Students with a great enthusiasm for politics join the Young Democrats and Young Republican clubs, but this year even they seem to be struggling. Young Republicans was formed so that conservative students could meet and help advertise for an upcoming election, but second quarter has almost ended and the club has yet to be fully organized. Club officers have not been elected either, and members have been struggling to choose a viable Republican candidate to endorse.

“They’re just divided,” Young Republicans sponsor and Government teacher Fred Zuniga said. “When we had our first meeting, we had a few kids, maybe two or three who liked Romney, but the others didn’t. Two or three liked Gingrich, but the others didn’t. They want a perfect candidate, someone who appeals to every one’s interests, but there isn’t one, and that is why they are divided.”

But division is not the only issue lowering enthusiasm about these clubs. The media was willing to begin coverage in February of last year, but for many students, the timing is too early. The new year and the Republican Party primaries have only begun and neither party will have a nominee officially announced until the conventions take place in late August and early September.

“This year is an off year, but when September starts the Young Republicans can start up,” Zuniga said. “Every other year is a curse.”

But student’s apathy is not just a result of the date. Some students simply do not care, while other’s find the political process hard to follow and that they have little knowledge on the issues.

“I’m not interested because the issues are too complicated,” sophomore Joselin Hoyos said.

As junior Luisa Olivo sees it, students are also involved in time consuming school work and other extra-curricular activities instead of paying close attention to the election.

“I don’t have the time [to follow politics],” Olivo said.

Zuniga, however is more hopeful for the future. “These kids are all worried about their college essays and applications,” Zuniga said. “Don’t be down because these kids aren’t engaged. They’ll get engaged, it just takes time.”

Many students also feel that some of the issues don’t concern them. Most may not be old enough to vote in the next election.

Other students are disillusioned with the political process, and the lack of unity in the government creates a harsh environment that dissuades some students from being involved.

“[Politics] are too dramatic and I don’t like the fighting between the political parties,” junior Alba Campos said. “They tell you they’re going to do something, and then they don’t; they’re liars.”

According to the presidential race survey recently distributed, 60 percent of students affiliated themselves more with the Democratic Party compared to 14 percent for the Republican Party. President Barack Obama is believed to be the clear candidate to win the primary for the Democratic Party. He is virtually running unopposed.The majority of the students who favor the Democratic Party do not have much to be involved in right now. With the Republican party, even though the process of the primaries is beginning, due to less support, student interest in this election is low.

The layout of this election so far compared to the 2008 election has possibly played a big part as well. The 2008 election is considered one of the most historic presidential elections of all time, where the nation could of potentially had the first African American or woman president.

“That election was really close and it was exciting,” Zuniga said. “Obama and Hiliary were so exciting. There’s no excitement now.”

Caucasus and primaries for the Republican Party have been held in states so far that may not pose any interest to the students. The Virginia primary may influence enthusiasm, but it will not take place until Mar. 6.

“I would just like kids to get involved, and to find out about their government and vote, because if you don’t then the participation is very low and it won’t be reflective of what we want,” Zuniga said. “Our government is only as good as its people.”

1. So far Romney has won the Iowa caucus and is considered one of the strongest Republican candidates. I don’t believe Romney can ultimately win votes in other states therefore it will be more possible for Ron Paul. Paul is considered the most liberal candidate so he will be able to achieve votes from both parties.

Do you think the Republican Party is struggling to come up with a viable candidate? Why? 

2. Even though candidates such as Ron Paul and Mitt Romney pose viable arguments it is hard to say that the Republicans will have a strong candidate to run against Obama. Ron Paul is popular amongst the younger generation of America therefore it will be possible for him to gain the majority of their votes. The Republican party could be facing problems because of the recent presidential election where the majority of the states voted democrat.

What do you think are Obama’s strongest achievements to cite in the election?

3. Many critics argue that President Obama has not done much as president. In my opinion I disagree because it is not easy for him to pass anything with the majority of the house being republican. Obama’s strongest achievements are getting a health care reform bill passed through congress. During Bush’s presidency, he had many attempts to hunt down osama bin laden. Unlike Bush President Obama actually got the task done.

