Photos by Toffy Prikittiphoom ’24/The Choate News
Seniors in the John F. Kennedy ’35 (JFK) Program in Government and Public Service finalized their experience in the program in a series of lectures to the student body. On May 3, 10, and 17, community members gathered in Getz Auditorium to listen to the hard work of these students.
Since joining the Signature Program in their sophomore year, students in the JFK program have experienced well-rounded education in politics through internships, courses, and seminars. In a final lecture to showcase their knowledge and dedication to politics, government, and public service, JFK students are required to give a TED-talk-style presentation on a topic of their interest related to the program. This presentation allows students to share the culmination of their work with the greater Choate community.
Director of the JFK program, Mr. Ned Gallagher, said, “It’s a chance for them to draw some broader conclusions because the topics of their talks can be drawn from the coursework they’ve done — the required courses, electives, off-campus experience, or it can be exploring a topic that was covered in the tutorial in greater depth.”
Reflecting the numerous interests of JFK students, the topics of the presentations consisted of diverse perspectives. Clarence Liu ’22 presented on the court case of Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard. In his speech, he discussed the Affirmative Action Policy, which was established as an effort to improve employment and opportunities for minority groups. He described how SFFA, an anti-affirmative-action organization, challenged Harvard University on the subject of discrimination toward Asian applicants.
Liu was inspired by a case he read in his JFK tutorial class, leading to his decision to delve deeper into the field of Supreme Court cases. During his presentation, Liu touched upon the dramatic changes that this case could have on college admissions, such as a decrease in the percentage of Black and Latiné students admitted, aiming to answer the question: “Does diversity merit discrimination?” With this presentation, he hopes that students will “keep up with current events, politics, court cases because those all have a really big ability to affect you no matter who you are.”
Honor O’Donnell ’22 presented on “Constitutional Infringement and Witch Hunts: America’s Cultural War.” In her presentation, she spoke on various cases that involved hyper-surveillance and vigilantism, exploring three pieces of legislation — the Texas Heartbeat Act, Parental Rights in Education Act, and California’s Real Public Safety Plan. While brainstorming for her presentation, O’Donnell noticed the “political loophole where laws that are enforced by citizens can directly bypass amendments.” She studied how each legislature involved the undermining of the constitution and incentivization to act against citizens. O’Donnell hoped that the audience would “genuinely think about whether their personal politics are worth eradicating bipartisanship and turning ordinary citizens into informants.”
Tigo Ponce de Leon ’22 discussed the use of art in social media and politics through his presentation, “The Ascendance of Pepe the Frog: A Window Into the Political Echo Chambers Incubated on Social Media.” Leon discussed the role of Pepe the Frog in the media. Particularly, he elaborated on how it started as an innocent drawing and is now used as a hate symbol. Drawing inspiration from the documentary Feels Good Man, Leon chose his topic for its humor and lightheartedness. He said, “I just knew that I’d be spending a lot of time with the content, so I wanted something that was not very dry but had a bit of color to it.”
In this digital age, Leon also hoped to find something that would be relevant and relatable. He said, “Being a teen of the digital generation, I can relate to the pressing issue that is social media and the way in which it’s impacting our lives.” In his speech, he expressed this concern, giving examples of how Pepe the Frog has been used and abused in politics. He was pleased with his performance and appreciated the support of his peers. The audience enjoyed the humorous aspect of his speech and was amused by his interpretation of Pepe the Frog.
The well-researched and engaging presentations of this year’s seniors inspired all of its audience members — especially younger students involved in the program. Muñoz, who is also a member of the JFK program, said, “This really gives me inspiration for my TED talk, which I will have to complete next year, and it gives me inspiration for topics that I might want to delve into deeper during the seminar that we all take in the winter.”
Another JFK student, Melody Qian ’24, also appreciated the opportunity to learn about the issues that were presented and get an insight into her future as a member of the program. She said, “I’m looking forward to taking all the electives and being a lot more informed so that I can pursue my passions and government and politics because I feel like it’s pretty rare to have the opportunity to be able to access so many electives in this field, and I’m really excited to take all those classes and see where they lead me in terms of my final project.”
By gaining a deeper understanding of various political and world views, the seniors in the JFK program have learned to be respectful and open to different perspectives, thus increasing their political experience. Through this signature program and the culminating final presentations, JFK students end their time in the special program but will finally take their first steps into the demanding but rewarding world of public service, expanding their intellectual horizons and building upon the legacy of President Kennedy.
