Manhasset Alumni Profiles No. 3: Maxwell Hu, Class of 2014

For our third alumnus profile, it was only appropriate to interview a past editor of Indian Ink and an important figure in moving our newspaper to the web: Maxwell Hu. Maxwell graduated as part of the class of 2014 and currently attends Columbia University.

Many of Maxwell’s experiences at Columbia were greatly shaped by his time as a student at Manhasset High School. He was able to discover his interests before college, namely in World History with Dr. Dorman, Latin with Mr. Solly, Physics with Mrs. Keogh, Chemistry with Mr. Montesanto, and Economics with Mrs. Law. Maxwell was obviously able to gain the understanding and enjoyment of other subjects based on his current plans to double major in Philosophy and Computer Science with a Concentration in Economics. Even in the eighth grade when Maxwell was trying to create an app with his friends, his desire to learn about Computer Science and other subjects was exemplary. To Maxwell, Manhasset’s uniqueness is in its close-knit community, where everyone is supportive. In particular, the school faculty and staff helped provide him with the opportunities that made him such a well-rounded student.

As a high-schooler, Maxwell showed his progressive thinking abilities by helping move Indian Ink to an online platform. By doing so, the money spent on printing the newspaper itself was cut and readership increased, as more students in the 21st century are more likely to visit a website than read a physical paper. He said that it was only natural for the school newspaper to move to a more modern form of media.

His interests don’t end with academics; in high school, he was the Editor-in-Chief of our newspaper, President of the Latin and French Honor societies, a member of the Manhasset Varsity Swim Team, and a participant in the science research program. At Columbia, he is the managing editor of the opinion section of the Columbia Spectator (the primary newspaper), a member of the Columbia Orchestra which performs annually at Lincoln Center, a member of the Club Water Polo team (extending his experiences in swimming), and a member of a fraternity on campus, which he states is a group of quality students. As if these aren’t enough, Maxwell also hopes to be a more active member in the student government.

Maxwell has been enjoying his time at Columbia, stating that the Upper West Side has become a new home to him. He claims that his favorite aspect of the school is its location; Morningside Heights, he said, is not as loud as the rest of New York City, but close enough to the rest of the city by subway. Although the workload and exams can become stressful at times, Maxwell advises that time management is key. Maxwell admires the Columbia community because of its ambitious but welcoming student body, its engaging and profound professors, and its wealth of events including having guest speakers on campus.

It is evident that Maxwell’s hard work in Manhasset has allowed him to attend a university of such high prestige, and he will undoubtedly yield the same results throughout his college career.