How well do you think Obama has addressed economic and unemployment issues, two of the top issues for the presidential election?

4. In office Obama has mostly tried protecting the people who contribute to the economy. Obama has prevented credit card companies from imposing arbitrary rate increases on customers. This protects those who are already financially unstable but also allowing them to spend more with lower credit rates. Obama has implemented tax cuts for 3.5 million small businesses so that employees can have healthcare. What I find most important is that he eliminated subsidies to private lenders of student loans and protected student borrowers. also Significantly expanded Pell grants, which help low-income students pay for college

 In what ways can Obama enhance his image to increase his chance for being elected for a second term

5. If everything I mentioned above is not enough to at least give him a second term then I don’t know what it. Obama is appealing to the youth of America by giving them more chances to grants, scholarships, and fair loans. Obama is creating a better future for American youth, unlike some candidates (Ron Paul) who want to appeal to the youth by legalizing marijuana. The legalization of marijuana may not only be to attract the youth but evidently it is obvious that it will.

 What effect do you believe Obama’s performance in office will have on the upcoming election?

6. A lot of voters have not noticed what President Obama has done and a lot of them do not want to see him in the second term. I think that everyone should allow Obama to have a second term so that he can pass his bills and at least attempt to bring our economy back into a surplus. The last president to do that was a democrat and I believe a democrat will do it again.

If Obama is re-elected will his second term be more successful compared to his first? How?

7. Obama has begun working on a stimulus package to repair the economy. What voters must understand is that George Bush brought the economy down the drain and spent to much capital on defense and war. Obama has already brought all the troops out of Iraq and states that there will be cuts in the amount of money going into our defense. Obama stresses the importance of education therefore he wants to give money to college students and the department of education.

What effect will the Tea Party have on the 2012 elections? Do you believe the Tea Party could actually help President Obama win re-election?

8. If Sarah Palin is apart of the tea party movement it poses no threat for Obama. Next question.

Do you believe the Republican party could potentially steal away re-election from Obama? Why?

9. It is possible for the Republican Party to win the election however they have candidates that argue the troops need to be sent back, that make claims that they cannot back up, that focus on Republican issues (gun control and abortion) therefore not gaining democratic votes. Obama recently stated that the US needs to borrow 1,200,000,000 and I don’t agree with this but there has to be a reason. His campaign has already raised 42,000,000, which shows that people still have interest in him being president. I want Obama to win the election but it is too soon to tell if the Republicans will take the presidency from him.

While many students might be aware of the special education program at AHS, and seen some of the students collecting the recycle or folding newspapers, many might not realize the breadth of the program and the diversity of the conditions of the students enrolled. With approximately 330 students, the program currently provides for 13 types of disabilities, including specific learning disabilities, autism, emotional disabilities, and orthopedic impairments. As the the largest special education program in the county, the staff works to accommodate the varying abilities of all the students.

“Every student (in the special education program) has an Individualized Education Program (IEP),” Gail Grinstaff, a social worker at AHS said. “At least once a year the parents, students, case manager, and teacher discuss the students progress and needs.”

The program works carefully to ensure that students receive the attention and assistance they need, but in the least restrictive environment. There are 38 teachers in the special education program who work with the students in two class styles, self-contained and team-taught classrooms. The self-contained classes are smaller in size and are for students who would benefit from a more structured learning environment. They get direct feedback from the teacher, and one on one attention if they need it. Team taught classes are larger in size, but are not restricted to special education students. For each subject, two different teachers will be present so that students can benefit from access to the other teacher.

The idea that Special Education students have separate classes or create a “school within the school” is a common misunderstanding.

“In the team taught classes, no one knows who’s in the Special Education Program, and who’s not,” Grinstaff said.

The teacher believe the class style can benefit general education students as well.

Students can also be in the special education program, but only take general education classes. These students get access to the school psychologist and social workers to cope with emotional or organizational disabilities, but have the ability to take whatever classes and electives they would like.

