Anyone who knows Los Altos High School junior Maulik Dhakal knows he lives a busy life. But it’s a “happy busy” type of life, he said.

The Los Altos Institution, a research organization founded by Dhakal bringing together high schoolers around the world to research public policies, is a big part of that. In October, these students — known as fellows — will present their work at a conference in San Francisco.

“I’ve seen [Dhakal’s] schedule, and it is a mess sometimes,” said Los Altos High junior Joshua Tang, a close friend and deputy director of fellows management. “He’s always working hard. His weekends are always really busy.”

There’s little stress associated with this busy lifestyle, though. Along with the occasional meditation session and lots of long conversations with people, Dhakal spends his time doing the things he finds meaningful.

“If you do what you love, and you have people who are willing to support you, there really shouldn’t be stress,” Dhakal said.

Roots in New Hampshire

Before moving to Los Altos at the end of fourth grade, Dhakal lived in the “very politically driven” state of New Hampshire. Although not typically seen in California, there, it was common for residents to meet and speak directly to election candidates and government representatives. 

“With Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the first person I met, I was in third grade and she came to our local town hall,” Dhakal said. “I had no interest in policy back then. I wanted to be a pilot. But she came in and I didn’t really care. And then she came and talked to me and the first question I had was, ‘Do you know Barack Obama?’” 

She did, even showing a picture as proof. The question led to a two-hour-long conversation — Dhakal’s first deep dive into policy.  

“I immediately became interested. I was like, ‘Wow, she knows Barack Obama,’” Dhakal said. “I know Barack Obama now.” 

When the 2016 presidential election rolled around, politics moved to the forefront of Dhakal’s life. Dhakal’s sixth grade year was filled with climate change protests, while seventh and eighth grade marked his involvement in the Biden and “Students against the Recall of Governor Newsom” campaigns. 

Reflecting on his experiences, Dhakal noted that his views have changed to become more neutral over the years. But each experience has led to growth — the one word he’d use to encompass the entirety of his journey thus far. 

“Every day there were new lessons I learned in terms of reaching where I am today, and I think I don’t regret a moment of it,” Dhakal said. 

Becoming the Jon Alvin Hayman Director

Growing up as a self-described “partisan hack” who chose party loyalty over ethics, it was only in middle school that Dhakal began seeing policies more objectively — mostly due to the influence of his eighth-grade history teacher, Jon Hayman, who passed away last November. 

“He’s the one who pushed me in terms of who I am as a human being, to be more empathetic and understanding of those who hold differences in opinion,” Dhakal said. “To me, he’s the one that pushed me to really look deeper and go beyond the surface and go beyond what cable news tells you.”

Hayman also guided Dhakal toward a political middle ground. In the classroom, Dhakal’s highly opinionated, heavily Democratic beliefs clashed with Hayman’s “hardcore conservatism.” 

“When we argued I kind of realized that my opinions were not grounded in facts,” Dhakal said. “They weren’t grounded in critical thinking. They were just kind of me parroting what I had heard. … That’s kind of where my interest in doing policy research came about.” 

Unlike STEM interests, however, for which students can find a plethora of local labs, Dhakal realized that there weren’t as many opportunities for other fields of research. This led him to found a Youth State of America chapter at Los Altos High last school year. The club aims to increase voter participation and civil political dialogue on campus through events such as voter registration drives. 

But the club didn’t attract enough interest at Los Altos High alone. That’s when Dhakal decided to scale it out globally to assemble a group of students interested in policy research. 

Creating change

The institution marked a shift in Dhakal’s perspective on policies. 

“The biggest lesson I learned [is] just shifting from an activist … to what I would say is more of an academic, because I truly believe academics drive change,” Dhakal said. “Applying that to activism is what will change the world and what empowers you to change the world.” 

Each of the 62 Los Altos Institution fellows has the opportunity to conduct their own policy research in areas ranging from aviation to artificial intelligence. After a few rounds of drafting, the institution will connect students with professors and industry leaders to give them advice on their papers. By the end of the year, Dhakal said he hopes to have the papers published and out to the world. 

Building up the institution’s network of connections was no easy feat. Starting his freshman year, Dhakal dedicated himself to the task of reaching out to a wide range of professors, sending approximately 10,000 emails in the process. 

The method to establishing these connections, Dhakal said, is a distinct framework. Instead of asking busy professors for a high level of involvement, the time investment is simply a 30-minute Zoom meeting to review a paper. 

LinkedIn has also helped significantly. With over 3,000 followers and growing on the platform, Dhakal emphasized that it’s a powerful tool for any high school student. Simply tapping a button and sending a connection request can open doors of opportunities. 

“Anybody can make these connections,” Dhakal said. “You just have to have a solid pitch … and you have to be willing to get yourself out there.”