Throughout my career, I have returned to a single conviction: that the ability to think with clarity, rigor, and creative synthesis is what separates genuine mastery from mere competence. Yet I saw that the most crucial moment in a young person’s education – the transition from student to scholar – was often treated in two limited ways. On one hand, confined to the classroom, even earnest scholarship remained largely unseen, its impact rarely reaching beyond school walls.

On the other hand, I observed a newer, more alarming trend: the token inclusion of high school students as minor co-authors on professional academic papers. This practice offers a superficial credential without instilling the ethical discipline central to genuine scholarship, and it reserves this hollow advantage for the privileged few with access to such circles. Together, these trends revealed the need for a third way: a space for authentic scholarship that is neither a rehearsal nor a shortcut.

I founded The Schola as an answer to that need. It is more than a journal; it is a space dedicated to the shift from passive learning to active creation. Our purpose is to act as stewards for emerging scholars, providing their work a lasting forum. We publish work that goes beyond summary – work that demonstrates daring, discipline, and originality. Submitting to The Schola is not simply a step toward joining the great academic conversation – it is an act of entry. We partner with young scholars through a rigorous process of refinement, ensuring their debut into this conversation is one of clarity and force.

My belief in this endeavor is resolute. We remain devoted to the foundational work of our authors and to the enduring impact of their ideas. In an age saturated with AI-generated content, the person with the discipline to ask a single, brilliant question and wrestle with it authentically is the one who will truly matter. That is the person we are cultivating.

Eva M Shin
Founder, The Schola