NOCTILUCA October 2016

Shweta Wahal, a former stu-

dent from the Appleton North

class of 2012, has recently start-

ed a job in the U.S. Department

of Treasury, after studying In-

ternational Political Economy

in the School of Foreign Ser-

vice at Georgetown University.

The Noctiluca caught up with

her to see what she’s been up to

since she left North.

The Noctiluca:

What are

you currently doing, as far as

schooling and work?

Wahal:

I started school at

Georgetown in 2012 and I

graduated this past May. I

studied International

Po-

litical Economy within the

School of Foreign Service. I

was very interested in student

government and economics

all throughout college, which

naturally led into internships

and work in economic policy

with the federal government.

I had an internship with the

U.S. Trade Representative,

a cabinet-level office of the

White House. It was an amaz-

ing experience being able to

work for the White House, to

understand the development

and implementation of trade

policy. I now work in the U.S.

Department of Treasury as a

special assistant in the Office

of Legislative Affairs. In that

capacity I support Treasury’s

work with the United States

Congress.

What classes did you

take at Georgetown?

At Georgetown, my

classes centered around po-

litical economy, studying the

close relationship of political

activity and economics in the

world. I learned a lot about

analytical tools that you would

use for study of political econ-

omy. Other topics I studied

were issues of female empow-

erment, behavioral econom-

ics, and international trade. I

also continued my education

in Spanish, which enabled me

to direct enroll in a university

in Argentina for 6 months.

Having the opportunity to use

my Spanish in practice was a

whole new education, because

I had to communicate just to

get through day-to-day life,

not just school.

What was the most exciting

thing you did at Georgetown?

First, it was being in-

volved in student body Sen-

ate literally days after I arrived

at Georgetown my freshman

year. I canvassed door-to-door

for the positional and it was

an experience that really set

the stage for my Georgetown

experience. Last November,

I had the opportunity to in-

troduce Bernie Sanders at a

major stump speech he had at

Georgetown. No matter what

your political perspective is, it

was humbling to meet some-

one who has dedicated his life

to championing the political

progress that he believes in.

Other than that, I have really

loved being able to have in-

ternships during school, to be

able to have “life education”

to supplement my academic

education.

What was an experience

you had in Georgetown that

helped you explore the area of

politics?

Georgetown is located

in Washington D.C., so by

nature, there is a lot of politi-

cal involvement around that

area. In 2012, my freshman

floor would watch the Presi-

dential debates together and

we could discuss with our

peers about what our thoughts

and opinions were about each

candidate. Being in Washing-

ton D.C. also helped me get a

lot of cool internships in areas

that I currently work in.

What was hard about col-

lege?

The students at George-

town definitely raise the bar,

and we are encouraged to

work harder so that we can

challenge each other to keep

up and stay on top of things.

College taught me a lot about

work ethic and the importance

of prioritizing items. What

is different from high school

is that your entire life is con-

centrated in one place, so

sometimes you have to take

the initiative and back out of

an activity. Compared to high

school, you have to deal with

studying, socializing, eating

and sleeping all in one concen-

trated area. Luckily the peo-

ple on my floor freshman year

were amazing and are still my

best friends to this day. Over-

all, college was challenging

because it pushed me harder

as a person even outside of

academics.

What classes did you take

in high school that helped you

become prepared for college?

AP Calculus with Mrs.

Klunder taught me work ethic

and fundamental upper level

math that still sticks with me

today. I also really loved Mr.

Ramponi’s AP English class in

that he brought feeling to the

texts we were reading and the

essays we were producing. Fi-

nally, Ms. Prudom in guidance

was such a supportive coun-

selor and friend to me (and still

is) in pursuing the classes and

colleges that I was passion-

ate about. The North teachers

were always very helpful, sup-

portive, and kind.

What are your future

goals and aspirations?

I’m very passionate

about economics as well as

staying involved in the federal

government. I want to con-

tinue with what I am currently

doing in Washington D.C.,

but I also want to encourage

financial literacy as well as

continue to study into how the

government and the area of

economics relate to each other.

I hope to continue a career that

will stay focused on econom-

ics and policy.

What advice do you cur-

rently have for high school

students who are aspiring to do

something in the political field?

The biggest advice I

can give to students is to stay

aware by keeping up the news

and joining a community of

people who care about the

community in which they are

in. Students can start exploring

the political field by learning

about local issues, and later

getting involved with student

government programs around

the community and city. From

sixth grade through college, I

was very involved with stu-

dent council and activities

similar to that, and I met pas-

sionate and aware individuals

that really encouraged me to

think in new ways and pursue

what I was passionate about.

NEWS

Appleton, Wisconsin October 2016 Volume XXII

Issue II Page 2

How to continue college readiness preparation in October

By Sophie Mariano

Catching up with North grad who is pursuing the political pathway

By Fatima Ali

9 10 11 12

It may seem early,

but with all the new

opportunities that

present themselves

in high school, start

looking for your

passions. Join clubs

that interest you

and explore differ-

ent activities and

extracurriculars.

Colleges love to

see commitment,

so if you join some-

thing freshman

year, and continue

to contribute to it

throughout your

high school career,

colleges will take

notice and appreci-

ate your dedica-

tion. (And don’t

forget that yes, your

grades count now.)

It’s not too early for

sophomores to be

thinking about col-

lege either. This year

you will have a meet-

ing with your guid-

ance counselor who

will help you create

a plan for the rest of

your high school ca-

reer. You will discuss

classes that you have

to take in order to

graduate, as well as

classes that will ben-

efit you depending on

what college or uni-

versity you would like

to attend. Before you

have this meeting

think about the path

you want to take after

high school, including

possible careers you

are interested in.

Junior year is when the

college process begins

to sneak up on you. Start

studying for standardized

tests including the PSAT

and the ACT. There are

both PSAT and ACT re-

view guides that are help-

ful for studying the mate-

rial and are also filled with

test taking techniques.

Almost all colleges require

either the ACT or the SAT,

so if you begin taking

these your junior year,

you have time to retake

them if you are not happy

with your first score. Also

begin researching col-

leges, either in person

by touring or online. It is

helpful to have an idea of

the schools you are going

to apply to before your

senior year.

It’s finally time to put all of your

college prep into action. You

are now able to start applying to

schools by using the Common

Application, (www.commonapp.

org) or other applications specific

to certain schools found on their

websites. If you need a letter of

recommendation, ask your teach-

ers now. Many teachers receive

multiple requests and have many

letters to juggle, so make sure they

are able to get you yours before

your school’s deadline. Send in

your ACT scores if you didn’t re-

lease them when you took the test

in March (you can do this from the

ACT’s website), and head over to

guidance to fill out the transcript re-

lease form. While there don’t forget

to check the scholarship list. Finally,

take a deep breath. Applying to col-

lege is scary and stressful but your

teachers and guidance counselors

are here to help you.

Each month, the Noctiluca

will provide college advice for

each grade level at Apple-

ton North in the “Noctiluca

University”. Advice will be

specifically tailored to each

month in order to provide the

most timely help. Juniors and

seniors: pick up a copy of

college readiness timeline in

the guidance office for more

in-depth information regard-

ing the college application

process.

Shweta Wahal, graduate of

Appleton North and George-

town, is now becoming in-

volved in national politics

To see Shweta introduc-

ing Bernie Sanders, go to

https://youtu.be/

cbUN9UwoBX0?t=15

m16s