NAHS students team up, combat abusive relationships

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This is the second in a series of New Albany High School student profiles. The series shows the impact these talented and driven students make on our community and our school system while highlighting their contributions to Healthy New Albany ideals.

This past winter at New Albany High School, Love Without Hurt was presented as a leadership training opportunity for students to learn about preventing teen dating abuse and to give them a chance to make a difference in their community. Luckily for New Albany, Blythe Ferguson and Shanvanth Arnipalli both jumped at this chance.

Joining Love Without Hurt might seem like one of the only things that Ferguson and Arnipalli have in common, but that’s what made them perfect members of the seminar. Ferguson is a sophomore, was born in New Albany and has lived here her entire life, while Arnipalli is a senior who was born in India and moved to New Albany in 2011. Arnipalli has only one sibling, a sister, while Ferguson is the youngest of four in her family. They each play a sport, but Arnipalli’s fencing prowess and Ferguson’s lacrosse talents are not exactly from the same skill set.

These differences color the perspectives that Ferguson and Arnipalli have brought to the group, and they have been vital to its success. Confronting differences in perspective can be difficult.

“I think the most challenging aspect (of Love Without Hurt) was putting yourself in someone else’s shoes,” says Ferguson. “Everyone has had different experiences in different ways and, therefore, have different points of view on things. You won’t always agree with their opinion, but you at least try to relate and see where they are coming from.”

Arnipalli concurs, he was initially concerned about what kind of impact, if any, his comments would have for the group. He learned that what he had to say was just as valuable as anything anyone else added.

“Any and all contributions were of equal weight,” says Arnipalli; this was critical to the group’s success.

The program gave participants the chance to become better listeners, support each other and challenge themselves. Arnipalli says it’s not just a support program for those who have experienced teen dating abuse, but a chance for students to learn about the signs of unhealthy relationships.

“The program creates awareness of teen dating abuse and gives us various ways to deal if a scenario should arise,” he says.

This is important because one in three teenaged women and one in five teenaged men will experience an abusive dating relationship before finishing college. Love Without Hurt exists to educate students about teen dating abuse, and help them learn how to form healthy relationships and feel empowered when challenges arise. The seminar ended with a final leadership initiative project in which the students were charged with encouraging others with positive thoughts and advice. To achieve this and to help spread awareness, the students organized a bake sale, and placed a note with a positive message about Love Without Hurt’s mission inside each bag.

In addition to their participation in Love Without Hurt, Ferguson and Arnipalli are exceptional students in many other ways. Ferguson is playing a central role on the girls’ lacrosse team for a second season. She has also been a member of Key Club, and she recently joined Unchained, a club dedicated to ending human trafficking.

When Arnipalli isn’t honing his fencing skills to improve on his impressive fourth-place regional and 70th place national results, he is an important part of the varsity Science Olympiad and a member of the NAHS orchestra.

Both Arnipalli and Ferguson are poised to lead in the future, too. Ferguson has become a student ambassador at the high school and will welcome new students and help ease their transition to a new school by being someone the new students can know and count on. Arnipalli plans to go to college, major in chemistry and eventually go to medical school.

“We have a community in which we celebrate everyone’s attributes, ideas, and achievements,” says Arnipalli.

“I feel very lucky to live and grow up in a town like New Albany,” adds Ferguson.

Bob Valasek is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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