“The whole time I was sitting and before I would spell, there were a million thoughts going through my head. But before I would go on stage I shoved all that away and just focused on Dr. Bailey and the word I would spell. I tuned out all the cameras and everything”
- Shrinidhi Gopal, 7th Place SCRIPPS 2017 Winner

Confidence and focus was the key for Shrinidhi during the SCRIPPS competition. She tuned out the lights and camera, and just focused on Dr. Bailey and the word. And, it payed off- Shrinidhi won 7th place at SCRIPPS 2017. Of course, she didn’t get there overnight. Shrinidhi says many previous competitions and failed words has got her here. And, a little unusual trick that she found works for her - cracking her knuckles right before going on stage.

Watch the full interview of Shrinidhi interviewing Shrinidhi here www.youtube.com/watch?v=5digDLPqrh0. (Yes, we both have the same name, purely by coincidence). Or, read some highlights below. For readability, Shrinidhi Gopal and I are labeled by our last names: Gopal and Thirumalai.

Meena Venkataramanan is a rising freshman at Harvard University, where she plans to pursue government. An Arizona native, she served as the president of her high school’s speech and debate team and was active in several public service activities throughout high school. In addition to being a Coca-Cola Scholar, a United States Senate Youth Program Delegate, and an ALA Girls Nation Delegate, Meena most recently earned the title of World Champion at the Optimist International Oratorical Contest held in June 2017. The following article is largely based upon her personal experiences participating in social sciences/humanities opportunities throughout high school.

For decades, many Indian-American students have excelled in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, collectively captured by the familiar four-letter acronym, STEM. But as of late, a new acronym, STEAM, has grown in popularity and incorporates a fifth letter representing the arts and its subcategories, which have become increasingly valued in recent years with respect to launching innovative career paths that fulfill the ever-present demands of the 21st century workplace.

As such, more and more Indian-American students are deviating from traditional STEM paths and are considering careers rooted in the arts – specifically the humanities and social sciences. In the eyes of some parents in the Indian-American community, such career paths may lack promise and payoff at first glance, especially when it comes to admission into selective universities. After all, we often hear about STEM-focused students – including those who win international science fairs, co-author scientific publications, and design patent-pending technologies – earning admission into top colleges. By all means, such achievements are extremely commendable and deserve to be lauded. But less often do we hear about the equally impressive achievements of these students’ social sciences/humanities counterparts.

The reality is that there are many premier social sciences/humanities opportunities in which students can partake in high school – opportunities that bring both promise and payoff not only in the college admissions process, but also in the workplace of tomorrow. While the following list is far from exhaustive, below are a few valuable opportunities that humanities/social sciences-focused students might consider during their time in high school:

Public and private schools across the country tend to offer extracurricular activities including speech and debate/forensics, Mock Trial, and Model United Nations for humanities/social sciences-minded students. In addition to exposing students to current events, international relations, and the law, such programs encourage students to become better public speakers, more experienced debaters, and stronger writers – three skills that become covetable assets in the college admissions process, during which students must compose well-written essays and partake in interviews that are pivotal in deciding whether or not they earn admission into the colleges of their choice.

Theatre is also a valuable activity in teaching students how to express themselves in cogent ways and develop strong articulation skills – two strengths that will prove valuable in both the college admissions process and in careers related to social sciences/humanities.

For the business-minded, extracurricular activities such as DECA and FBLA offer opportunities for students to partake in business and management simulations, in which they can develop specific occupation-based skills that will aid them in their future career paths.

Finally, many schools offer public service-related activities, including volunteerism clubs such as Key Club, which is sponsored by the international service organization, Kiwanis. Several other esteemed service organizations, including Optimist International, Rotary International, and the YMCA, offer public service opportunities to high school students, including Junior Optimist clubs, essay and oratorical contests, and civic engagement activities (see below).

For students who specifically hope to pursue careers in and government, there is a multitude of esteemed programs in which they can participate – some that are entirely cost-free to students and their families.

One such program is Youth and Government, a civic engagement opportunity sponsored by the YMCA through which students build and participate in model governments at the local, state, and federal levels. Youth and Government programs are located at YMCAs across the country, and students can attend national conferences in addition to advocating for their immediate communities.

Localities across the United States also offer youth advisory councils, which range from citywide congresses to statewide commissions. Often, students must be elected, appointed, or nominated to serve as representatives on these councils, a process which simulates potential careers in government and public service. As members of these councils, students use parliamentary procedure to set agendas and priorities and serve as representatives for their fellow youth.

In the October 2016 edition of the North South Foundation newsletter, I wrote about Boys and Girls State, which are sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary, respectively. These programs come at little cost to students and their families, and local chapters of the AL/ALA often sponsor students to attend these programs. Similar to Youth and Government, these weeklong programs held in each U.S. state give students the chance to build and participate in their own state government by running for different positions as well as drafting and passing legislation. At the end of the week, two students are chosen to represent their state at Boys and Girls Nation, which are premier, all-expenses-paid weeklong programs held in Washington, D.C. during which students create a model federal government.

Similar to Boys and Girls Nation is the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), for which students must apply through their states’ Departments of Education. Two students from each state are selected to attend an all-expenses-paid, weeklong program during which they meet and hear addresses from esteemed leaders of the federal government, including Senators, the President and Vice President, and a Supreme Court Justice. Each student also receives a $10,000 scholarship to college.

