During my junior year, I was running a booth at the activities fair for FTHS’s newest addition, film club. Across from my booth in the corner of the gymnasium was the Patriot Press, the high school newspaper with a tri-board coated in a variety of articles published over the course of the site and physical prints history. Amit approached me later on in the day first asking questions about film club to publish for a new article.

At the time, I was fresh out of the drama club and just opened film club with Luke Elias. I was still helping along with art and limbs every now and then, but I was on a hunt to join something new. Looking for clubs to join, I took Amit’s advice and went to the first meeting for our school newspaper.

I would have never guessed two years later that the first paper I would write articles for what would have lead to over 50 published pieces, future freelance jobs where I get to review games weeks before release, or the fact that my final article for the paper I started with would be interviewing the student who convinced me to join; the student who first introduced me to press with an article interviewing me. To bring it all full circle, I sat down with Amit Bachani to talk about clubs, articles, and the future. Thank you for reading my articles for the past two years. Please enjoy my last work here at the Patriot Press.

Q: So Amit, next year is finally your senior year. How many clubs are you going to be in charge of this time?

Amit:  To be honest with you, I haven’t even given it a thought.  I’ve been extremely fortunate to have earned leadership positions in many clubs that I’ve been in and cherished for so long. I initially joined three activities that really attracted me, and over time, saw myself at a leadership position when it was my chance to give back to future members. Counting my time as Editor in Chief of the Press, I’ll also be serving as president of our school’s DECA Chapter and National Honor Society and captain of Team Challenge. So, four in total.

Q: On the topic of clubs, I have seen less and less freshmen and sophomores starting to participate in extracurricular activities. How do you plan to expand your search for new members next year for clubs such as the Patriot Press or DECA?

Amit: Our district has many academic programs for students that are a goldmine in terms of attracting potential members. Namely the Global Studies and Animal and Botanical Sciences programs, which have drawn so many great writers and photographers eager to contribute to the Press. For DECA, I want to see us capitalize on that opportunity and establish a precedent of visiting schools in the future to attract more members as they acclimate to Township. Given that this last year was mainly a transition year as our previous advisor, Ms. Bonaly, retired, I want to leave a lasting impact on our chapter for the following years to come and see the Press staff more expanded in its numbers. The programs, in addition to speaking to English and Business classes at all levels, can really help us gain leverage in recruiting members.

Q: For the National Honors Society, why did you choose to run for president? What are you expecting to do for the organization next year?

Amit: Before I joined Township’s NHS chapter, I only had somewhat of an insight into what the organization was about from its advisor and my former English teacher, Ms. Foerg, and my brother during his years as a member. I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to contribute more to my community than just through community service, and I found that those pillars of character and service had a key foundation in National Honor Society. When I heard about elections, I was immediately drawn to the position of president because I found some resemblance between what it demanded and the experience I gained. For next year, I want to see our chapter do more in the way of mentorship programs for students in academic need and specifically, network with local universities and programs to educate seniors on scholarship opportunities and the college search, and contact non for profit organizations or centers with volunteering opportunities each marking period.

Q: As the chief-editor for press, what are your favorite types of articles to read and edit?

Amit: Personally, it’s varied time and again, but I always enjoy reading the occasional movie review or sports article. I’ve loved hearing about Township football from friends, and seeing so many seniors becoming D1 athletes and accomplishing so much for our school is incredible. Aside from that, movie reviews and articles on global issues are also extremely interesting from the lot because of the sheer variety from writers.

Q: Do you plan on making more editorials similar to your one on method acting? I enjoyed it a lot considering we do not usually see editorials with that same structure.

Amit: Thanks! It’s actually one of my personal favorites that I’ve written for the Press. I’ve been meaning to write another editorial for quite some time, but have been searching for another topic that excites me enough to write the way I did on method acting. For me, the entertainment industry, and the movies, in particular have always been a very subjective medium where I can walk a very thin line and transition between my own perspective while examining others in great detail. My next editorial might not be related to acting or the entertainment industry, but I’d love to explore environmental or domestic issues. In either case, expect a lot more editorials coming on the site in the upcoming year!

Q: Despite the number of different clubs you run and organizations you dedicate time to, you can not take all those career paths in the future. Have you started looking into what you may want to definitively do at college? Maybe a minor or double major?

Amit: As I move onto senior year, I’ve been considering many career paths that would be suited to me. While I haven’t reached a concrete decision, I’d like to be an Economics/Finance and History major.

Q: What’s your wise quote you will be dropping in a lot of friends yearbooks this year?

Amit:  à la Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, “Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk.”

Q: The most important question… when are you going to sign my yearbook and will the response be short and sweet or a nice novel to sit down and read?

Amit: Any time you want! And I’ll leave that a surprise when you get to it.