“The goal is for the students to have success with a limited amount of support,” said Grinstaff. If necessary, the program also helps work with the teacher’s of these students to understand their IEPs and how best to help the students succeed.

The re-evaluation every three years also allows students to test out of the program.

For students with a desire to work in the special education program, they can join the peer helpers program. Created three years ago, the program allows general education students inside a special education classroom, and has them work with a different class each quarter. “They get experience serving students with a variety of needs to the benefit of both the student and themselves,” Grinstaff said. The peer helpers, who sign up through the program through their guidance counselor, are required to keep a journal throughout the year, and eventually teach a lesson part way through the second semester.

“Students who are peer helpers need responsibility, initiative, and empathy,” Grinstaff said. “Not everyone is able to do this.”

Like their mentors, students enrolled in the special education program are normal teenagers who work to receive a standard education while maintaining a social life.

While the level of difficulty might be modified depending on the class, students are exposed to all subjects including developmental reading, science, music, and history.

“These guys are teenagers, and they pull all the same things that (general education) students do,” Melissa Ainsworth, a special education teacher, said. “They have their friends, their girlfriends and boyfriends, and their fights too.”

Special education students also have a prom at the end of year. It is because of all these strengths that the program has such a positive reputation and serves as a cluster site for low incident students.

“When people talk about the diversity at Annandale, they should also recognize the diversity of abilities in addition to race, which is what makes this a highly unique school.”

•  While the protest itself has been only symbolic – financial transactions in Wall Street were not interrupted by the “occupation” – beneath this symbolism there are serious reasons why many Americans, and not just those who joined in or sympathized with the protest, are unhappy with the structure and functioning of our economic and political systems. Unemployment remains far too high, economic growth is anemic, inequality is rising, and the financial sector — whose hubris led to the recession in the first place, has been bailed out but has not been effectively reformed.

• A chronic weak point of our system has been its short term focus, its frequent inability or unwillingness to conceive of the nature or possibility of unforeseen risks and to take prudent steps to prepare for such eventualities. As with our diets, we seem to prefer intellectual fast food: It’s tasty, filling, and we can assume away any negative consequences by relegating them to a distant, theoretically unknowable future. The lesson we should have learned from the financial crisis and the recession that has followed is that we need to be much more modest about our understanding of the new globalized economy and the risks it poses, and consequently much more pro-active in building and maintaining effective national and international economic and financial defenses — before we are surprised by a crisis rather than once we are in the midst of dealing with it. This as yet unlearned lesson is the economic and financial equivalent of the security and political lessons we should have learned, but did not learn, from Pearl Harbor and 9/11.

• Our short term addiction is most likely to get us into trouble in times of rapid change – and the globalization of recent decades is certainly one of the most dramatic shifts in human history. Basically this shift has been positive, raising hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, spreading wealth and development beyond the old core of “western” countries to engage the talents and energies of countries and peoples on all continents. And, of course, the US government, US companies, US technology, and US universities have played major roles in promoting this globalization. It is thus at least ironic that we appear so ill-prepared to deal with some of the risks inherent in globalization, indeed, that we seem significantly less well-prepared to do so that some of the newer arrivals on the world scene.

• Relative to us, some of the newer world powers have appeared to be much more agile, more pragmatic, less ideological, more effective – qualities that once upon a time, not so very long ago, were considered to be quintessentially American. Significantly, they have shown an ability to reinvent themselves in and for the modern world, and in the process to learn from the experience of others. Most famously, perhaps, China opted to incorporate market economics, international trade, and decentralization into its national development strategy, upending decades of Maoist economic centralization. India has gone through a similar process of intellectual and economic opening, which is driving forward the economy of what is soon to be the world’s largest country. Brazil has not only transformed its economy but has made significant progress in lessening the notoriously wide gap between its rich and poor.

• What would it take for us to reinvent our public institutions and capabilities for the modern world, on the same scale and with the same creativity that we have invested in the reinvention of our financial, corporate, and technological institutions and capabilities over the past generation? To what degree could we do as others have done, learning from others and picking and choosing ideas that would work here in the US? Beyond our borders, to what degree could we contribute meaningfully to the building (or rebuilding) of international institutions and capabilities effective enough to keep up with the challenges of global technological, financial, and economic change? The last time we attempted anything like this on a grand scale was in the midst of WWII, when we had the foresight to sponsor development of the World Bank, the IMF, and the other key institutions of the postwar economy. We need to attempt this again, for today’s very different world.

