Anirudha Vaddadi

SFS ’16
Age: 20
Hometown: Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, moved to Singapore
Major: International Economics 

Do you feel obliged to be busy at Georgetown?
Yes. I think given all the opportunities you have available here at Georgetown, it would be a waste of time not to be busy. Obviously you have to manage how involved you are. But just not doing anything here is a waste of opportunity.

What do you do on campus?
This semester I’m the treasurer for the College Democrats. I plan all their events. It’s my first semester in Hilltop Consultants. So we provide consulting services to non-profits in the area. This semester we’re working with Teach for America, so a big-name organization. I also do a radio show, “Sampling Soul,” with my roommate Charlie [Lowe.] I help out at GAAP weekend, and I tutor [economics].

What has Georgetown helped you accomplish so far?
It definitely has given me a greater purpose in life. It’s given me a chance to explore my interests and figure out what’s right for me. I think the people at Georgetown have really shaped my perspective of the world and they help me work harder to be a better person. 

Do you feel you fit in at Georgetown?
Not in the sense that fitting in means you’re the same as everyone else, because I feel like at Georgetown everyone is a little bit different in their own way. Maybe fitting in in the sense that I’m involved in a lot of things. I’ve made myself very busy, which is what I feel like a lot of people at Georgetown do. I feel a part of the community, which makes me feel like I fit in, but at the same time being able to fit in and stand out at the same time is what you have to do at Georgetown.

What’s your favorite class that you’ve taken here?
I think it was Comparative Political Systems last semester with professor [Matthew] Carnes. It was mainly because of him that made the class. The curriculum was still interesting but he’s a really energetic speaker and he kind of makes each class seem like a sermon and he always ends with a call to action. He kind of inspires you to do great things. The way he finishes each lecture is awesome.

Compare and contrast where you’re from to Georgetown. Where do you feel more comfortable?
One thing I keep working on is public speaking. I’m used to speaking to a class, I’m really comfortable with that, but I want to develop it more professionally. That’s what I’ve been able to do with Hilltop Consultants. We gave our midterm presentation as a practice and I completely dropped the ball on it I was so nervous. So before you present to your client you present to the board, so we presented to the board and for some reason I just got really nervous and did really bad, but did much better with the client because it was a much more relaxed setting. We gave a practice for the final on Friday and I was kind of nervous about that, because there were actual consultants from PWC and Accenture there to just give you feedback, but that one went pretty well. 

Interview by Kim Bussing