It’s Thursday night — you just got back from a Model UN meeting — and you’re about to start studying for that massive calculus test tomorrow morning after finishing your ungodly amount of homework. The only thing that gets you through the rest of your all-nighter is the thought that in less than 24 hours, it’ll be Friday — then you realize that you have a debate meet after school and a research paper due on Monday.While most students would crumble under the pressure of great expectations and a schedule jam-packed with AP courses and demanding clubs, a small number manage to stand out and succeed despite hardly having any free time. LHS senior Ankur Rastogi is no exception.
With a perfect GPA and a perfect ACT, Rastogi seems to have used the educational system to catapult himself to the forefront of LHS’ most academically inclined. His sparkling scholastic record and unwavering work ethic has given him a competitive edge. When asked about his plans for college, Rastogi says he aspires to enroll in Stanford University.
“I applied for bioengineering… and then the tentative plan after that is medical school,” Rastogi explained.
To be accepted to Stanford, one’s test scores and school grades must speak for themselves — in essence, admission into a university like Stanford is extremely selective and highly coveted, demanding not only advanced coursework and community involvement, but also indisputable academic success. In terms of last-minute study tips and how to ace tests, Rastogi says there’s not much to it.
“It’s usually just studying beforehand and waking up, trying not to freak out, and then just going in hoping it’ll be okay,” he noted.
Beyond his academic career lies Rastogi’s unquestionable commitment to extracurricular activities. Even as a member of National Honor Society, a representative to the school board, a varsity member of Worldwide Youth Science and Engineering, and the Penwasciz student intern at Condell Medical Center, he still finds time to excel in his “big three” clubs: math team, debate team, and Model UN.
“I’m on math team for obvious reasons — I’m Indian, I like math,” Rastogi joked, employing his typical self-targeted humor. “[My interest in] debate team was born out of a desire to respond to the parents who always told [me] to stop talking after a certain time… it was a chance to take those discussions to a logical conclusion.”
Yet what might be most striking about Rastogi’s personality is not his innate ability to make people laugh, but rather his ability to recognize himself as part of something bigger.
“[Model UN is] a good way to get some perspective about things… we always think about what’s wrong with our lives, but we tend to not think about anything beyond this little bubble. Model UN is a chance to get out there and explore beyond that bubble.”
This passion for exploration and affinity for Model UN is something Rastogi’s Model UN advisor, Mrs. Lauren Pothast, can attest to.
“Last year, we went to a conference in February, and we actually arrived at the conference a day late because we were snowed in,” Mrs. Pothast remembered. “We were kind of thrown in after the conference had already started… When we walk into [Ankur’s committee], he’s already up and talking, and he’s already got people agreeing with him… He’s a natural.”
How Rastogi manages his time between clubs, an internship, and some of the most difficult courses LHS offers is much simpler than many would guess. There’s no magical formula — he even gets to sleep on time rather than dragging his workload out until 3 a.m.
“Schedule,” Rastogi says. “…everybody sees a huge list of tasks or a huge list of things they have to accomplish, and they decide not to do anything because it seems like a really really big problem. Instead, they’re like, ‘I’m just going to go watch cat videos for two hours.’” Rastogi explains that scheduling about an hour to 90 minutes per subject with 15-minute breaks in between can increase productivity and even make the workload more manageable. And in terms of procrastination? Rastogi confesses that while it may not be a regular problem, it definitely is a chronic one.
“The first time I ever procrastinated was fifth grade… at Oak Grove,” he recalled a little sheepishly. “Since then, I’ve gotten used to the negative impacts of procrastinating… if it was a regular thing, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to do everything I do because I’d be spending way too much time crying at 2 a.m.”
Humbly, Rastogi acknowledges that he wouldn’t be where he stands today without the help of the teachers who instilled in him a love for learning. Particularly, he speaks highly of Mr. Mike Bush, LHS’ AP Physics C teacher.
“[Mr. Bush] is someone who’s not just concerned with giving you the right answer or showing you how to get to the right answer, but rather with explaining carefully, methodically, and accurately why that’s the right answer,” Rastogi notes. “Also, he has some of the best jokes I’ve ever heard.”
However, Rastogi’s influence doesn’t halt in the academic world — he has also made a considerable impact on the lives of those close to him. LHS senior and good friend of Rastogi’s for eight years, David Cao, describes Rastogi as “…really smart, funny, charismatic, and [a really great person].”
“He’s always there to offer advice and help others,” Cao says. “Oh, and he can rap.”
Rastogi’s readiness to offer a hand, humble acknowledgement of his accomplishments, and witty sense of humor, all in conjunction with his academic excellence, makes him a student that many at LHS aspire to emulate.
“There’s not a lot of magical spice hiding behind the cupboard,” Rastogi explained.. Perhaps there really isn’t a secret to success. Perhaps a student is defined not by their GPA, but rather by what they invest in achieving it. In that case, Ankur Rastogi has had a pretty decent four years.