Written by John Hawes

Guy Anthony, a protester at the Occupy DC movement in Freedom Square

Q. When did you’re involvement with the occupy movement first begin?

A.I’d heard about this actually before it came together. This started out on Oct., but I’d been talking about it online before the occupy thing even sprang up. I’d been here since Oct. 6 with a couple of time outs. For the most part I’ve been here since the beginning.

Q. What do you think about the effectiveness of movement?

A.I think its captured people’s imaginations because people have been waiting for something to happen. People know the system is broken; no matter what you’re political ideology, you know its not working. Well, it’s working if you have a billion dollars; if you’re making that salary a year. But the government’s and the elected officials are not responsive, and everyone has been waiting for something. When this sprang, there was a huge weighty exhale, a sigh of relief. As if “Thank God, someone’s doing something” It’s changed the dialogue around the country in a very short order.

Q.What made you decide to get involved in Occupy DC?

A.I’ve been involved in politics, going back to [when I was] very young. I think its maybe in my DNA, or maybe because I’m Irish and we always love to talk politics. [I was involved] going back to high school in the 60s, with the Vietnam war and the civil rights movement. I’ve really been waiting [for] my time to come back, and I’m just glad that I’m alive to see it.

Q. What is the daily routine?

A. Well, nothing’s routine, everyday it’s something new. There are routine elements [like] the general assemblies in the morning and the evening, but beyond that anything can happen. We don’t know what research needs to be done for what’s coming up. There are days that are slower than others, but it’s always something new.

Q. What specific action do you think the government needs to take?

A. One common answer is that you have to get corporate influence out of government. The government doesn’t belong to the people anymore. It isn’t responsive to [us] and we’ve got to take it back.

Q. How would you’ve measure you’re progress as a movement?

A. Well I think it’s been huge. It’s been two months and we’ve totally changed the dialogue of politics of the country. This time at the end of September, nobody would have known who the 99% was and who the 1% was. People maybe knew in the back of their heads that the government wasn’t responsive, but they really didn’t know or think in terms like that. Now they do; it’s an awareness that’s there, and it informs every discussion there is. We’ve changed the dialogue, and I think we’ve set the [political dialogue] on a course that’s going to be irreversible.

After PETA released undercover video footage at a local animal testing facility called Professional Laboratory and Research Services (PLRS) in Norfolk, VA that captured what appeared to be severe animal abuse, a federal investigation was launched.

“[In the video], we see workers screaming at these animals using curse words, hateful language,” PETA spokesperson Dan Shannon said in an interview with WAVY-10. “It really reflects poorly on the facility and the people running it that this was the culture they tolerated amongst their employees.”

Before the company could actually be investigated, however, the company under scrutiny released the animals to the care of the SPCA shelter in Norfolk, VA. 19 beagles arrived around 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 17th of last year.

Beagles are a common choice among animal testing facilities. “What we were told through research and talking to people is that there are places that bred beagles that are very easy to handle, very happy go-lucky, and well behaved,” Volunteer Coordinator, Kari Vincent said, “You can basically do anything to them, they don’t want a dog that isn’t going to have a good temperament. It would be difficult to manipulate them and try and run tests on them if they were hard to handle.

The condition of the dogs was better than many of the volunteers and employees from the SPCA had imagined. “We were actually very lucky, we feel like what probably happened was they disposed of the animals that were not in good condition,” Vincent said, “They voluntarily surrendered the animals before [the USDA] could actually get a chance to go in and do a formal investigation. It was in the best interest of the facility to get rid of animals that could get them in trouble. The condition of the animals we had was fairly decent.” Although the condition of the animals was better than expected, most of the dogs had tattoos on either their stomachs or inside their ears.

