Little SCVi to the Big Apple: Catching up with SCVi Alum Sam Wachter
You never know just exactly what will transfer from high school to college, but how about from kindergarten through high school to college? Santa Clarita Valley International (SCVi) alum Sam Wachter knows and was happy to share how his time at our tuition-free TK-12th grade school here in Castaic has helped him navigate his adult life in New York City at Fordham University.
Sam Wachter attended SCVi continuously from kindergarten to twelfth grade, graduating with the class of 2022. While in high school, Sam took International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in biology, history, language and literature, and film. He also served on the Advisory Council, part of our student leadership team at SCVi. He is currently attending Fordham University in New York and feels choosing Fordham was the best choice he’s ever made.
Sam is in his third year at Fordham and is a double major in political economics and history.
He loves living in New York and when he has free time he will hop on a train downtown and just walk around for hours. He’s in the Philosophical Society at Fordham (like a philosophy club) which he really enjoys.
After graduation, Sam plans to attend law school specializing in employment law, but that could change. Right now, he is seeking internships with labor organizations.
He’s still in touch with friends from high school and enjoys hearing how their lives are going.
Most Memorable Project at SCVi
Projects are a big deal at SCVi: we love our project-based learning. The IA (Internal Assessment project) for IB History with Matt Wayne was most memorable for Sam.
Sam wrote about the Spanish Civil War and the labor union CNT-FAI. He says, “that project was HARD, the most reading, research, and writing I had ever done. I got to pick the topic, and I would stay after school with Matt Wayne for an hour every day. But it was so rewarding.” (And yes, he passed the assessment!)
How Did SCVi Prepare You for College?
“Coming with my own projects made it a smooth transition to college-level work.” Many of the school and study habits Sam learned at SCVi are applicable to college, like working independently, guiding your own work, collaborating, and brainstorming ideas.
At Fordham, Sam needs to submit a proposal to his professors on a topic and they sign off for him to do that work, which feels very similar to his time at SCVi. He also gets a choice and a say in what he is interested in learning about. He mentioned that the SCVi IB classes (now IB CP) were very beneficial.
And let’s talk about presentations! Sam knows a lot of people who are afraid of public speaking, and there is a lot of presenting in college, but he was ready for it. All those years of Presentation of Learning (POLs) at SCVi were great practice and prepared him well.
“When I was in high school, college sounded intimidating to me. I knew it would be a lot of work and I wasn’t sure I would do well. But I’m doing really well in college and it wasn’t as scary as I imagined.” The hard work is all Sam but we love that our teaching philosophy had such an impact!
SCVi Project and the Real World Meet
Sam recently visited a friend who is studying abroad in Europe and they did a little traveling over Spring Break. While in Barcelona, Sam visited the headquarters of Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) (National Confederation of Labor) or CNT-FAI, a labor union dating back to 1910. Membership grew to one million members by 1939 when Franco seized power of Spain, outlawing the labor organization and killing an estimated 160,000 – 180,000 members.
Through limited language barriers, Sam spent some time with the staff at CNT-FAI who were excited to meet an American who knew about them and the Spanish Civil War. They even gave him a discount on items he purchased in the gift shop. Seeing the sites of his IA project from a few years before was amazing. That night, from Barcelona, Sam called his IA facilitator, Matt Wayne, to tell him about it.
Come take a tour of our school and see our safe and supportive TK-12 in action. Enrollment for 2025-26 is open!
About SCVi:
Santa Clarita Valley International School (SCVi) is a free public charter school empowering TK-12th graders to become conscientious, compassionate, and responsible citizens of the world. Founded in 2008, we use project-based and social-emotional learning concepts to inspire and motivate lifelong learners with the skills they need to lead in the 21st century. We incorporate technology into every component of our curriculum, and we value and encourage development of leadership skills by inspiring confidence and character in each of our unique learners. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook and find us at www.ileadsantaclarita.org.
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