Arjun Kathju of Sewickley Heights has done what most teens would likely never consider.
The 16-year-old Sewickley Academy sophomore went cold turkey on screen use, primarily with his cellphone and secondary with other digital/screen devices for three straight months while attending a high school academic program in Switzerland last fall.
He discovered the Swiss Semester co-ed program through school and set his sights on being accepted and exploring and learning in the Swiss Alps.
“It was a pretty unique application process, with four handwritten essays and I had summer work to do before going,” Arjun said. “The academics were pretty tough and I couldn’t use any electronics or ask Google or anything.”
Swiss Semester is located in Zermatt, Switzerland, and enrolls less than 50 students.
The curriculum included weekend educational trips to Italy and France, biking, hiking, climbing and academic courses in geology, art history, English, math and French or Spanish. The program is offered to high school sophomores and follows a no-technology rule, including no usage of laptops or phones.
Surrendering his iPhone upon arrival on campus in Switzerland was memorable.
“I did not use my iPhone for three months. I was fine with it because I was with 49 other teens that I lived with and talked with every day,” Arjun said. “It was like college before the era of social media.”
The school offered a flip phone for scheduled, 10-minute calls home for the students.
According to data from a 2024 Pew Research Center report, teens average almost five hours of screen time daily on their phones, with 60 percent of teens exhibiting signs of smartphone addiction and 66 percent reporting they feel anxiety without a cellphone.
Hiking, climbing, skiing and geology labs were some favorite activities enjoyed by Kathju.
He missed his beloved dog Athena, a mini-Golden Doodle.
“Shout out to Athena,” Arjun said during an on-campus interview last week. “She was a covid-quarantine puppy.”
“I missed spending time with my family. The first two weeks were the hardest for me — for everyone really — adjusting to no phone. Some of my peers were coping with the dopamine loss of no phones.”
Playing with Rubik’s cubes was popular in Switzerland and Kathju brought that souvenir home with him and still enjoys trying to solve it.
And the break from his phone resonated.
Arjun didn’t have his phone on him during his interview with TribLive and said he doesn’t use it as much now.
“I feel like I am definitely less dependent on my phone,” he said. “It was like a cleanse in a way (going there) and I’m super happy I did it.”
One memorable hiking excursion included taking a lift up the base of Matterhorn Mountain, famous for its almost geometrically perfect pyramid shape and a significant Swiss landmark overlooking the town of Zermatt.
A travel highlight was a class weekend trip to Venice, Italy.
Arjun said the entire academic and social adventure was rewarding.
He recalled the moment he received his cell phone at the end of Swiss Semester.
“I texted my mom, sister, dad and best friend,” he said.
Sewickley Academy Global Studies department chair Nataliya DiDomenico said a Switzerland experience contributed to Arjun’s personal growth.
“His time in the Swiss Semester Program helped him become more independent and responsible,” DiDomenico said. “For three months he balanced his school work alongside an extensive outdoor program while living in a foreign country. He took challenges, showed responsibility and adapted to new situations and experiences, which demonstrates impressive personal growth.”
From stage to serving others
Arjun is the son of Drs. Sandeep Kathju and Luxmi Gahlot-Kathju and his older sister Avni Kathju is a senior at Sewickley Academy.
The Kathju siblings are no stranger to the stage.
The siblings just wrapped up the spring high school musical production of “Crazy For You.”
An experienced thespian, Arjun has participated in Sewickley Academy musicals since the sixth grade.
“I act because it’s fun. This year’s musical was more special for me because it was my sister’s senior year musical, so it was another reason to do it.”
Sewickley Academy theater teacher Rachel Smith described Arjun as a joy to be around.
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“Arjun is dedicated and hardworking, which contributes to his success, but he’s also easy to work with, laid back and clever,” Smith said.
Volunteering for veterans is a cause close to Arjun’s heart.
He helps veterans with technology in the Pittsburgh area.
“Senior citizens are getting to that age where they need help installing apps or accessing telehealth,” Arjun said.
One veteran Arjun helped was a man with cancer who had no vocal cords.
“He needed help with text to speech technology and I felt really bad for him,” Arjun said. “I like technology a lot and I also get to shadow doctors at the hospital. I feel like I was given a lot in my life and blessed with a lot of opportunities and it’s my duty to give back to my community.”
Giving back as a young child included trips to homeless shelters with his mom and sister.
The medical field is of interest to Arjun — his father is a plastic surgeon and his mother is an anesthesiologist.
Arjun is known for his positive attitude on campus and he brings that trait in his sporting pursuits of high school lacrosse and hockey.
“I love playing ice hockey. And I’m a big fan of sports in general. Ice hockey is what I’ve played since I was a little kid,” Arjun said. “And basketball. I have my LeBron James jersey here right now.”
Sewickley Academy hockey coach Donato Fanelle has coached Arjun for two years.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have him on the team. I would describe him as the type of player that you hate to play against, but love to play against, which is the biggest compliment I could ever give a player, ” Fanelle said. “His passion, work ethic, natural leadership, eagerness and selflessness are some of the skills that contribute to his success. He’s the type of player that has a positive influence on everyone.”
Arjun volunteers with the Mighty Penguins Sled Hockey, a competitive, therapeutic program for physically disabled adults and children and is planning to volunteer his math tutoring services at the Sewickley Center.
Arjun said he’s an early bird, doesn’t sleep much and has mastered time management.
“My secret is to find your distractions and try and isolate yourself from them,” Arjun said. “I work well with music and have playlists.”
Listening to music is a huge component of Arjun’s downtime, and so is honing his impressive classical piano and guitar skills. His first musical collaboration was playing keyboard in a grade-school band dubbed The Snacks.
French fries are a guilty pleasure food.
“There were points last year where all I would eat at lunch was fries,” he said.