Nikita Bhaskar

1. How did you feel when you heard that you were the finalist for the National Merit Scholarship?

I was really happy. It felt like my hard work paid off.

2. What are some characteristics you believe helped you achieve this award?

I studied with Khan Academy before the PSAT, using their SAT lessons to help me prepare. Everyone taking the PSAT should look into Khan Academy’s personalized lessons–it’s free!

3. What is your academic area of passion and why?

My academic area of passion is foreign languages and global economics. I come from a family with roots worldwide, which is probably why foreign languages and foreign affairs excite me.

4. What are you planning to pursue in college?

I am planning on studying French and economics in college.

5. Do you know where you are going to college?

Yes, I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the fall.

6. What did you choose to write about in your main essay for the National Merit application? And why was it meaningful to you?

In my essay, I chose to write about an experience that helped me overcome an internal fear I had been struggling with for pretty much all my life. Here’s a summary:

During the winter break of my junior year, my family and I traveled to Saint Martin, a French-speaking island in the Caribbean, for vacation. When we visited the local shopping center, my dad dared me to speak in French to the native French speaker working at the front. While I walked up to the young lady, I felt waves of anxiety and fear wash over me. I could feel my French vocabulary jumbling around in my brain, conjugations swapping places and adjectives hiding in corners as my mouth went numb and my lips became paralyzed. All I could see were my grandparents, who only speak Hindi, and the pressure of their disappointed gaze, the pressure of having to prove my identity through my words. However, I blurted out the first thing I could think of in French to the lady, asking her if any restaurants were near the shopping center. I started walking away, sure she didn’t understand my sentence, when, to my surprise, she responded to me. We ended up conversing for about 30 minutes; we talked about our favorite French artists, our families, and her favorite spots on the island. I learned that however scary it may be to make a mistake while speaking a foreign language–a fear that had stopped me from connecting with my grandparents for the majority of my life–it’s worth it to put myself out there, worth it to make a mistake, when the alternative is not being able to connect with amazing people. From then on, I started studying Hindi and calling my grandparents weekly. I’m really grateful for that experience at Saint Martin.