Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - September/October 2011 - (Page 34)

Meeting the by Max Isenberg already participated in Science Bowl and was captain of my school’s Quiz Bowl team, so when Karthik Dhore, a senior at my high school, was looking for students to compete in the Economics Challenge, I was interested. Economics fascinates me. I like that small changes can create vast repercussions throughout the system. I’m intrigued by how ordered, yet chaotic, the economy is. In the annual Economics Challenge, teams of high school students from across the country answer questions on microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international current events at the state, regional, and national level. Ultimately, Karthik—along with Coach Peter Itokazu (Mr. I)— recruited a dozen AP Economics students to participate, including me. Karthik placed us into teams of three for the first-round, online test. At school early one morning, we answered the 30 questions. When we received the results from the California Council on Economic Education, my team didn’t even make it to the state level. End of story. At least, one would think so. But as it happened, both graduation and physics camp would fall on the same weekend as the National Economics Championship. Several students from our school who advanced through the regionals couldn’t attend the nationals. Usually, schools had the same members from beginning to end of the Challenge, but the coincidence of our school’s graduation and the physics camp meant we needed replacements. I was re-recruited, this time by a team headed to New York City, home of the Economics Council headquarters, for the National Economics Challenge. I round, but Nikhil, like me, had been called in just a few weeks before the nationals. And lengthy preparation was impossible: Because we were in the midst of AP exams, our first opportunity to practice as a team was the same week as the competition. Our interests determined the topics we’d study. Nikhil would cover figures such as unemployment and inflation rates; Michelle focused on the Federal Reserve and monetary policy; Ramya reviewed economic theory and history; and my topic was current events. To prepare, I compiled six months of Time magazines and studied the economic news, both domestic and international. Our two economics teachers spent two long afternoons quizzing us on sample questions. The day before leaving for the competition, we gathered in Mr. I’s classroom where we sped through dozens of questions, furiously scribbling notes on questions we couldn’t answer. The following day, we flew to New York, arriving at 11 pm. Although we were tired, the drive into the city was spectacular. Even at this late hour, the vibrancy was palpable. The Economic Capital of the World The next morning, the National Council for Economic Education, which hosts the competition, had scheduled interviews with contestants for a promotional video about the Challenge. The interviews took place in the Economics Education Council headquarters, just blocks from Grand Central Station and the Chrysler Building. Finding our Focus Our team’s four members had taken AP Economics last year as juniors. Although we’d all participated in the first round of the Challenge, only Ramya had been with the state champion team from the beginning. Michelle had participated in the regional Nan Morrison, CEO of the Council for Economics Education, Nikhil Narayen, Ramya Rangan, Max Isenberg, Michelle Deng, Coach Peter Itokazu, and Secretary Chairman of the Board S. Bufort Scott. 34 imagine Sept/Oct 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - September/October 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - September/October 2011
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Physics Is…
Making the Team
Nuclear by Nature
Physics: The Next Generation
Telescopic Views
Exploring the Mysterious Lives of Stars
Around the Universe in Three Weeks
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Book Buddies
Meeting the (Economics) Challenge
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - September/October 2011