Several opportunities mentioned above offer scholarships to participating students. USSYP, Boys and Girls State/Nation, and certain speech and debate organizations offer scholarships, in addition to Optimist International, Rotary International, and the American Legion, which offer oratorical and essay contests (with topics related to the social sciences/humanities) and provide scholarship money as prizes. Other service organizations also offer scholarships specifically for students who plan to pursue careers in law, government, and/or public service. By investing in the futures of students whose interests lie in the social sciences/humanities, these organizations are a testament to the promise and payoff of such careers in the 21st century.

While many Indian-American high school students have succeeded in STEM-based career paths, the humanities and social sciences can also launch equally valuable occupations in the workplace of tomorrow. In addition, opportunities for high school students rooted in these fields can both aid in the selective college admissions process and can lessen families’ financial contribution to their students’ college educations by offering significant scholarship money to students who are passionate about writing, speaking, law, government, public service, business, and the like. As the workforce continues to evolve in the wake of technological and social progress, careers in the humanities and social sciences are being increasingly fulfilled by diverse individuals. As such, pursuing passions that lie among these fields may be a worthwhile endeavor for high-school students in the Indian-American community.

Sometimes the most unexpected things bring us the greatest happiness of all. That’s why I can boldly claim that this summer, I was truly the happiest person on the planet.

After months of preparation and a flight to India, I presented my workshop plans at a government aided school called SJM Middle School. One of the good school which educates students from rural villages surrounding Chitradurga, a mid-size town in the state of Karnataka, India. With the alliance of an amazingly flexible headmistress of the SJM School, I went over my self-prepared workshops. Impressed as she was, I received the astounding chance to conduct workshop for 150 students from 6th, 7th and 8th grades combined, for a week. The first day of my workshop, I barely could find the courage to introduce myself. Even after all of this preparation, nothing could compose me for my initial fear as I was constantly thinking about how I am going to establish that connection and get their attention. After all, I just completed my 8th grade and almost same as their age. However, once I started with my introduction and why I am chosen as NSF Youth Ambassador, I could already see curiosity in every student’s eyes, and I never wanted to stop!

I started my workshop with essay writing; went over what an essay is and talked up different types of essays. Together we dissected and examined a variety of introductions, body paragraphs, conclusions like a detective; to allow for stronger essays and less common errors. To spruce up the lesson, I gave them colorful highlighters to highlight important notes from my pocket. By the end of class, upon their request, they eagerly challenged themselves to a persuasive essay competition with the topic, “How can I improve my school?” We brainstormed few ideas together, until each student choose their own topic and eagerly started constructing their essays. Some common topics were recycling, adding a sport center and big support for “Swachha Bharath - Keep India Clean”. Each student was determined to outdo and outwit their companions in this unique competition. The resulting essays were top notch!

Another important educational skill every student should attain is public speaking, which was exactly what my second lesson was all about. It was a new and exciting topic each student was willingly eager to endeavor. To effectively show everybody how to write and present a speech, I went over some simple but most effective steps that I follow to prepare for my competitions. After some analyzation, and sharing my top tips to success, I confronted them with the challenge of writing and performing their own speeches through a public speaking for later that week. Students from all three grades bravely accepted this challenge!!! I was so proud of all the students, who were able to conquer their stage fear and present an amazing speech in front of me, their teachers, and their Headmistresses.

Another vital skill all students should perfect is spelling, which was covered on my third lesson. To add some fun, I reinforced all of the rules through a spelling scramble game, a word search, and a crossword to finish that day off. All of the students loved playing games, trying to prove their new excelling spelling skills to me: “Teacher! Teacher! I finished first!” or “Teacher I got them all right!” Seeing their enthusiasm made me think I might have influenced someone in my life. Every minute I spent at SJM, each student respected me for coming all the way from USA and sharing my experience. I was touched by their welcoming attitude, and happiness for learning. Daily when I left, students would come out of their classrooms to exclaim goodbye, as I passed by in the halls. Students and Teachers thanked me for choosing their school, but really I should be the one thanking them for giving me an opportunity. As it is with their amazing cooperation at SJM, that has allowed me to make at least a small impact on the lives of 150 incredible students and motivate many more students to participate in similar program.

Many of the students I taught barely had aspirations or time for learning resourceful skills outside of school. None of the children were informed about the key topics, that I had covered, that could help them towards their future. But that didn’t stop them from trying. Every time a students shouted out an answer or smiled at their success, I felt so unbelievably happy, and proud of their learning capabilities. Their determination to study hard, active participation, and their eagerness to outsmart their companions made them all the smartest of their school. The student’s such spontaneous responses to my teaching from day one, not only encouraged me to continue teaching to make a difference, but also excited me that they wanted to learn.

I hope with my role as NSF Youth Ambassador, I was able to inspire the students to work on their core skills along with the classroom subjects, and motivated them to participate in similar activities to spread the knowledge. And every other student, starting from back at my middle school to everyone in my friends circle, I hope I have influenced them to step up to these challenges, and spend their time to share knowledge for those who could use it the most.

Though it takes a lot of hard work and commitment, it was truly rewarding and fun experience. Seeing their work ethic to their outstanding common sense, or their ability to capture things so quickly to their curiosity to connect with other parts of the world, I can honestly say, that the SJM students have also influenced me. Thank you so much NSF for this unimaginable opportunity, and my parents for pitching in to help supporting me and attending to all of my needs. I cannot wait to do it all again!