Genoa Middle School eighth-graders’ recent trip to Washington D.C. included a special stop: a visit with Westerville North High School alum Vijay Shanker, who serves as a judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals D.C. Court of Appeals.
As Genoa students had a block of free time to explore nearby museums, a group of 40 students joined social studies teacher Greg Cotterman to meet Shanker at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s sculpture garden. During the visit, Shanker talked about his journey to the highest court in D.C., offered thoughts on success and gave advice to the group.
“He was able to show that success isn’t where you came from, it’s that you earn it,” eighth-grader Mathilda Huth said. “He said to be yourself, enjoy your childhood and where you’re at and use that as leverage to get to where you want to be.”
Shanker also emphasized the importance of writing and how it’s a key skill to be successful.
The visit was especially memorable for Maya Vazhkudai, who learned that Shanker’s family hails from the same area in India that her father is from. Vazhkudai, who also is interested in law, asked him questions about the experiences that led to where he is now.
Her biggest takeaway from the visit: Don’t stress out too much about having the perfect grades. Character, personality and authenticity matter, too.
“It was very inspirational,” she said. “I liked the advice that I got on writing skills and it gave me more background on what I need to do.”
Shanker, who graduated from WNHS in 1990, was nominated by both a Republican and Democratic president to become an Associate Judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals D.C. Court of Appeals.
Previously, Shanker served as the Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. He served on detail as Senior Litigation Counsel in the Criminal Division's Fraud Section where he investigated and prosecuted violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and related offenses and advised attorneys and leadership on a range of legal issues and litigation matters.
Shanker received his bachelor’s degree in public policy studies from Duke University. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was named to the Order of the Coif and served as a Notes Editor on the Virginia Law Review. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Chester J. Straub on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Eighth-grader Blake Bender thought Shanker was humble about his profession and all his accomplishments.
“To see people from Westerville make it all the way to the top is pretty cool,” she said.