By Aashna Shah
In a school where everyone is busy juggling AP classes, clubs, and existential dread, a group of students decided they wanted to do more than just survive the academic chaos, they wanted to build something. That something became Solstice Strategies, a student-run marketing and strategy firm that’s already giving local businesses the digital makeover they didn’t know they needed.
The idea came from a very Gen Z observation: why do so many local businesses have incredible services but online profiles that look like they haven’t been updated in years? At the same time, the school is packed with students who can run analytics, design campaigns, and pitch strategies in their sleep, but don’t have an outlet to actually use those skills. Solstice Strategies stepped in to fix both problems at once.
But one of the firm’s biggest strengths isn’t just talent, it's identity. With co-presidents Ayushi and Hans, their social media director, and the rest of their crew who mostly come from South Asian backgrounds, Solstice carries a cultural backbone that fuels everything they do. They grew up in homes that treated academics like a lifestyle and entrepreneurship like a default setting. That upbringing shows in their precision, their work ethic, and their determination to help South Asian and immigrant-owned businesses that might not yet be fluent in marketing lingo or digital branding.
They understand the aunties running boutiques, the uncles running tutoring centers, the family friends launching side hustles, and they know exactly how to bring those businesses into the online world with confidence. Its cultural connection meets Gen-Z digital instinct, and it’s proving to be a powerful combination.
Even though Solstice Strategies is still young, the firm already works with surprisingly serious clients. YRI, a research incubator backed by PhD scholars, turned to them for help to reach students interested in academic publishing. Apex Admit, a competitive college consulting initiative, tapped Solstice to help communicate its message to overwhelmed juniors and anxious parents. There’s no set theme to the companies they choose, but one pattern is clear: organizations grounded in education and ambition naturally gravitate toward Solstice's detail-oriented, data-smart approach.
The best part? Every service is pro bono. For students, Solstice isn’t just another résumé line, it’s real-world experience with real stakes, real deadlines, and real clients who rely on them. For businesses, it’s an accessible entry point into modern marketing, without the usual price tag.
Solstice Strategies might still be early in its story, but the impact is unmistakable. What started as an idea between classmates has turned into a youth-powered, South Asian-driven force helping businesses level up. And if this is just the sunrise, their full solstice moment is still ahead, and it’s going to be bright.
Aashna Shah is an Indian American sophomore at Syosset High School interested in business, fashion, and storytelling. She hopes to use fashion as a pathway to uplift underserved communities. She also serves as the Submission Coordinator for Kaleidoscope, where she helps curate and elevate youth voices through storytelling.
