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A Step Above: A Step Above – Daniel Waqar
Advanced Technologies Academy
Class of 2012
The answers to life’s most important questions lie in the details, and those details rarely escape the sharp and inquisitive mind of Advanced Technologies Academy senior Daniel Waqar. Eloquent, personable and always informed on current events, Daniel hopes to turn a passion for public service into a career in policymaking, using his forward thinking sensibilities to help shape the way we live our lives. A small group of dedicated people is all it takes to change the world, and it’s that devoted sense of purpose that elevates Daniel Waqar to – A Step Above.
G.P.A.: 4.546
Activities/Community Service
- Nevada Delegate, 50th Annual U.S. Senate Youth Program, 2012
- Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum Representative, 2011
- Nevada Boys’ State Delegate, 2011
- Forensics Treasurer, 2010-11; President, 2011-Present
- Sr. Executive Assistant to VP of Research, Coldwell Banker, 2010-Present
- Academic WorldQuest Captain, 2011-Present
- CCSD Student Advisory Committee, 2010-11; Chairman, 2011-Present
- Nevada Youth Legislature, 2009-Present; District 9 Vice Chair, 2011-Present
- Americans for Prosperity Intern, 2012
- Varsity Quiz Treasurer, 2010-11; Co-Captain, 2011-Present
- Volunteer Tutor at Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, 2010-Present
- Freshman Mentor, A-TECH Connects Program, 2010-Present
Awards
- Senior Social Studies Student of the Year, 2012
- Senior Legal Studies Student of the Year, 2012
- Professor R.S. Nigam NPRI Freedom Scholarship, 2012
- NV Energy Powerful Partnership Scholarship, 2012
- Sigma Pi Phi Foundation Excellence in Education Award, 2012
- George Washington Ambassador Program Essay Contest Winner, 2011
- AP Scholar, 2011
- CTA Legal Studies Student of the Year, 2011
- 3rd Place, Varsity Public Forum, Nevada State Forensics, 2011
- 1st Place, Student Congress, Spring Valley Holiday Invitational, 2009
Daniel Looks Up To: “I look up to my AP English Literature and Composition teacher, Ms. Ziegler, because of her caring, dedicated and empathetic nature. Among her students, she has earned the nickname “Mama Ziegler,” because she cares for her students as if they were her own children.”
Daniel is Stronger and Wiser Because: “As a Youth Legislator, I sponsored a bill to amend the Nevada Constitution to allow for state lotteries, the proceeds of which—estimated to be $60 million annually—would go directly to Nevada’s education fund. At the bill’s hearing, I challenged the gaming industry’s lobbyists directly, taking on the industry for its fervent opposition to a proposal that would make a significant beneficial impact to education funding.”
Improving Student Life: “If I could make changes to improve student life at my school, it would be to increase after-school tutoring. I have noticed that a great deal of students are struggling in the most basic of subjects—like geometry and English—and though I have spent years organizing collective after-school tutoring programs, more work needs to be done on this front.”
