Chapter 31: Mukul Nair

Co-founder of the Pleasant Valley Cricket team and physics enthusiast Mukul Nair has been in the Pleasant Valley district since fourth grade, attending a total of four different elementary schools. Prior to transferring to PV, the senior had gone to two different elementary schools in his hometown of Moline. Since then, Nair has participated in several different activities and discovered and deepened interests.

One area of passion for Nair is music. The PV senior plays the piano and, uniquely, the tabla, an Indian drum that is traditionally used in Indian music. Nair also loves listening to old-school music, attributing his appreciation to listening to AC/DC while riding in the car with his dad, who is a big classic rock fan.

Throughout his high school career, Nair has enjoyed playing tennis, a lifelong sport he says he hopes to play after high school and beyond. His favorite activity and sport, however, is cricket. After Nair and fellow senior Vishwa Subramanian started a cricket team at PV High School, Nair began playing and has immensely enjoyed it. “Cricket is a great team sport which requires lots of strategy, focus and teamwork to win. Playing the sport helped me build my skills as a teammate and leader,” Nair says. “It is a lot of fun to play, and it gets pretty exciting during the matches. Our team works well together, and we have a good time playing.”

In addition to his sports interests, Nair is deeply involved in giving back to the community. He volunteers at Genesis East Hospital, completing over 300 hours of community service— far exceeding the graduation requirement at Pleasant Valley. The copious amount of time he spends is what he considers his biggest accomplishment, saying it is truly a satisfying and rewarding experience to give back.

Fascinated by physics— it even is his favorite class— Nair finds the subject area itself simply intriguing. The class and teacher, Ian Spangenberg, simply enraptures Nair and helps him learn more about the laws and characteristics of the universe. With his love for science and interest in the “crazy, cool things that exist” in the universe, Nair fits in right at home as a member of Spangenberg’s Astronomy Club. Fittingly, Elon Musk is an inspiration to the senior. “He is one of the most brilliant men in the world, leading the way in science,” Nair raves. “Tesla has revolutionized electric commute, PayPal is a fantastic cashless payment system, and SpaceX is now leading the way in privatized space travel and exploration. Elon Musk has accomplished so much and helped the world move towards a cleaner, smarter, and more efficient lifestyle which I think is crucial in our world today.”

Nair hopes to make a career out of his passion for math and science, considering majoring or double majoring in aerospace or computer engineering. His dream job, he says, would be an astrophysicist.