Max Shadow | 06.08.2025

Reya Deshpande's journey from Mumbai to West Orange tells a story of resilience, family, and the transformative power of love

Reya Deshpande's story doesn't begin in a typical nursery or family home. It begins on the steps of a police station in Mumbai, India, where she was left as an infant with no name and no family. From that moment of abandonment to walking across the graduation stage at West Orange High School this June, Reya's journey embodies the kind of resilience that transforms not just individual lives, but entire communities.

"I was left there as a baby alone — no name, no family, just silence," Reya reflects in a powerful video she created for her Senior Year English project. What followed were early years in an orphanage, a place she describes as "safe, but not love." Those formative experiences shaped her understanding of trust and family in ways that would later influence her calling to help others.

Everything changed when a family in New Jersey found her. Reya's adoption brought her to West Orange, where she would spend her entire academic career — from St. Cloud Elementary through Edison and Roosevelt Middle Schools, and finally to West Orange High School as a proud member of the Class of 2025.

The transition wasn't immediate or easy. "I was afraid of men. I didn't know what a father was supposed to be," she shares. But her adoptive father understood. Rather than rushing to fill the silence between them, he honored it, giving her space instead of pressure. Through lullabies and laughter, he gently built a bridge of trust.

"His songs became my comfort, his arms my safety," Reya remembers. "Day by day, he showed me what love felt like. He never needed to say much — his strength was quiet, his kindness was constant. He taught me how to care, how to be gentle in a loud world, how to help others just because it's the right thing to do."

Her father, a lawyer dedicated to helping people, became her safe place and guide. His influence shaped not only how she understood love and family, but also her sense of purpose in the world.

Then, during her junior year, everything changed again. Reya lost her father — one of the most devastating experiences of her young life. Many students might have been overwhelmed by such grief, but Reya found strength she didn't know she possessed.

"Even in loss, he gave me something," she explains. "Because I realized he never really left. He lives in the way I see the world, in the lessons I carry, in how I love and how I give."

That strength, combined with extraordinary support from her family and teachers, not only helped Reya persevere through her grief but also illuminated her path forward. The compassion and guidance she received during her darkest moments inspired her to pursue psychology, with the goal of providing that same kind of support to others.

"The amazing support I've received over the years inspired me to pursue psychology," she says. "If I can help someone the way they helped me — that's how I'll know I'm doing something meaningful."

This fall, Reya will attend Montclair State University in a combined Bachelor's and Master's program in Psychology, positioning her to make that meaningful impact sooner. But she's already been making a difference throughout her high school career.

For three years, she participated in the ICE (Institute of Citizen Empowerment) program, developing leadership skills and civic awareness. She held a leadership position on the Nikhil Badlani Youth Advisory Board and served as a Mountaineer Mentor for incoming high school freshmen, helping ease their transition just as others had helped her.

As an executive board member of Unity Club, she worked to foster inclusion and understanding among her peers. She also helped create the Class of 2025 yearbook and managed both the official Yearbook Instagram page and the @wohs25decisions account, documenting her classmates' journeys and celebrating their achievements.

These activities weren't just resume builders for Reya — they were expressions of the values her father instilled in her and practical applications of her desire to help others navigate their own challenges.

"My dad was a lawyer, and I want to continue his legacy by dedicating my life to helping people — just like he did," she explains. It's a legacy that extends beyond professional aspirations to a fundamental approach to living: leading with compassion, offering support without judgment, and understanding that everyone carries invisible struggles.

Reya's story resonates far beyond West Orange High School because it speaks to universal human experiences — loss, love, resilience, and the search for purpose. Her journey from abandonment to adoption, from fear to trust, from devastating loss to renewed purpose, demonstrates that our greatest challenges often become the sources of our greatest strengths.

As she prepares to graduate and begin her psychology studies, Reya carries forward not just her father's memory, but his approach to life. She walks with his voice in her heart, ready to extend the same gentle strength that once helped a frightened child learn to trust and love.

For her fellow graduates facing their own uncertainties and challenges, Reya's story offers a powerful reminder: even in our darkest moments, we can find the strength not just to survive, but to transform our experiences into sources of light for others.