Congratulations to OHS senior Ishan Bhatt, who has been named the Kiwanis Club of Lander Circle “SENIOR OF THE MONTH” for January 2026. Ishan’s extraordinary academic prowess is matched by his dynamic athletic achievement and passionate desire to help others, as he is known for his positivity and kindness.

The National Merit Semi-Finalist is a member of the National Honor Society, having achieved Highest Honors throughout his Orange Schools career. He is also an AP Scholar with Distinction.

For the past two summers, Ishan worked as a research intern, first at Cleveland Clinic and later at Case Western Reserve University. While at the Clinic, he used Agent-Based Modelling in Java to simulate cancerous tumor growth and mutation and presented at the CCF Summer Student Poster Symposium. At Case Western, Ishan interned at a Hematopoietic Stem Cell Lab, performing Flow Cytometry and Cell Staining Experiments, Splenectomies, and Spleen Digestions.

Ishan also led a Student Visionaries of the Year Candidate team in his junior year, volunteering nearly 50 hours to raise more than $3000 for Blood Cancer United.

Leadership seems to be in Ishan’s DNA as he is President of both the OHS Speech and Debate Team and the OHS Amnesty International club. As Lead Attorney and Treasurer for the award-winning OHS Mock Trial team, Ishan was a State Qualifying Attorney and twice qualified for Regionals. He has earned multiple Best Attorney awards in competition and created and presented slideshows to teach club members about law, presentation, and courtroom protocol. Ishan is also on the Leadership Committee for the OHS Writing Club. Under his leadership, the State Qualifying Creative Writing Team won the 2024 DI JustWriteOH Regional Tournament in its inaugural year.

But don’t think for a moment that Ishan will rest on those laurels; the three-time Varsity Letter tennis player won the 2025 State Team Championship and was a member of the 2024 Second Place Team and the 2023 Fourth Place Team at the OTCA tournaments. When not playing tennis, he is running Cross Country, having served as Co-Captain. Ishan also managed and led a 5k community fundraiser to raise money for the team.

Community service is also a huge part of Ishan’s life; he enjoys working at the annual Kiwanis Rummage Sale, serving as a patient greeter at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, and teaching tennis through Advantage Cleveland, bringing his bright smile to all.

Every school year, the Kiwanis Club of Lander Circle recognizes six seniors for their leadership, integrity, and academic achievements. We thank the Kiwanis Club for its ongoing support and congratulate Ishan Bhatt as the January Senior of the Month!

###