Senior Spotlight: Malcolm Miller (12-3)

It was interesting that we were allowed to joke about this really serious topic that was supposed to be about guns and oil trades. We got to have fun with a real life topic- they were all real facts, and it’s a completely legitimate argument to make (even if It’s a stretch). It made me realize how creative debate could be, in putting together articles that aren't related to each other and seeing what arguments you could make out of them.

Why did you join Choir?

I joined choir in fifth grade. I liked singing as a kid and I was in a church choir. I considered stopping choir for a bit but I stayed because it’s really an easy and chill club. It’s free and light; there’s not a lot of expectations. No one is expecting you to be really good or get everything right; we’re just singing and it feels like it’s just for the fun of it and there’s no stress ever. Doc is a really great conductor and he’s super funny. The music’s always fun no matter what we’re singing. I've never hated a choir song. It just feels like the perfect place to be. I feel like it’s my mental health club that I get to be really happy in and think about nothing.

What is the most difficult case you’ve had in Mock Trial?

I remember the first year there was a really difficult character. It was difficult to find sympathy for this lead witness. We tried to make it sympathetic to a jury but they had destroyed their school and cyber bullied a bunch of people. The exercise was trying to find the humanity and kindness in everyone and identifying the traits we should bring out to the jury, so they can see them as a complete human and find some empathy. That was really difficult for me personally to sympathize with my character in the first place, but also to get other people to sympathize, too.

What do you talk about in World Affairs?

We get assigned a country and a topic and we argue on behalf of our country. It’s a lot of role playing on what your country’s policies are. My favorite was getting to play a really cool senator, Ed Markey, who is fighting for climate justice. I got to figure out what his views were and how I could best represent that. Even though I agree with them for the most part, I didn’t understand a lot of them about why voting in certain ways is better-- such as voting electronically versus in person. I was on a “voting committee” about making voting safer and non-hackable. I felt like it was out of my depth but the role playing part is what I really liked. I could do that a bit more naturally.

What are you most proud of?

I was working on a campaign with this awesome group called Philly Thrive around the refinery and the closing that happened there. A lot of people were left in really bad health conditions because of it. The school district plays a big part in this because the district is responsible for giving them a tax break. I wrote an op-ed for the Inquirer but I didn't know that was something that high schoolers could do, that it was possible. I was proud that I was ambitious and went for it. I was really happy to have the support of Philly Thrive and to be a student speaking out on a student issue- I felt like a lot of the voices were from CEOs of the company that was trying to get a tax break. I don’t want to hear their voice about why they should get a tax break or the School District about why they need the smallest 10% of money from them instead of taxes for an actual benefit like rec centers and libraries. I felt proud that I was able to provide the student perspective, but also that I was able to do that in general.

What kind of music do you listen to?

A lot of things. I like rap, jazz, and Spotify says that Indie Pop is my most popular genre. Right now I’m a really big fan of Chika. I really like Tyler, the Creator.

What is your favorite thing about fall?

I’m not a fall person. It’s my least favorite season. My least favorite thing about fall is how much everyone likes fall. It kind of annoys me a lot mostly because I just don’t feel that way about fall and it’s getting so cold and it’s the most not-great school season. I don’t like that all the leaves are falling off the trees; I think they should stay up there. Everyone seems to like it and I feel like I'm missing out, like I don't get something.

What are your aspirations?

I really want to be super grounded in an urban community and do a lot of community organizing there about anything. I’m also really interested in social science research and maybe doing research in those communities about how they can be improved and allocating resources. That just makes me excited and I think community research would be cool.