About Me
Hi, my name is Akash Mahajan and I am a senior at Mission Hills High School, in San Marcos, California.
I used to think current events and politics weren’t important. Those were divisive topics that weren’t meant for people my age. I couldn’t vote. People don’t listen to kids' opinions on politics. There was no reason to care. Even my parents told me to not worry about politics. And like the majority of youth, I ignored current events and focused on my own personal bubble.
But that changed after I took AP Human Geography during my freshman year. Human Geo opened my eyes to the world and current events. I remember my teacher, Mr. Hackbarth, spent an entire week exploring the topic of gerrymandering, and how it is ruining our elections. I knew that this was wrong and realized that I had to somehow make an impact. Human Geography forced me to learn about the world and made me realize I wanted to make a difference!
After taking AP Human Geography, I started paying attention to current events and I wanted to get involved. To satisfy this hunger, I joined my school’s Model UN program, where I attended multiple conferences where I collaborated with students to create resolutions to world crises, like the Syrian Refugee Crisis and the Central African Civil War. I was excited to learn about these situations and work with my peers to create solutions, but I wasn’t making a real impact.
To expand my experience, I attended an international relations program at Georgetown University. I learned from Georgetown professors and world politics professionals and worked with like-minded students to enhance my knowledge of politics and international relations.
This past February, I finally found an opportunity to take action and intern with a Congressional campaign for Ammar Campa-Najjar, who expressed my values of a government that looks for solutions from all political ideologies. I was excited to finally take steps that allowed me to have an effect on the political world.
However, most high school students don’t get the opportunity to make even the slightest influence. I have friends who are very interested in politics but don’t know what steps they can take to make a difference. Many students across America are passionate about politics and international relations, just like me, but lack the education and resources to make an impact.
So I decided to create Students Taking Action! The mission of Students Taking Action is to educate high school students on national and global issues and collaborate with them to make a direct, positive impact on the world.
Each month, my team and I will explore a different national or global issue. We will explain the issue and offer suggestions for ways students can help. These will be individual actions, ranging from signing an online petition, to writing a letter to your senator. I hope that, together, we can make a positive impact on world issues!
Check out my blog to learn more!