A King Constantine Medal Story: Amaira Jain, Modern School, Barakhamba Road, India

Amaira Jain of the Modern School, Barakhamba Road in India has been awarded the King Constantine Medal in recognition of her outstanding commitment to Round Square over seven years, including her student leadership of the RS Heroes of Discovery in her school, her support for younger students, and her active participation in conferences and global collaborations.

“When I look back at my seven years of Round Square, what I am most proud of is how my role changed over time. When I was selected in Grade 6, I was one of the younger students who turned up to activities and followed whatever my seniors told me to do. I remember looking up to them and wanting to be as confident as they were. A few years later, I found myself on the other side of that, sitting with younger students, explaining activities and answering their questions.”

“Once, I was a Grade 6 student thinking about the opportunities I would get to experience. Now, as I prepare to leave school, I realise I have had the chance to create some of those opportunities for other students. Knowing that someone younger might take something I started, change it completely and make it their own is something I am really proud of.”

“One of the biggest challenges while organising the RS Heroes of Discovery initiative at my school was finding ways to get younger students to engage with the sessions rather than simply attend them. I didn’t want it to become another event where a speaker talked for an hour and everyone politely listened. We realised early on that the best way to discover the RS IDEALS was to let students experience them.”

“Every Thursday, we would go into classrooms with a cut-out of the RS Hero we were representing. We ran cleanliness challenges, mock trials, debates, treasure hunts and design activities. Some ideas worked better than others, and we kept adapting based on how students responded. Eventually, one of my favourite moments was seeing students walk into our sessions and immediately ask, ‘What are we doing today?’ It showed me that they were connecting the Round Square IDEALS with experiences they genuinely enjoyed.”

“Beyond school, conferences and collaborations connected me with students from around the world. Over time, I ended up with friendships scattered across different countries. A place mentioned in the news suddenly became somewhere a friend lived. I remember comparing school life, teaching each other phrases from our languages and laughing about completely different slang. I also realised that teenagers living thousands of kilometres apart often worry about many of the same things.”

“Those experiences made the world feel both bigger and smaller at the same time. Bigger because I became more aware of how much exists beyond the environment I grew up in. Smaller because those places no longer felt so distant. For me, that is what Internationalism means. People who might once have been ‘students from another country’ became friends who simply happened to live somewhere else.”

“When I think about what has changed most in me through Round Square, I would say initiative and Leadership. I used to be comfortable waiting for someone else to decide what to do next. Over time, through conferences, service activities and leading sessions with younger students, I became much more comfortable turning ideas into action. Earlier, if something wasn’t working, I would ask, ‘What should we do?’ Now I am much more likely to say, ‘I have an idea. Can we try this?'”

“Round Square taught me not to wait for opportunities or solutions, but to create them.”

“One experience that really changed my thinking was attending my first RS Postcard. I expected the formal sessions to be the most valuable part, but I discovered I learned just as much through the conversations in between. Talking to students my age about their schools, communities and everyday lives challenged assumptions I didn’t even realise I had. It taught me that learning doesn’t always happen through a lecture or structured activity. Sometimes a conversation over lunch stays with you much longer.”

“When I compare the student who joined Round Square seven years ago with the person receiving the King Constantine Medal today, I see someone who is much more willing to take chances. I was hesitant to speak up, much more afraid of getting things wrong and rarely ventured beyond what felt comfortable. Today, I’m more willing to start something from scratch, walk into a room where I know no one or have my opinions challenged.”

“I don’t think I necessarily have more answers than the Grade 6 student who first joined Round Square. I am simply much less afraid of asking questions, taking the first step and occasionally getting things wrong.”

Four ways to make the most of Round Square

• Move from participant to leader
  Don’t just attend activities and events. Look for opportunities to contribute ideas, organise something, mentor younger students or take responsibility for a project. Much of Amaira’s growth came from gradually moving from following others to creating opportunities for others.
• Make the most of international connections
  Use conferences, exchanges and online collaborations to build genuine relationships with students from different backgrounds. Some of the most valuable learning comes from conversations that challenge assumptions and broaden your perspective.
• Focus on impact, not just activity
  Whether you’re involved in service, environmental projects or school initiatives, think about how to make experiences meaningful and engaging for others. Amaira’s approach was to bring Round Square IDEALS to life through action rather than simply talking about them.
• Be willing to take the first step
  You do not need to have all the answers. Growth often comes from volunteering for something new, speaking up with an idea, starting a project or stepping outside your comfort zone. Confidence develops through taking action, not waiting until you feel ready.