When I met Naazneen in the summer of 2018, little did I know we’d still be working together four years later. As a founder’s associate intern, Naazneen does a little bit of everything to help Kaleidoscope grow—from emailing teachers to interviewing students to serving as my sounding board. We would not be where we are today without her!
Where Naazneen is now: Majoring in Environmental Studies at the University of Michigan. “I took a class with a geology professor who was really passionate about the environment. He got into sustainability through geology, and it made me realize how many pathways there are to learn about sustainability and how many different levels of action there are. Because of that professor, I realized I could see myself working in sustainability and creating a space around the things I’m passionate about, like international community.”
Kaleidoscope affiliations: Alum of Social Sciences for Social Problems (‘18), Student Advisory Board (‘18-20), Marketing Intern (summer ‘19), Founder’s Associate Intern (‘21-’22)
A risk she’s currently taking: “Writing a thesis. The thesis is a really big risk because it requires a lot more time and a lot more planning than anything I’ve done in the past. It’s in the early stages, but my thesis is exploring the relationship between gender politics and sustainability. I’m going to be looking at whether insights from microloans can be applied to women who want to open businesses to support sustainability, specifically in Southeast Asia.”
Her reading recommendation: Middlemarch by George Elliot. “It was such an in-depth psychological exploration of the characters. Ever since, I’ve been thinking about people the way [Elliot] thinks about her characters.”
Her reading routine: “I get up really early in the morning so that I can read before I start my day. I read for half an hour then and half an hour before I go to bed.”
A Kaleidoscope skill she still uses: “Writing compelling surveys. I use that a lot. I’m not in statistics, but I use that skill way more than I ever could have thought I would. Also presentations–especially now getting into senior year where you do a lot more presentations. Kaleidoscope really helped me present for any audience on any topic. Powerpoints and surveys–I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t have learned those if it weren’t for Kaleidoscope.”
Why Naazneen thinks high school students should get involved with Kaleidoscope: “It’s such a great opportunity to learn things you genuinely wouldn’t learn in high school. And it’s such a great community. It’s an organization that really cares about its students. You can stay involved (like I have!). And it gives you such a head start to college. When I went to college, not to harp on the Powerpoints and the surveys and the analytical skills, but I learned those before because of Kaleidoscope. And no one else knew them. It gave me such a leg up. It made the transition from high school to college way less stressful.”
Naazneen’s advice to high school students: “High school is such a great time to explore. Take advantage of the opportunities around you: they might change your life! In high school, it can be really scary to apply for things because you haven’t necessarily been rejected from anything yet. If you do start applying for these things, overcoming the fear of rejection early would be a huge benefit.”
Note: You can learn the skills Naazneen references in our Capstone course.