As a Special Olympics coach, a member of the Fairfield Youth Commission, and an International Baccalaureate (IB) student, to say that Arsh Sharma has got a lot on his plate would be a little bit of an understatement. Despite his busy schedule, the extracurricular and volunteering activities that Sharma is involved in are all things he is very passionate about. Over the summer, Sharma became involved in coaching kids with disabilities for Track and Field at UC Davis.

“I like coaching people that have set backs, plus it’s super fun,” said Sharma. He has coached soccer, softball, track & field, and is going to start coaching basketball. Every Sunday, he coaches the Solano Flyers sports team. Each season the team does a different sport. So far, he has coached the team for softball and soccer. Not only has he coached for Fairfield teams, but he has also helped coach teams in Napa.

As a child, Sharma had somewhat of a difficult time playing sports. Sharma said, “As a kid, I had asthma and I had Trachyonychia.” He said that Trachyonychia is a condition that causes nails to be rough and fragile. Because of this, playing sports as a kid was hard and painful for Sharma. Now Sharma is able to be involved in sports, while also helping many kids build confidence and skill.

Being a member of the Fairfield Youth Commission is also a part of Sharma’s way of giving back to the community. As chair of the council, Sharma leads all of the meetings. In city council meetings, the Youth Commission listens to the city council members, while also giving their own input. The main goals of the Youth Commission are to help youth around the community and prevent violence. Recently, Sharma took part in planning a turkey trot hosted at the PAL Center. Sharma enjoys being part of the Youth Commission because he likes how people respect him and take him seriously, even if he is just a teenager. Sharma said, “I feel like I am super organized and a better leader. It’s nice to be heard and to have a voice.”

Currently, Sharma is in the process of planning future projects for both the Youth Commission and for Special Olympics. The Youth Commission plans on organizing “Coffee With a Cop” to promote positive relations between the police and the young people of the community. Although nothing is finalized, Sharma is hoping that there will be an FSUSD track event at Armijo for high school students with disabilities, as part of a Special Olympics Event. It looks like Arsh Sharma has a lot to look forward to!