Opportunities Unlocked featuring Jonah Z. Wang

Jonah Wang , winner of a 2022 National Merit $2500 Scholarship, attends 美国康奈尔大学 for a degree in policy analysis and management. Jonah declares, "From the debate pulpit to my policy research, I've become fascinated by how political and economic theories can impact lives through policy." In high school, Jonah participated in the We The People Competitive Civics team which focused on analyzing the intricacies of governing bodies. "Researching the Federalist Papers, I've seen how Madison and Hamilton designed our nation's most influential policy: the constitution," explains Jonah. In the summer of 2021, Jonah created a digital civic education platform SnapCivics.org, which he describes as "a student-run newsletter that simplifies legislative topics through concise, nonpartisan articles written for students, by students." A summer internship in 2022 brought Jonah to the Alameda County Office where he researched the impacts of water metering policies enforced by California state bill SB-7. "Through demographic statistics and Zone-7 reports, I found that multi-family complexes with individually metered units save more water than complexes with aggregate metering, proposing to the county that it extend submetering to all households," he notes.

"To be part of the NMSC Scholar Community means I am surrounded by peers who also pursue the same ambitions with the same passions and turn barriers into opportunities," says Jonah. "In a world of graphs and numbers, it is often very easy to see a return on investment. . . . However, donating to NMSC is an investment that cannot be captured by numbers. Instead, you are helping thousands of students from around the country pursue their academic and professional dreams. With your support . . . you are in reality crafting a better future for thousands of students, and crafting a better future for our community."