Elgin High School 2015 graduate Megha Bhattacharya is taking on a whole new level of leadership roles in her early professional life.

After attending Elgin High School, Megha went on to attend the University of Chicago, graduating with a honors degree in Political Science. During her time at UChicago, Megha was incredibly involved on campus through Student Government, Women in Public Service Projects, the South Asian Students Association, and Moneythink, a group dedicated to teaching financial literacy to high school students. 

 

During her time at school, Megha interned twice at the UChicago Institute of Politics, run by Former President Barack Obama’s Senior Advisor David Axelrod. She also interned for JB Pritzker’s Gubernatorial campaign and worked abroad in Vienna, Austria for the U.S. State Department - U.S. Mission to International Organizations, serving the United Nations and International Atomic Energy Agency.

Megha credits her 2014-15 role as the Board of Education's Student Advisor for inspiring much of her college work. Much of Megha’s success in college is attributed to the strong foundation she built in high school.

“I was very lucky to meet such a large cross sample of the District and create lasting relationships with them,” Megha said. “I received an insider view of the workings of a large conglomerate and it was such a fascinating and educational experience.”

During her years as a Maroon, Megha was involved in the Gifted and Talented Academy and helped create a middle school mentorship club to help young girls with their transition to high school.

“My experience with the Elgin Gifted and Talented Academy helped me meet some of the best educators in the District,” said Megha. “I am a firm believer that there is more to school than just an education.”

Since graduating from the University of Chicago, Megha has dived headfirst into the world of politics. Following her graduation from UChicago, she moved to Boston to work for Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. Afterwards, she worked for the Democratic National Convention, helping run the first ever completely digital Democratic Convention. And most recently, Megha worked on the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. 

 

Megha currently works in the White House for the Second Gentleman of the United States.