The National Honor Society (NHS) was created in 1921 with the purpose of elevating a school’s commitment to the values of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. This organization is now spread across the country with hundreds of schools establishing NHS chapters within their student body. Maggie Walker itself has an NHS chapter, growing and flourishing to encompass nearly all of the upper-class student body. A key feature of NHS every year is the scholarship that it provides to a number of students nationwide who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to their community as well as leadership.

Two Maggie Walker students were recognized by the National Honor Society and were in the running for this award: Pooja Muthuraj and Isabella Lee. Muthuraj went on to become a national finalist and won a ten thousand dollar scholarship. She is the founder and president of PERIOD within Maggie Walker, a chapter-based organization working to end period poverty and stigma through service, education, and advocacy. She is also the co-founder of Teen Polytx, a non-profit organization dedicated to holding talks, discussions, and forums about political and current events. When asked how it felt to receive such an honor, Muthuraj said, “I’m still not entirely sure I’ve gotten over the shock. Above all, though, I’m proud to have been able to represent Maggie Walker at this level.”

When asked about what Muthuraj did throughout her high school years, she stated, “I did things that were meaningful to me, not things that could win me scholarships or gain me acceptance into ultra-prestigious colleges. I started a band with some friends, I wrote poetry, I volunteered at the YMCA… I just did things I enjoyed and felt made a difference in some small way.” Congratulations to Pooja and Isabella!