As Hill students start to wind down and finish up their school years, summer is the next thing on their minds. Students look forward to a season of relaxing, bonding, and pursuing their dreams.
By reaching out to over 40 start-ups, Noorie Dhingra ’21 was able to land herself a summer internship at Motivote, an organization focused on increasing voter participation and turnout by using gamification, behavioral economics, and big data – all things that Dhingra has a passion for. Dhingra hopes that this summer she can get a taste of working in start-ups and use this passion to help motivate increase voter turnout, especially for the upcoming 2020 elections.
“Although I haven’t specifically worked at an organization like Motivote yet, my passions revolve around working with people to help the community,” Dhingra said. “Besides that, I have also been pursuing regular independent studies (RIS) since my fourth form year. This year, I have been pursuing a RIS on healthcare economics and big data. Considering that Motivote is essentially centered around behavioral economics and big data, it was a no-brainer for me to reach out in hopes of professionally developing my interests.”
When asked how her plans would change during the rise of the coronavirus pandemic, Dhingra acknowledged that many factors were still to be determined and that there is a chance that she would not be able to meet with colleagues at Motivote. Dhingra hopes she can at least work from home. At the end of the day, Dhingra is staying focused on her task – regardless of her surroundings – she hopes to help.
Andrew Chirieleison ’21, another Hill student, plans to spend his summer in the local area.
“Obviously, due to unprecedented circumstances, a lot of people and their summer plans have been placed on hold for the time being,” Chirieleison said. “So, to be completely honest, I do not have a whole lot planned as of right now, but I do intend on spending time with family that I haven’t been able to visit.”
The recently elected as a SGA co-president along with Sasjha Mayfield ’21, Chirieleison sees the summer as a great way to prepare for his important, upcoming sixth form year.
“As always, my main goals for this summer will consist of preparing for the upcoming football season and school year along with relaxing and spending time with family,” Chirieleison said. “I will say, with regard to the SGA, Sasjha and I have and will continue to meet throughout the coming months so that we can hit the ground running next year and prepare for whatever that may look like.”
From a start-up in New York to preparing ones self mentally, logistically and physically for the next school year, summer provides a period for growth and exploration for all of us.