The Sojas Factor

Payton Primm, News Editor

Sitting amongst piles of AP Biology homework, sophomore Sojas Wagle breezes through it all in a matter of minutes. Science has always been his passion, but he finishes his homework so quickly this time because he has something else pulling at his attention: all of the work that needs to be done on this month’s issue of his new scientific magazine.

¨I am creating a magazine that will contain everything science-related, from astronomy and pathology to scientific discoveries and enterprises. I hope that people will read it and become interested in science like I am,¨ Wagle said.

Those that know Wagle know that he excels in all areas academically, but his true devotion is to science. MEDS principal Jacob Hayward has experienced this first hand, having been the principal at Wagle’s junior high.

¨I’ve known Sojas since he was in the eighth grade at Southwest Junior High. I have loved getting to know and observe him for the past three years, and I believe he is a brilliant student,¨ Hayward said.

Hayward is going to act as Wagle’s soundboard and editor, giving him feedback and helping him improve his writing. Marianna Hendrycy, Wagle’s AP Biology teacher, is also going to assist him with his magazine.

¨My role is to proofread, make suggestions, and help confirm the accuracy of the magazine,¨ Hendrycy said.

Wagle plans to produce a monthly issue of the magazine, and he works on it whenever he has free time. Despite the entertainment value of the magazine, he also hopes that it will improve reading comprehension among students.

¨My articles are designed to test reading comprehension of what was just read, and I hope that my writing will improve reading capacity and test scores among students,¨ Wagle said.

Although the magazine is a hobby for Wagle, it has certainly been accompanied by some challenges.

¨A lot of the articles that I feature in my magazine are difficult to interpret, so I have to work hard to convert those articles into diction that makes sense to the reader. I also have to do a lot of searching to create articles that pop out to the reader,¨ Wagle said.

Wagle hopes that his magazine will impact students and give them a deeper appreciation for science outside the textbook.  

¨I see that in science classes we learn about laws and models from back then, but we forget that discoveries are happening in the current day. I want my magazine to reveal the discoveries that are happening right now, and allow students to truly enjoy science,¨ Wagle said.

Wagle plans to have his online magazine available to staff and students on the morning announcements email starting next month.