In the reality game show American Ninja Warrior, contestants are faced with grueling obstacle courses testing a combination of their strength, agility, grit and stamina in order to compete for a cash prize of one million dollars, as well as the coveted title of “Last Ninja Standing.” While the competition, now in its 18th season, has fielded many participants—from professional stunt performers to relentlessly determined adults from everyday professions—one of its latest stars is a high school student from Newton.

Akshara Pappu has been training and competing in local gyms’ obstacle courses since the age of six, for the chance to one day compete in “American Ninja Warrior.” As a child, her kindergarten teacher noticed her trying to climb everything in sight. Now at the age of 15, her hard work has finally taken her to the main stage. 

“When I got the call, I was really excited because this has kind of been a dream come true [after] seeing my friends and coaches compete,” Pappu told the Newton Beacon. 

Pappu attends the Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill, a private Kindergarten to grade 12 institution on the border of Brookline. When she first started out, Pappu was coached by Nathan Brosey, founder of formerly Newton-based gym Action Athletics, who was inspired to create the space after being a contestant on the show. 

“Being able to see where I could get to was definitely something that pushed me forward,” recalled Pappu.

Akshara Pappu at the Eastern Regional Finals of “American Ninja Warrior.” (Photo by Scott Everett White/NBC)

Despite the fact that ANW is fiercely competitive, Pappu noted that former and active competitors form a strong community that inspires all Ninjas to push themselves to the limit. 

Even though she now trains in Fall River, Pappu’s newer coaching staff is still made up of ANW participants that inspire her. As contestants get farther into the competition, they go from timed solo courses in the regional qualifiers to races between participants at the regional finals, with the top six advancing to the national finals. After fighting tooth and nail against the clock to get to the regional finals, Pappu found herself in a race that included her training teammate, Addy Herman, another competitor from Massachusetts. But her mentality did not waver. 

Addy Herman, Akshara Pappu and Avery Glantz at the Eastern Regional Finals of “American Ninja Warrior.” (Photo by Scott Everett White/NBC)

“It was more about finishing as fast as I could rather than knocking someone out of place,” Pappu said. “Everyone’s cheering for you, even if you’re competing against them. And I think I would have been happy even if I didn’t move on, just to see them move on.”

The support system that drives Pappu in those moments extends beyond just her ANW teammates and coaches. Because the competition is filmed over a two-week span in May at a facility in Las Vegas, both preparation time and the filming of the show itself clashed with Pappu’s spring semester. Given that it was her first time on the show, she did not know what to expect. 

“A lot of my teachers actually really helped by giving me all the lessons beforehand and telling me what I was going to miss,” Pappu said. “As the show was coming out, they were all watching and cheering me on. It [was] really special.” 

Beyond school, Pappu has taken up an interesting hobby that takes her away from the Ninja-stress: beekeeping. “It’s not a normal thing to do, especially in a city like Newton,” Pappu noted. “I like that it’s different and it gives me something else to focus on. Beyond just school and my sport, it’s kind of its own. It [hasn’t] necessarily helped me with ANW at all, but it has added to my daily life.”

When not beekeeping or keeping up with her schoolwork, Pappu must diligently train for the unknown. While there are certain staple obstacles in ANW, such as the traditional salmon ladder, where contestants have to hook a pull-up bar on rungs of increasing height using only their arms and core—or the ‘ultimate cliffhanger,’ an obstacle where they traverse a gap hanging from their fingertips—training for ANW is much like studying for an exam: the study guide is expansive, but the exam does not cover everything, and a curveball is not out of the question. 

“I watched old episodes from the show and my coach and I tried to predict what was going to be on this year,” Pappu said. “but you have to train blindly for what’s going to be there and have all the training for everything.” 

Even after practicing skills such as her agility with mini courses, Pappu was still having trouble with ANW’s most famous obstacle—a last-minute sprint up a curved surface known as the warped wall. 

“I’m 5’1″ and it’s 14 and a half feet, so that was definitely a huge thing that I needed to train for. I had to start training for that months before,” she said.

Akshara Pappu, Avery Glantz and Addy Herman at the Eastern Regional Finals of “American Ninja Warrior.” (Photo by Scott Everett White/NBC)

Despite the challenge, Pappu managed to qualify for the national finals of ANW on her first attempt, in a televised event.

“When I first got called to the show, I never thought I would make it that far, because that’s not something that happens normally,” she said. “Just overcoming the fear of all the people watching and just dialing in and running [my] own course really helped.” 

Although she was ecstatic to reach the national finals, it was a daunting prospect to Pappu knowing she would have to race many amazing competitors again. 

“It was definitely scary, but also really fun and a great opportunity with a lot of ninjas who I knew and have been watching since I was little,” she said. 

Akshara Pappu competes at the Eastern Regional Qualifying 2 of “American Ninja Warrior.” (Photo by Scott Everett White/NBC)

Even when mistakes occurred, Pappu said what meant the most to her was being there with her coaches and team beside her. 

“Having my coach and Addy Herman there definitely helped me a lot, just going through my plan again, [their voices] reminding me what I need to do, all of that helps get me back in the zone,” she said. 

Although the conclusion to her national finals journey is unknown to the public until “American Ninja Warrior” season 18 finishes airing, the future is looking bright for the rookie superstar. 

When asked to reflect on what she wants people to remember about her experience this year, Pappu shared her gratitude for how far she has come. 

“I want people to know that I’ve worked really hard since I was little for this, but I’m also grateful for my coaches and teammates to help and push me to be better,” she said. “I really do love this sport so much, and this opportunity is really huge. I’m glad I could do it, and I hope I can do it again next year.”

American Ninja Warrior season 18 is streaming on Peacock. New episodes release Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.