Student of the month Schulte aspires to elected office

KEOTA — Keota High School Senior Abby Schulte's eyes sparkle when she talks about government and politics.

The 17-year-old is a big fan of Hillary Clinton's, and will be Clinton's youngest precinct captain at the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses.

Schulte also played a large role in convincing Clinton to come speak at her high school in December, which was one of several things cited when Schulte was nominated to be The Gazette/KCRG-TV9 Student of the Month.

'It was the best day of my life, a dream come true,' Schulte said of Clinton's Dec. 22 visit to Keota. 'She's very determined and doesn't give up on things.'

Schulte said she is the same way.

'I think definitely I'm very determined,' Schulte said. 'Seeing (Clinton) do what she does inspires me a lot.'

Schuyler Snakenberg, the head of Keota's social studies department, said he's had Schulte as a student since she was a seventh-grader, and he's seen her become more vocal and gain more confidence over the years.

'She's very inquisitive and brings a lot of interesting perspectives' to class, Snakenberg said.

Schulte said first became interested in government politics in sixth grade, when she went on a field trip to the state capitol.

'I was a pretty ambitious sixth-grader and kept raising my hand, and the tour guide was like, 'hey, you're really smart, maybe you can be the first woman governor of Iowa', and I was just ... YEAH!' she said, her eyes widening. 'I thought that was the most amazing thing in the world, and anytime anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would say I'd want to be the first woman governor.'

For a while, Schulte said was drawn away from government because of the 'negatives attached to politics,' but this year, her interest was sparked all over again.

She plans to go to Simpson College next fall and major in political science. Schulte said she wants to go to law school as well.

'I have loved campaign work. I would love to start out working for a campaign,' she said.

And, she said, she would like to run for office.

'I think she's going to be able to close the gap between these polarized political groups,' Snakenberg said.

Schulte is president of the student body and said she works hard to be approachable.

'I try to make sure we do what the majority of the group agrees on,' Schulte said. 'I don't think I'm too scary.'

In addition to her interest in government, Schulte is involved in show choir, large group speech, band, chorus, drama and sports: her favorite is volleyball.

'I've always tried to try everything,' she said.

Some years, Schulte said she would show up at school at 7 a.m. and not leave until 8 at night, when she would tackle her homework.

'Looking back I don't know how I did it sometimes,' Schulte said.

Schulte said she's very motivated because a lot is expected of her, and she has a lot of people she doesn't want to let down.

'My parents are my No. 1 fans. They have supported me through everything I did,' Schulte said. 'And I have two little sisters and I want to be a good role model to them. I want them to be able to look at me and know you can aspire to do anything you can dream of doing.'