Isaiah Nelson
West Lutheran High School
What do you like best about your school?
The biggest reason that I go to West, obviously, is to have the Christian education. But then on top of that, because it’s a small school, my relationships with the teachers are super personal, and they support me. When I’m gone for several weeks on end for skiing, they’re always willing to work with me, and they’re supportive of my journey.
What are your post-high school plans?
That’s a good question! Right now, I’m not one hundred percent sure. I’m in the grassroots system of the U.S. Ski Team, and the idea is if you continue to ski fast, you go up and up and up until you reach the top level. But if you plateau for a bit or have an injury, that’s when people look into going to college. So, I’ll almost definitely do at least one gap year after high school, and the idea is that if I ski fast and have a successful season, I’ll do another gap year, because I’ll be looking to World Cup start and stuff like that. If after one gap year, I’m not skiing so fast, that’s when I’ll look to potentially go to college.
Who or what motivates you the most?
My aunt Tasha, who was in the 2002 Olympics and the 1998 Olympics, definitely inspires me, because she was a successful skier coming from a place like Minnesota, which isn’t a common ski community. Also, my coach Erich, who’s from Austria—he’s about 90 years old, and he still skis every day at training. He’s basically like a grandpa to me, and he has high hopes for me.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced over the past few years?
I usually miss about half of the school year, because of skiing. When I’m actually in class, I usually am able to grasp new concepts quickly, but definitely, whenever I’m missing school, there is that challenge of learning on my own and figuring things out with minimal assistance being on the road.
Caroline Mahowald
Providence Academy
What do you like best about your school?
I’ve gone to Providence since kindergarten, and I’ve loved all of my time there. One of my favorite things has been the lunches—we have really good food! One of my favorite memories would be just talking with my lit teacher. We always have really good conversations, and it’s just a good break in the day.
My lit teacher is Ms. Uppgaard. She’s a great teacher, but I love how she cares about each student individually and tries to learn more about them. She definitely pushes me in school, but I also think she knows me really well as a person.
Another thing I love about my school is all the opportunities that we have. You can join really anything that you’re interested in, like sports, arts or different clubs.
Who or what motivates you the most?
My parents have motivated me a lot and really pushed me to be my best. My friends at school have definitely motivated me as well, because they all try really hard and do really amazing things. I want to be like all of them!
My parents both work very hard at their jobs, and they had to work hard to get there. They both inspire me, because I want to follow in their footsteps. They’re also both really great people, so they inspire me to be the same. I sort of use my parents as a guide to follow in school and extracurriculars.
I have three brothers. One is in college, the other is a senior in high school, and my youngest brother is in third grade.
What are your post-high school plans?
I really like Texas Christian University and Wisconsin-Madison, so I would possibly go there. I’m thinking something on the medical side for a career—maybe orthodontics. I’m not completely sure yet, but it will probably end up being something along those lines.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced over the past few years?
It’s hard to balance everything, especially in the winter, when I’ll have school and then basketball practice and then homework. I think one of the challenges for me is balancing my time and getting all my school work done and being able to get to all my different practices.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
One thing that I don’t think most people know, since I live in Minnesota, is that I don’t know how to ice skate. My brother plays hockey, and my whole family can skate, but I just do not!
Ruchika Kamojjala
Wayzata High School
What’s the biggest highlight from your time in high school so far?
The National Student Council Conference.
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for it to come to our school, and it will probably never happen here again. I went to the one in Boston last year, and I absolutely loved it. It was such a wakeup call for what I what to do with my life and what I’m passionate about. To be able to bring that to our school and for me to be involved by being a host is so exciting.
As much as I love being involved and being active in school, there is absolutely nothing that beats being surrounded by people who are as passionate about leadership as you are. And I know that sounds extremely corny! But truly, being around people who are so driven only motivates you to focus on your goals even more. To be able to host that experience for hundreds and hundreds of kids across the country—truly the highlight of my high school experience. As for how this applies to my future, the biggest thing would be the people skills. No matter what career I enter, I need to be able to connect with others and work with others in a productive way.
