Michaela Wright

COL ’15
Age: 21
Hometown: Born in San Francisco, Calif., moved to a suburb, moved to Davis, Calif., and then moved to Lake Tahoe, Nev.
Major: French and Government

How different is Nevada from Georgetown?
Well, I’m from a really small town — a ski resort town. It’s fairly international in the sense that it’s a tourist destination, so people come from all over, and it’s near a big city. But it has nowhere near the level of activity as D.C. It can feel really small at times. My high school was really small. Coming here, there’s a lot less nature but so much more city activities to do. We moved to Nevada for my dad’s job. He worked in the California state government and then he got his dream job in Lake Tahoe, and we decided to move there because it’s a great place to grow up. It’s really beautiful.

What do you do on campus?
My biggest thing that I do is I work in an RHO, and next year I’m going to be an RHO manager of one of the biggest RHOs on campus, VCW. I am on the club volleyball team and I’m a peer adviser for the College. I used to be in pep band; I stopped after sophomore year.

What’s the biggest change you’ve consciously made in your life, and why?
I was abroad in Strasbourg, France, in the fall. Since I was in a homestay, speaking French exclusively, I really had to abandon thoughts about what everybody was thinking about me. I was in a situation where I was the foreigner and I had no idea of certain things that were going on, so I just had to ask people. I think coming back to campus, I’ve done a much better job of not worrying what other people think about me, choosing to do what I want and not getting so bogged down with how I’m perceived. I just go after what I want and am not as afraid to speak up for what I want.

Do you feel obliged to be busy at Georgetown?
Definitely. I feel like I have certain things that I’m really involved with but I don’t have a million things going on. But it seems like a ton of Georgetown students do. I don’t know if everybody does or if it’s just the most vocal people who are the most involved. But if I have a lot of down time — which doesn’t happen a lot —I’m like: “What? I feel like I have too much down time compared to everybody else.” I definitely feel like I have to be active and busy. It’s important to maintain that balance and dedicate yourself more fully, better to go depth in a fewer amount of things rather than spread yourself too thin.

What are your plans after Georgetown?
Hopefully, I’ll get a job. My main thing is I want to work in a city; I haven’t quite decided where. I’m open to a lot of possibilities, whether East Coast or West Coast or maybe abroad, I don’t know. I’d like to get a job and after a few years see how it goes and go back to school, probably.

What would you study?
That’s the thing — that’s why I don’t want to go straight to law school or public policy school or any of that stuff because I don’t exactly know what I want to do. I figure some sort of grad school having to do with government stuff. I don’t know exactly yet, though. What I think I want to do right now is work for an international development organization, and since I have my French major, hopefully use French and my government background. I’m also interested in data and statistics and helping organizations that have a goal of development in countries that maybe don’t have the resources themselves, so I want to feel like I’m having an impact. I can’t see myself getting stuck in a position where I’m constantly doing the same thing like inputting data or something.

What’s your greatest fear?
Definitely in the near future, it’s not being around loved ones or friends. I already feel the pressure with my family on the west coast and my friends on the east coast. My biggest fear is feeling lonely in the sense that being far away from my friends will make it seem like that network has crumbled. I think a deterioration of my family and friends is a big fear. It would never completely fall apart, I don’t think, but I definitely am considering going to work in San Francisco after I graduate. But I know that my friends that I’ve met here will definitely not be on the West Coast, so that’s definitely weighing heavily in my decision. It’s really appealing to be in New York or D.C., where I already know so many people. It’s a really scary thought to go to the West Coast and be in a new city and not know anyone.

What’s your favorite class you’ve taken at Georgetown?
I really liked “Elements of Political Theory” with Fr. Schall, S.J. I actually got to take the class his last semester at Georgetown. He developed such a personal relationship with everyone even though the class was big, like 60 students. He knows your name and he stands outside the classroom and forms a personal connection with all the students. I’d be walking randomly on campus, and he would walk by me and say, “Oh, hi, Ms. Wright,” and remember little things that I had told him about me. Then, finally, we got to see his last lecture. It was like the whole semester, his class was leading up to this one moment. I learned a lot about political theory, which is the basis for the government major, so it was a really cool class to take.

If you could lead a protest on one thing, what would it be?
Plastic water bottles. I see so many people just buying plastic water bottles. It’s funny because my family recycles and we’re fairly green and turn off the lights, and I come to Georgetown and since I turn off the lights and recycle and use or reuse water bottles, everybody’s like: “Oh my god, you’re obsessed with the environment. You’re an environmentalist,” and I’m like, “No,” so that’s one thing. People just need to be more aware of their impact.

Which television character do you see the most of yourself in and why?
I definitely relate to Amy Poehler’s character in “Parks and Recreation,” Lesley Knope, just because she has got this really nerdy side to her, and when she gets passionate about something, she won’t stand down. I’m not as extreme as her, but she doesn’t stop at anything until she gets it. I really like the strong women and empowerment message that her character embodies. I see myself in her in the sense that I get really passionate and obsessed with certain things I’m into. For example, we have this class project I’m in right now where we have to make a bunch of graphics, and I’m trying to get every little detail perfect and make the colors right and the font right and everything. I guess going forward to being a manager for the RHO next year, I want to hire a great staff and focus a lot on little details. This character definitely does that, too. Also on volleyball, I am hyper-aware of every little mistake I make and trying to be the perfect player.

Interview by Braden McDonald