I am a hardcore 49ers fan. Naturally, I watched all the Niners games and tennis was never really my thing. However, when my uncle asked me to watch a tennis game for the second time, I couldn’t say no. After the end of the game, I asked myself, “why don’t I give it a try and learn?” At this point, I was in 7th grade and according to some standards, I was too old to learn a skilled game which was a surprise to me. Anyways, I began learning and practicing, I started enjoying the game. Initially, I didn’t get much success but I stayed persistent. What I enjoyed the most about this sport is how one can rise, fall, and continue. Today, I am part of the school varsity tennis team and proudly represent my school while continuing my training.

With hard work, persistence, and finding my mojo in certain activities, I have been able to create a pretty interesting life story so far. Today, I am affiliated with Shoreview Chess (where I started my chess journey) and I coach and inspire young kids to help them find their passion for Chess. Along with that, I perform magic card tricks virtually and at Senior Centers. The funds raised from my performances go towards The Red Cross and The Southern Medical Association. So far, I have collected and donated over $1000. I recently received the U.S. Presidential Award for volunteering and helping the community and my vision is to create a non-profit organization where people from all generations can connect and share their experiences, creating a more closely-knit community.

Aayush Shah's Trophy Collection
Aayush Shah’s Trophy Collection

One life lesson I obtained from these experiences is if you are really passionate about something, then just try to make a genuine effort to pursue that. Forget everything else and just focus on that activity. You will be surprised at the immediate results. Whether it’s satisfaction from volunteering to help others, the joy of sharing your passion and teaching chess, or the pleasure of watching the smiles on people’s faces as you show them magic tricks, whatever applies to you, pursue it fully and try something new.

Check out my website: http://aayushcoaching.com