The next few months will be a very busy time for Susquehanna Valley High School junior Kristen Allen.
The League of Women Voters of New York State has chosen Kristen to attend the 2018 Students Inside Albany youth conference, representing all of Broome and Tioga Counties. From May 20-23, Kristen will be shadowing state representatives, touring governmental facilities, taking a mini-cruise on the Hudson River, and learning a great deal about public policy and representative government in New York State, and how students like her play a role. Kristen had to write an essay and sit for an interview with a League committee. She was among two finalists for the conference spot and following the interview, she was selected.
“Kristen is a wonderful young woman. She is smart and driven and she puts her heart into everything she does, always giving 110%,” said teacher Jody Butts, who recommended Kristen for the conference. “She is dedicated to her studies as well as being the lead lawyer and captain of the Mock Trail team. She is also a valuable member of Peer Leaders and National Honor Society.”
In June, Kristen will attend the SWiM2018 (Summer Workshop in Math) program at Duke University. This fully-funded opportunity arose through a recommendation from teachers Erin Robertson and Shauna Cody. “I’ll take two math courses and on the last day I’ll do a presentation that will be livestreamed,” Kristen said. “It’s very exciting! I had to do challenge questions and they were very difficult and I didn’t think I did very well. Apparently, I did OK!”
Kristen, who plans to attend Duke after graduation from Susquehanna Valley, envisions a future in engineering.