“There’s some skin lesions that we’re noticing, their coats are in poor shape, they’re flat, their really dried out,” Norfolk SPCA Medical Director, Dr. Carol Fellenstein told WAVY-10.

According to Vincent, the majority of the damaged seemed to be emotional. “We didn’t get to go inside the facility, but on the ride back they were completely quiet,” Vincent said, “The dogs were very quiet the whole time we had them. They acted very shy and were probably scared. They were just completely silent.”
Vincent reported that all of the dogs rescued were adopted and have adapted well to life with their new families. None of the families have reported any behavioral issues since their adoption.When rescued from abusive situations, the primary concern of the SPCA is not only the well-being of the animal, but re-acclimating the animal to human interaction.

“[In order to help the dogs adjust], We did a lot of hands-on interaction, keeping them out of cages in play groups together. We kept them in the front area with us, blocked by a baby gate so they could approach people.”

A: Well, if you are an individual or company that is using animals regulated by the AWA you would need to be either licensed or registered with the USDA. What that means is that if you are transporting, breeding, or using warm-blooded animals in medical research, or if you are exhibiting warm-blooded animals to the public for compensation, you fall under the regulations and guidance of the Animal Welfare Act. By either getting licensed or registered with USDA that allows us to put you on the schedule of routine, unannounced inspections, and that is how we find out if you are properly caring for and handling your animals. That’s the only way we have the authority to come onto your property. So if you are conducting business with animals that are governed by the animal welfare act, we are the federal agency that enforces those standards and regulations. The heart of everything we do is to ensure the welfare of the animals that we regulate, so that is why we inspect them and that’s why this program exists.

Q: What characterizes an experiment as being humane versus inhumane?

A: It’s important to know that the USDA does not tell research facilities what type of research to conduct or what type of experiments to conduct or that sort of thing. Those are business decisions that are made by the facilities themselves. Our authority only goes as far as to ensure the welfare of those animals. I know there are some [people] in the animal rights community that don’t like the fact that animals are used in research, there’s other folks on the other side of the fence, so to speak, that are very much in favor of it because they believe it leads to medical advances and things like that. So what we do as federal regulators, we don’t have an ideological agenda for this issue on one side or the other. These are legal businesses so our authority only goes as far as to make sure they are treating these animals humanely, but we don’t step in and dictate what they can and cannot do. Those decisions, in terms of actual research that is conducted, are made by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which is an ethical oversight committee that has to be part of every research facility, but that is not a USDA committee. [The IACUC] has to approve or disapprove the lab experiments and the animal testing, it’s not the USDA who approves what the companies can and cannot do. What we do when we inspect them in addition to making sure the animals are being treated okay is make sure the researchers in that facility followed the protocol that was established by the ethical oversight committee. As long as they got approval from their oversight committee, which is in their own facility, that is as far as we can go.

Q: You said that you are the federal agency that enforces the standards, but these are the standards that are set by this Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee?

A: To help clarify, those are the committees at each individual facility that help approve or disapprove the type of research that is conducted. When I say that the USDA enforces the standards set forth in the Animal Welfare Act, the Animal Welfare Act doesn’t list the types of research that can be okay-ed or not okay-ed, what it does is set broad standards and regulations for the care and treatment of the animals. So, unless this experiment is otherwise noted, in terms of getting a specific result for the experiment itself, those regulations in the Animal Welfare Act will only cover things such as ‘Are the animals getting proper food and water?’, ‘Are the animals in a proper cage or enclosure space?’, ‘Are the animals protected from extremes of temperature and weather?’, ‘Are you separating species so that the hunted species are not encaged near the hunters?’ Those kind of day-to-day care standards, that’s what the Animal Welfare Act does, but it doesn’t get into the actual research that is being conducted, simply the care of the animals that are being experimented on.

Q: In many testing facilities, animals aren’t given medication for pain relief for the tests they are undergoing so does that fall under the category of an aspect of the test itself? Or is it part of the regulation?

