Senior Shaivi Moparthi made Kinkaid history by becoming the school’s first student to be named a Coolidge Senator by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.
“I couldn’t believe it since the odds were so small,” Moparthi said. “But I was also grateful for the opportunity and excited to meet some of the brightest young minds in the country.”
Moparthi said one of the most meaningful parts of the experience was meeting the other 99 fellow senators. The Coolidge Foundation notes that bringing together students from across the country is a central part of the Summit, giving participants an opportunity to exchange ideas with other high-achieving students their age.
For Moparthi, being selected was more than a national honor and recognition of her accomplishments. It offered the chance to represent the state of Texas and step outside her Houston community, exchange ideas with other students and challenge her own understanding of leadership and service.
“It was incredible to be surrounded by like-minded peers who were so curious, accomplished and genuinely excited to learn and serve,” Moparthi said. “Some of my favorite moments were simply the conversations we had outside of the formal programming. I came home with new perspectives, new questions and friendships I know will extend far beyond those six days.”
This year, more than 5,000 high school juniors applied to become a Calvin Coolidge Senator, which awards a merit scholarship to students who demonstrate distinguished academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, humility, and commitment to community service.
Only 100 rising high school seniors nationwide were selected to attend the Coolidge Senator Summit, which has a 2% acceptance rate.
The Coolidge Senator Summit took place in July 2026 in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge. The all-expenses paid program kicked off with a visit to the Massachusetts State House, and over the course of six days, the senators participated in seminars, debates, and speeches exploring American history, government, economics and civic responsibility.
“The summit encouraged us to consider issues from multiple perspectives and engage in thoughtful civic discussion,” Moparthi said.
Throughout the program, senators heard from leaders with decades of experience in public service, including Jim Douglas, former Governor of Vermont, and General Randy George, the 41st Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.
Hearing their experiences gave Moparthi a broader understanding of how leadership can look across different fields. Their perspectives challenged senators to think beyond their own ambitions and consider how they could use their talents in service of something larger than themselves.
“Jim Douglas spoke about the future of political polarization and how difficult it can be to maintain civil discourse,” Moparthi said. “Hearing how he has watched polarization evolve over his lifetime gave me hope that our generation can learn from the past and find better ways to engage in political conversations despite our differences.”
Beyond the summit itself, Moparthi has continued to build connections through the Coolidge community.
As a Calvin Coolidge senator, Moparthi has been granted access to a network of alumni and senators. Members of the network include a Rhodes Scholar and a 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts.
Additionally, she will be invited to an annual national conference and a Coolidge Senator alumni summit in Washington, D.C.
“I really value the opportunity to remain part of the national community of students and alumni,” Moparthi said. “It’s a community that it’s been an honor to be a part of, and I am looking forward to staying connected with it.”
Beyond maintaining those connections, Moparthi hopes what she brought home from Vermont will extend beyond the Coolidge community.
“The biggest thing I took away from the Summit is that public service doesn’t begin when you hold a title or enter government,” Moparthi said. “It begins with being curious enough to listen to people who see the world differently, willing to question your own assumptions and committed to using what you learn to serve the people around you. That’s something I want to carry back to my own community.”
