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The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

James Siderius impressive background and looks toward a promising future

After earning 19 fives on AP tests, researching at Portland State University, and still finding time to hang out with friends, James Siderius, senior, has a wide array of accomplishments for a 17-year-old. Siderius is looking forward to a bright future when he attends Princeton University next fall.

Currently, Siderius is taking AP English, AP European History, AP Spanish, Teacher’s Assistant for AP Economics and an economics class at PSU.

“My favorite class is definitely the economics course at PSU,” Siderius said. “I’m really interested in econ, and there’s also math involved, which I really enjoy.”

According to Siderius, he is very interested in economics, and he hopes to someday find a career in that field.

“I hope to be a financial adviser to a firm or maybe work for the government,” Siderius said. “I’m more into microeconomics, so I want to work with more specific companies rather than work in macroeconomics which deals more with economic policies.”

Another career path that Siderius is considering is a career in teaching. In order to assist him in this, he has taken on an intensive Teacher’s Assistant job in which he helps Tonya Dailey teach her AP Economics class.

“As teaching assistant, I give lectures, make lessons, design activities and help the students out,” Siderius said. “I thought this would be a good experience because I might want to be a professor.”

According to Gabriel Weitz, junior, Siderius is very helpful in the class.

“James is always walking around and giving us tips and information about each topic,” Weitz said. “He also frequently leads the class through new chapters and whatnot. Plus he’s a bro.”

This fall, Siderius will be studying economics at Princeton. He received a scholarship of between $35,000 and $40,000 a year, meaning that his parents will only have to pay about $20,000 a year for his education. His second choice for college was Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which offered him $10,000 a year.

Along with his hard work at school, Siderius also works on projects outside of school.

“I spend a lot of time doing research work at PSU modeling economic systems,” Siderius said.

Last summer, Siderius took chemistry, economics and linear algebra courses at PSU. He also worked in the PSU Engineering Lab on computer software development.

“Basically, I took binary data that was encrypted and changed it into something that was much easier to understand to make things easier,” Siderius said.

Another program that Siderius continuously participates in is the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. He has done a different project every year of high school, and he has won numerous awards each time.

“Every year I do something new for ISEF,” Siderius said. “I won the NOAA ‘Taking the Pulse of the Planet Award’ for three years in a row and I’ve also won various naval research awards, along with others.”

When Siderius isn’t working on academics, he takes time to hang out with his friends and relax.

“Usually [my friends and I] will watch a movie, play golf or, if we can get enough people, play Frisbee,” Siderius said. “We also like to go to Portland and get pancakes, or just do whatever.”

Siderius is also a very good friend, on top of being very intelligent, according to Tyler Griffin, junior.

“He’s a really nice guy, and he’s really smart,” Griffin said. “He gives great hugs.”

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About the Contributor
Mary Earp, Co Editor-in-chief
Perfectionist, outgoing and busy are just three of the many words that describe Mary Earp, senior.   Earp heard about Amplifier from her eighth grade English teacher, and has been  a part of the staff since her freshman year. Currently, she is one of the three Co-Editors-in-chiefs of the paper. Most  people have goals that they would like  to pursue in their life, and this is a true statement for Earp as well. “I want to be a doctor, and I know this sounds cheesy, but I would really like to make a difference in the world,” Earp said.  After high school,  her hopes include attending either Pomona  College or University of California, Berkeley. Outside of school, Earp has a very hectic life which includes playing co-ed soccer, being a member of the school Mock Trial team and being  the President of National Honor Society.  She is traveling to New York in late October for an international Mock Trial Competition, Empire, where she is assigned to present the closing argument and both direct and cross examinations for the trial. Some highlights of Earp’s summer were hanging out with friends and taking a vacation to North Carolina, where she visited family and spent some time at the warm sunny beach. If Earp could visit any place two places in the world, she would choose “Italy and Machu Picchu, Peru, because the scenery is beautiful,” Earp said. Her favorite year in high school so far was junior year. “It  challenged me the most and broadened my horizons,” Earp said. So far in her senior year, the class Earp most enjoys is AP Environmental Science, “It’s very interesting, enlightening, and I have a great teacher,” Earp said. Earp’s senior year is  packed with AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus BC and AP English, leaving her with a long night of work to complete.   The most challenging part of taking these classes “is all of the work involved,” Earp said. So far, her last year in high school has been hectic and full of work, yet she is excited and looking forward to all of the opportunities that lie ahead in her future.
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James Siderius impressive background and looks toward a promising future