A: For painful and pain-free experiments the regulation simply states that you must make an effort to find pain-free alternatives, but it does not say you are not allowed to conduct experiments that involve some type of discomfort for animals. It’s worded, again, so that the USDA as far as animal welfare goes is not the body that decides. But if they are doing an experiment they have to make a reasonable effort to find an alternative.

Q: Why are birds, rats, mice, and other rodents not included or protected under the Animal Welfare Act?

A: There is potential legislation, because you can’t just change the Animal Welfare Act, for federal rule-making you have to first, you know, put out the proposal and then the public has to be given a certain amount of time to make comments about it and then it comes back to the agency and they look at it and all the comments and they re-put it out there, so it’s a big long process. That process has begun, so as of right now perhaps birds and mice and rats are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act. But the vast majority of the animals used in the testing are rabbits and mice.

Q: What are the minimum standards for the condition of each animal? Are they specific to the species? How were they established?

A: The Animal Welfare Act does not break things down by species for the most part, so the only people who are allowed to inspect research facilities are veterinary medical officials. These are USDA veterinary officials that do the inspections and the short answer is that they know what the standards and what the humane treatment is. So when you apply for registration the interview inspector is going to make sure you have knowledge of the species of animals you are using and they are certainly going to inspect that way and hold you to the standards. It’s not a document that spells things out to the letter, such as, ‘If you’re conducting such and such caFor the inspection process out veterinarians will certainly know how to apply the regulation to whichever facility they are at. So if they look at those type of animals that are there and a part of that experiment there, they are gonna know what is humane treatment and what is not. That’s as concise of an answer as I can give you. It’s not a dictionary so to speak that gives an exact definition for each animal. It has to be a general regulation to cover all research. That’s pretty standard, but our veterinarians certainly know what they are looking for.

Many factors play into the way we perceive others, and the way they perceive us. However, the weight of the factors may vary from person to person.

“I think the very first time I meet someone their mannerisms,” senior Susie Sowa said, “And body language influence the way I perceive them and the way I approach them and I think that is true for a lot of people.”

Physical Appearance

Physical appearance plays a role in the way we perceive strangers, and the attitude we project towards them. Specifically, our facial structure is crucial in the establishment of bias and impressions. For example, a common reaction to individuals with a “baby face,” or a rounder face with larger eyes, is the desire to nurture and protect. Factors such as these play a role in the development of the schema. According to Aronson & Akert, two experts in the field, schema are “mental structures that people use to organize their knowledge about the social world around them.”

Schema are based on our past experiences and influence the details we notice, the way we process them and our reactions toward them. When meeting someone for the first time, our brains naturally take in details and search for a connection, trying to amalgamate the new information and previously acquired knowledge. As children learn words, such as the word “dog”, their brains begin to associate the same word with any four-legged mammal with similar traits. Sometimes we may be conscious of these associations and other times we remain oblivious. If someone had a negative experience with a young girl with short blonde hair and green eyes for example, and they meet another girl with similar features, because of the connection made by the brain, they are more likely to respond defensively or negatively towards her.

Every day, we make thousands of assumptions about the world and how people will interact with each other. Due to our general success in predicting others’ responses, the average person is immensely overconfident in their ability to read individuals. This becomes a problem particularly in the workplace and in interview settings.

Interviewing

Many interviewers utilize open-ended questions rather than sticking to a structured style, because they believe they can more accurately assess the aptitude and personality of the candidate. Open-ended questions pose the possibility of formulating answers based on the desire to please the interviewer, whereas structured interviews increase the likelihood that candidates will be analyzed based on merit.

The tendency for employers to use this method is largely based on the idea that personality is indicative of job performance. Because interviewers will be working with the person, personality and an initial connection plays a major role in the perception and judgement of the person. Studies show that in interviews guided by open-ended questions, a candidate’s similarity to the interviewer sets the tone for the rest of the interview. For example, an interviewer is more likely to perceive an individual as “self-assured” and “confident” instead of “arrogant” if similarities in personality exist.

The mood of the interviewer can make or break the candidates chances of success even before the credentials of him or her have been evaluated. When in a bad mood, interviewers are likely to perceive seemingly inconsequential behaviors like fidgeting or not making eye-contact as demonstrating a lack of focus and respect for authority rather than simple nervousness.