I also hope to lead my own non-profit some day, so I know these leadership skills will be put to good use.
Who or what motivates you the most?
My mom’s grandpa—so, my great-grandpa—was prime minister of India. Because of his hard work and leadership, he was the first one from his little village to leave to pursue an education. For him to go on and become prime minister is something that my family really holds on to, and it’s something that really inspires me as well.
My great grandpa’s name was PV Narasimha Rao. He was Prime Minister from June 21, 1991 to May 16, 1996. He grew up in the village Vangara in what is now Telengana.
What are your post-high school plans?
I want to double major in psychology and biochemistry and take a pre-med track. Right now, I want to become either an anesthesiologist or a pediatric surgeon.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I think that people think I’m a lot more put together than I actually am. I guess that’s how I like to present myself. But I’ve struggled with my cultural identity my whole life, since I grew up in an immigrant family, but I grew up here. That was something I always struggled with in elementary and middle school. I feel like people would be surprised to know that I used to have really bad self-confidence, just because I’m one of the most talkative people ever now. But I think that cultural struggle was what helped me figure out who I am today and what I’m passionate about.
You planned Wayzata’s student protest against gun violence—what inspired you to do so?
Quite honestly, this was a scary experience for me. I’m used to being vocal about my viewpoints, but something about doing it in front of my whole school was so terrifying! I got the idea from Twitter, where a lot of student groups had already been conversing about it. I then reached out to Activist Group at my school. This wasn’t a club I was involved in prior to the walkout, but they were super receptive and welcoming. The biggest reason I wanted to be involved in this conversation was because I truly felt like I needed to. There are very few things in our lives right now where we have full control. Whether that be school or work or otherwise, there is always an adult monitoring. When it came to our own lives, it felt important for us to be the ones standing up. The turnout was great, and, most importantly, discussion was promoted.
John Whitmore
Benilde-St. Margaret’s
What do you like best about your school?
I really value the community that Benilde has. There’s a lot of really great people who care about the well-being of others. Everybody is so supportive. Everybody wants to help other people and see them thriving and living their best lives.
What’s the biggest highlight from your time in high school so far?
Most definitely winning the football state championship when I was a sophomore. We fought through a lot of adversity that season, and during the championship game, our starting back went out the first drive off the ground. We had our backs against the wall during the game, but we ended up pulling it off, which was a lot of fun.
I started varsity as a freshman. I play [linebacker]. We were the underdogs the entire season—we lost a few games due to injuries and suspensions. During the state championship game, our star running back separated his shoulder on the first drive of the game. He was out for the rest of it. We had a lot of key players step up and make plays, and we were able to fight through adversity to win the state championship.
What are your post-high school plans?
I’m not completely sure yet, but I’ll probably get a business degree. I’m also almost fluent in Spanish, so I might get a Spanish language degree as well. I feel like a business degree combined with the ability to speak fluent Spanish would be really beneficial in today’s world.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced over the past few years?
Coming to a new school was a challenge, but I’m really glad I switched, because Benilde has developed into such a strong community for me. It was hard not knowing anybody, but I’ve been able to develop bonds and relationships with not only the students but the faculty and staff there as well. It was a completely new school, and I didn’t know anyone, but now, I couldn’t be happier.
I was in seventh grade when I made the switch to BSM. I made the switch because of the strong academics, the high quality sports teams and the great sense of community the school brings.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I’ve won two ice cream eating competitions, and that’s something I’m pretty proud of! Our football team does one every year, but I started competitive eating at a young age. When I was 6, there was an ice cream eating competition at my grandma’s cabin in Brainerd with a bunch of other 12-year-olds. Another fun fact is that I’m an avid baseball card and sports memorabilia collector. Not only do I love playing sports, but I love collecting cards, autographs, all types of stuff. I have a pretty large collection, which is something I’m proud of.
My favorite piece of memorabilia is a football signed by the members of the 2012 Vikings team.
