Politics & Government

Masuk Student Studies Town Government for His Capstone

Anand Veeraraghav, 17, a Masuk High School senior, decided to shadow Town Councilwoman Dee Dee Martin for his Capstone Project on town government. As toddlers, Veeraraghav and his twin brother Avinash attended Gingerbread School House, where Martin was their teacher.

"Both are now seniors at Masuk," Martin said during a meet and greet for Democratic party candidates one recent Sunday afternoon. "I also had their younger sister at Gingerbread. They're a great family in Monroe."

Veeraraghav, who sat next to Martin at one of the tables in the Ehlers Meeting Room at Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, said, "I wanted to see how small town government works. I chose small town government because it would be something I would enjoy for my Capstone Project."

Veeraraghav wants to study law at Cornell or UConn. He has an interest in politics and history and said was inspired by his World History class.

"I enjoy learning about history — what happened before and what's happening now," he said. "When I look at history, I see politics involved."

In addition to the Democrats' meet and greet, Veeraraghav had attended the party's caucus and several Town Council meetings.

Asked why he asked Martin to mentor him for his Capstone Project, Veeraraghav said, "I know Ms. Dee Dee personally and I am much more liberal-minded than conservative-minded when it comes to politics."

Veeraraghav will spend a total of 20 hours with Martin as part of his project.

During his experience so far, Veeraraghav said he learned how most of the town's elected positions are "not really a paid job", how elected officials serve the town and how the issues are much more complex than he thought they would be for a town of nearly 20,000 people.

Aside from his interest in politics, Martin said Veeraraghav is an honors student, who plays the viola in the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra, which will play at Carnegie Hall next month. His brother, a fellow Masuk senior, is also in the orchestra, playing the violin.

"He's a mentally inquisitive young man," Martin said. "I can see him thinking, taking a lot of time before asking a question."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here