Rahul Madgavkar

  

Volume 8 | Issue III | September 2024

Montclair Kimberley Academy ’25

New Jersey, USA

  

Growing up in India, my fascination with history was ignited early on by reading about the colonial and pre-colonial periods of South Asian history. I have a profound interest in the field of education and have spent several years interning at a non-profit educational technology organization focused on early childhood education in India. Relocating to the United States just before starting high school, I found the suburban American community to be in sharp contrast with Mumbai, the city from which I had moved. I wanted to understand the unfamiliar social and economic landscape of my new home by examining it through a historical lens. During my junior year, I delved into a particular facet of US history for a semester-long junior thesis. I decided to investigate the effects of the G.I. Bill on postwar America, a subject that merged my passion for history and education, enhancing my understanding of the historical foundations of my surroundings. This journey of discovery has highlighted the profound economic and social consequences that policy decisions in areas such as education and housing can have, affecting multiple generations. In school, I head the Model UN and Philosophy Club, preside over the Global Leadership Committee, and am a member of the Student Ed-Tech Leaders Committee. Outside of school, I volunteer at the Montclair Local History Center, leading a project aimed at preserving the stories of local historians and residents.