Today we’d like to introduce you to Maanas Sharma.
Maanas, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always been interested in math and went into freshman year at the School of Science and Engineering, wanting to pursue that passion of mine. However, when I saw the debate club presentation as a freshman, I was very interested in joining the team and learning how to vigorously defend my opinions. Since we debate a broad topic throughout the entire year, policy debate forces you to be prepared to defend policies from any possible angle against some of the top thinkers in the country. My experience in policy debate fueled a newfound interest in public policy and how to do good with it.
In particular, I approach policy with a quantitative lens: which policy is statistically shown to be the most effective? How does this affect other things like the economy and the climate? Moreover, each of my competitors in policy debate has their own perspectives that they use to inform their opinions. Understanding each individual’s unique situation has informed me in my personal life as well as my initiative, the Journal of Interdisciplinary Public Policy.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have been fortunate to have the most supportive friends and family one could ask for. My parents have been a constant source of advice and emotional support through this journey, and my friends have taken advantage of this opportunity to share their own opinions on important policy issues.
My greatest difficulty so far has been expanding the journal to as many young people as possible. Our end goal is to create a public policy space that listens to everybody, especially youth from diverse backgrounds. However, even if very interested in political issues, very few young students have the experience writing academic papers necessary for our journal! So, we created the journal to include three categories, Art + Poetry, Commentary, and Essay, so that there is an opportunity for growth and varied styles. Many youths, especially in high school and college, are told to pursue only one thing and abandon their other interests. The various categories of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Public Policy allow students to explore different interests and combine politics with, say, art or poetry; thus, the Interdisciplinary part of our name.
Another personal struggle I face is balancing the Journal of Interdisciplinary Public Policy with my other responsibilities as a high school student. Apart from the journal, I have a rigorous course load and compete in math and policy debate tournaments. In order to help with time management, I am currently recruiting team members for JIPP – you can apply at www.ipp-journal.org/join-us. All in all, everything I do comes from a place of passion. So, while on some days, I just don’t have enough time to work on the journal or some of my other responsibilities, by the next day, I am longing to come back to work on it!
Please tell us about Journal of Interdisciplinary Public Policy.
The Journal of Interdisciplinary Public Policy is an online, open-access journal that features a set of diverse perspectives on a specific topic in each issue. Our goal is to create an environment for the younger generations to explore policy in a rigorous but supportive environment that provides a forum for their opinions. This devotion to crafting policy and analyzing current issues in a detailed way but also only allowing youth to contribute makes us unique in the nation.
Too often, public policy discussions only consider the needs of the few people who have voices in the industry. Expanding the capacity of public policy is something that needs to start at a young age, and we pride ourselves on our inclusivity in elevating all perspectives on public policy. To create equitable policy, we need to give everybody a seat at the table; JIPP allows youth from different backgrounds to argue for policy changes that are influenced by their unique perspectives.
The crux of JIPP is our quarterly journal, which is always accepting submissions at www.ipp-journal.org/submit. Since each issue focuses specifically on one topic, reading the journal provides a well-curated understanding about an issue and how to craft policy solutions from many perspectives. Moreover, to have a constant discussion, we run a blog on our website where we publish opinions regularly. We strive to show older generations that our generation is just as capable and necessary to include in policy discussions, and the constant stream of content on our blog is one of the ways we do that.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
My favorite part about Dallas is the small business owners (specifically restaurant owners). Though I am a vegetarian, all of my friends love the classic Texas barbeque at their local joints! Especially during this pandemic, supporting our family-owned restaurants and small business is more important than ever: they keep us all going on some of the best food in the country and it’s great to keep our sense of community!
My least favorite part about the city is probably the summer heat! While spring and fall in Texas are absolutely amazing, I tend to dislike the scorching summer sun so kudos to all my fellow teens who are practicing band and sports everyday in the summer.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ipp-journal.org
- Email: contact@ipp-journal.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ippjournal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Journal-of-Interdisciplinary-Public-Policy-111052720720040/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/IPPJournal1
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ippjournal/
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