Studies also show a definitive correlation between the emergence of social prejudices and the emotions of anger and frustration. Even those who considered themselves to be open-minded and unbiased projected racial prejudice when placed in a stressful environment. While social norms usually require feelings of prejudice to be buried beneath tolerance, these feelings can surface and sway our initial impression in the moments we lose control.

In interview settings, we are taught to “bring our ‘A’ game.” Interviewers see what we want them to see, a version that rarely encompasses our entirety. The authors of Sway, Ori and Rom Brafman, relate this to dating. It would be similar to marrying someone right after your first date with them, before you have a sense of their entire personality and habits. Once an impression is made, it creates its own distinct schema within our brains, influencing our ability and willingness to recognize flaws or strengths in another person.

“You don’t know the trials someone has gone through,” junior Justice Garrish said, “And you aren’t giving them a chance if appearance is your only concern.”

While many teenagers have no issue making new friends and getting along with peers, stepping into the world of adults can often be intimidating, especially if you are unaware of their perception of you and how you should behave. However, with a little information, it is easy to learn just how to create a great first impression in any setting, from talking to an adult to interviewing for a job.

Anne Hill, an AHS mother, and the Chief Clerk of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation understands this complicated dynamic well, as she is regularly involved in the hiring process for the non-designated staff that serves the administrative needs of the Committee. She has sat in on many interviews, and conducted informational interviews for individuals who want to work on Capitol Hill.

While some adults believe that teenagers in this generation are more poorly-behaved than ever, she argues that it’s just kids being kids.

“We were that way too, growing up in the 60s and 70s,” Hill said. “I’ve heard people say ‘young people don’t have a work ethic’ or, ‘the older generation are stogy and set in their ways’, but I think it boils down to individuals.”

In terms of general etiquette when interacting with adults, she argues that it’s back to basics.

“I always like it when someone says hello and looks you in the eye,” Hill said. “And I like a good hand shake.”

As a teenager, meeting an adult for the first time can sometimes be intimidating, but small gestures can make a big difference.

“I like to know my daughter’s friends and meet them because I think teens are interesting, and I like to ask them questions about their studies and what they want to do,” Hill said.

Making “small talk” with adults is also a good way to prepare yourself for more formal settings, like an interview.

“Interviewing is hard no matter what age you are, and even the most seasoned professionals can get butterflies if they’re going in for a job interview that’s really important to them,” Hill said.

Especially for teenagers, the stress comes simply from being in a location outside of school or our homes, which are their comfort areas. However, Hill believes that a little preparation can prevent anxiety and allow a candidate to showcase their talents. She suggests role-playing with friends or family.

“Sit down with a friend and get them to interview you to practice answering those hard questions, so that when they come up, you’ll be able to give appropriate answers,” Hill said.

Being presentable and dressed appropriately is also crucial to giving a good first impression. Today, often when told to dress in “business attire” it’s difficult to know what is professional, and what should be left for an evening out.

“I’ve always heard the axiom, ‘dress for the job you want, not the job you have’, Hill said. “However, if you’re 21 just getting out of college, I don’t expect you to have a fortune for a wardrobe.”

In fact, when interviewing candidates, Hill thinks that being neat, well dressed, with your hair pulled out of your face is perfectly acceptable. What is ultimately more important is your interaction with the interviewer. It is also important to remember that interviews are not interrogations.

“A good interviewer will always try to set the interviewee at ease by chatting about more mundane things,” Hill said.

While the first impression is key in interactions with adults, establishing a good work ethic is imperative to maintaining a positive reputation with adults. This set of habits and behaviors help to prove to adults that they are making the right decision by working with you or hiring you for a job.

“You want someone who is happy to get up and come to work in the morning. You want them to come to work ready to learn, to suggest new things and ask lots of questions,” Hill said.

This attitude not only helps an individual’s success, but is also contagious and can encourage others to work cooperatively and enthusiastically.

“You can be the smartest person in the world, but employers want someone who wants to be there, and can be a positive role model for others,” Hill said.