The 17-year-old from Southeast Washington was recently chosen to participate in a mentoring program with President Obama. He is a junior at the Academies at Anacostia, which is run by Friendship Public Charter Schools. How did you get selected for the mentorship program?
My teachers recommended me ’cause I’m a good student.
What’s your best subject?
Math. Next semester I’ll be studying trigonometry. Geometry is my favorite.
What do you want to be when you’re older?
I want to be a computer engineer. When I was 7, I went to a summer camp, and the teacher I had — we went and got some junk computers and he taught us how to rebuild them from what we just had. And I felt like that was my calling. It had to do with math, and you know all the skills that you learn in school.
What do you hope to get out of this mentorship?
A new view of college and a new view of the world.
Have you started thinking about where you want to go to college?
I can give you two schools: Michigan and Mercer.
Do you think the mentorship program will help with preparing for college?
It helps me to get into college and it helps me look at different things just in case I change my mind — [in case] I don’t want to be a computer engineer, I want to be something else in a new subject.
Are you scared to meet the president?
I’m not scared because I’m used to keeping my cool. When lots of other people are intimidated, I’m used to being in situations like that where I can just keep my cool.
What’s the number one question you want to ask?
How is it difficult being the president?
– Rachel Baye
