Newton North's Laura Schmidt-Hong Eyes Knowledge Access At MIT

NEWTON, MA — Laura Schmidt-Hong has a thirst for knowledge. She also has a desire to find ways to impart that knowledge to those who might most benefit from it. That is why the recent Newton North High School graduate split her extracurricular time at the school between being captain of the Science Olympiad and Environthon teams and features managing editor and writer of The Newtonite school newspaper.

"I like the duality of drawing from both sides of the spectrum," she said. "It’s nice to have that balance between taking a lot of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes, like AP chemistry and biology, and being involved with something in the humanities. Something that STEM tends to lack is communication. You have all this information, but it's not disseminated to the general public. I think what I do in journalism will help me in the future if I go into something STEM-related, which I plan to do."

Schmidt-Hong, who was also captain of the Girls Coding Club and received one of the school’s prestigious Charles Dana Meserve Scholarships, will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall.

"I am both excited and nervous," she said. "I am looking forward to all of the opportunities there are to learn there, and the really high level of accessibility there is for students to cutting-edge research and world-renowned studies."

Her senior year at Newton North ranged from participating in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl to writing investigative pieces on how Newton was implementing the law legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts and examining the sexuality and health curriculum at the high school.

"I really enjoy writing longer pieces because you can provide a lot more depth and really flesh out a topic," she said. "I like to explore as many of the facts involved in a subject as possible."

That inquisitive nature helped Schmidt-Hong make the most of her four years at Newton North and led to her selection, along with friend and classmate Emma Klein, as a Meserve Scholarship recipient at graduation.

"I am very impressed that they kept it a secret for so long," she said. "When they called my name for it at graduation I was like: 'Do I go up on stage? Do I stay here? What I am supposed to do?' I wasn’t expecting it at all. But it’s definitely an honor to be chosen for that award. I know I am joining an impressive group who have received it in the past — many of whom I know and really respect."