As president of Chantilly High School’s Outlook Club, Ria Jakhete has been able to spread the word about the importance of animal welfare and adopting animals from local animal shelters, as well as raising money for the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

She developed an interest in animal welfare in middle school when her family went to adopt a dog from the local shelter. She visited the shelter often, and, seeing all the abandoned animals in need of a home, started learning about the adoption process along with challenges faced by the shelters and pets. She became a proponent of “adopt, don’t shop.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in 2020, there were many people wanting to get a pet; Ria promoted adopting from the local shelter. Along with other students at Chantilly High School, she became involved in social media promoting animal welfare meetings and discussions.

As president of the Outlook Club, Ria has organized bi-weekly discussions after school. She along with the club’s vice president advertise the varied topics for each meeting on the club’s Instagram page. Club membership has increased since Ria became president and meeting attendance has also increased. “Being a part of this club is an opportunity for me to not only help educate others but also learn more about the subject myself,” she said.

For a meeting that covered different breeds of animals, attendees each chose a dog or cat breed ahead of the meeting and researched its history and other information about the breed. They then shared their findings with the other attendees at the meeting. Other club meetings have included a presentation of how dogs got their shapes, a debate regarding breeders vs. shelters, and a discussion of arctic animals and the problems they’re facing due to climate change. Ria also organized a joint meeting with the Vegan Club to talk about sustainable living and how our choices affect the animals around us.

In addition, she organized the Outlook Club’s bake sale at the school’s Taste of Chantilly event. Ria invited Chantilly students to make animal-themed baked goods for the event and the proceeds from the event were donated to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. “It was an extremely rewarding feeling knowing that we were able to provide treats to people while helping out the local shelter,” Ria said.

“I think it’s important to inspire others and raise awareness of how we can live in harmony with the natural world around us,” Ria said. “And it’s important for everyone to know that we can make smart choices to support the overlooked animals in our community.”