Jasper Winterton
Feature/Video Editor
Ali Schulz, senior, plans to pursue political science at Florida State University as a Presidential Scholar.
“I’m going to study political science because I’ve always been really into politics, and I want to be a legislator in my future, so political science is going to help me get that foundation in the law. I plan to continue on to law school to really increase my knowledge and set me up for success in my future career,” Schulz said.
Schulz is on the leadership committee for National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society and is the editor-in-chief of the ECHO newspaper, which she said, “has allowed me to share my opinions and my beliefs and also make high schoolers more informed of what’s going on in their community and what they should be worried about for their future.”
Along with that, Schulz also plays lacrosse and softball, and does swim.
“I’ve won a lot of awards through journalism. I’ve also won the Statesman Service Award, which honors students who are aware and thoughtful citizens committed to making a difference. I’m an AP Scholar with honor, which is for people who got threes or above on four or more AP exams, and I’m a scholar athlete,” Schulz said.
Schulz added, “I’m also an All-State Academic and an All-American Scholar Athlete for softball. I’ve been a three-sport athlete for all four years.”
Schulz said Donald Johnson, English teacher and ECHO advisor, has been a big influence on her throughout high school.
“It’s gotta be Mr. Johnson, my journalism teacher. He’s been there to support me every step of the way. He’s written my letters of recommendation, he’s just been wonderful all around, and, yeah, he’s always supported me and my passion for law and for journalism as well,” Schulz said.
Johnson said, “I’ve taught Ali for four years. Ali came to take journalism as a freshman, then she was news/opinion editor, and then junior editor, and now she’s editor in chief.”
“Her greatest strength, I think, is her opinion writing. She’s really good at using her voice to try to shine lights on places where she thinks the world could use a little improvement,” Johnson said.
Johnson added, he thinks the Echo has given Schulz an opportunity to shine light on injustices and issues she cares about. She has produced and written pieces on the Black Lives Matter movement, online bullying, political topics and other social topics through the Echo.
Schulz said her “parents are both first-generation lawyers, so my house has been filled with conversations about politics from a really young age. Especially after the 2016 election, I really jumped into the political experience more because I saw the damage that President (Donald) Trump was doing to our country, and I wanted to reverse it. I strongly believe that everyone should have equality in the United States, no matter race, gender, ethnicity, or anything like that.”
“The best part of high school for me has been building connections and learning and finding myself. When I came in freshman year, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, but through Echo, my classes and the support of my teachers, I’ve really figured out what I want to do with my life. I’ve gotten direction and I’ve built connections, and I have people who I know that I can always fall back on,” Schulz said.
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Jasper Winterton-Feature EditorThis will be Jasper Winterton’s first year on ECHO staff. He made several contributions while taking journalism class his freshman year. |
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