Many Manual students have their specialty, from Science Olympiad to athletic championships. For Trisha Paily (12, YPAS), however, she has continuously excelled in multiple areas.
At the age of two, Paily was already dancing Bollywood and Classical Indian dances through her living room. As she grew up, Paily began to switch to other styles and expand her training. Now, as a senior, Paily has grown to include her passion for dance in her other activities. As a person, Paily has focused on remaining humble and enthusiastic throughout her variety of endeavors.
In Paily’s life, her love for dance has always shone through, most recently, during her performance at YPAS’ dance concert hosted in February. This was Paily’s last main stage performance at YPAS, showcasing her growth as a dancer.
“Everything from backstage to on stage is so much fun, so I love it,” Paily said.
Beyond Manual, Paily’s passion for dance and her culture drove her to participate in Indian Classical dance competitions in the tri-state area. These competitions built her performance skills and reconnected her with the roots of her dance passions.
Beyond dance, Paily has a passion for and excels in science.
Paily has been able to take classes in both the dance department and MST. Her interests in these areas have helped her to grow as both an academic and a dancer. For her senior dance project, Paily was able to develop an app focused on injury prevention, specifically shin splints, in dance. When explaining this project, Paily mentioned an ‘interdisciplinary mindset’ that helps her weave her interests into projects.
This highlighted the educational experience that has helped her to grow in all of her areas of interest.
“It [having multiple passions] kind of forms, my own mosaic of myself,” Paily said.
Beyond school and dance, Paily is passionate about helping others in her community. During the summer, Paily tutors children in English and math at Kumon. Paily also teaches Bollywood dance to youth with Down Syndrome at the Down Syndrome of Louisville nonprofit organization.
“My first experience with that [teaching kids dance], I was amazed by this and I was like, ‘a lot of people feel like they can’t dance because they can’t move the way that dancers are supposed to move or be perfect in that way. But, just seeing how a lot of people sideline them, it kind of brought a spark in me,” Paily said.
During the 2025-2026 school year, as a sophomore, Paily started Raise Heart. It is a secondary chapter of the University of Louisville’s Raise Red, their largest student-run philanthropy organization. As their first project, Raise Heart raised funds for cancer research for kids in the Norton Children’s Hospital. Their most recent event was a Holiday Bake Sale earlier this school year, also raising money for patients at Norton Children’s Hospital and cancer research at UofL’s School of Medicine.
Paily was crowned Distinguished Young Woman of Kentucky. Distinguished Young Women is the oldest and largest national scholarship program for high school girls. They offer both scholarship opportunities and personal development skills. This summer, Paily is headed to Distinguished Young Women nationals to compete in four categories: onstage questions, talent, an interview and scholastic merit. Through winning the district and state, Paily has begun racking up scholarship money and has the opportunity to earn more at the national competition.
After graduating from Manual, though not committed to any colleges yet, Paily intends to major in a healthcare-related field, expanding on her interest in community health and helping people. Paily is still unsure whether she will have time to participate in a dance team in college but remains open to continuing dance as a hobby or a club. Dance has allowed Paily to become more adaptable and she believes this will help her in all of her endeavors. While Paily began her academic and personal journeys with dance, she has transformed, grown and cultivated her talents to become much more than just a dancer.
