By the time Karan Walia (12) took a one-semester economics class in his sophomore year, he knew he wanted a career in finance. But he didn’t start the class like most others.

“When I started economics, it was because [Mr. Lepler] wanted me to try it,” he said. “I didn’t want to because I thought I wanted to go into political science or become a lawyer.”

His later success didn’t come without initial struggles.

“First quiz I remember I got a 7/15 on it, and [my dad] called me over and asked me what was going on,” Karan said. “I said that I had no idea. He told me that we could drop this quiz, but he wanted me to get a 14 on the next one.”

But after the first quiz, Karan quickly found his footing in the class.

“Next quiz comes along and I get a 15, and I’m like ‘whoa, I actually did really well,’” he said. “The dots started connecting and I started to realize that this was what I wanted to do with my life. I really enjoyed the subject. As time went on, the subject got more interesting.”

Karan’s high school career started in debate, when he aspired to become a more outspoken person than who he was in middle school.

“When I was a freshman, I felt like I wasn’t that confident,” he said. “I went to public school until fifth grade, and I didn’t have as much confidence and I was not as outspoken, so I took debate class so I could develop this skill and become a bigger influence on campus. My economics class and my teachers really helped me become the person I am today.”

Karan believes that outspokenness is an essential trait for success.

“I think you should always be able to speak your mind no matter what you’re doing,” he said. “State your opinion, make sure your say matters. Like everything in life, there is a limit. Being too outspoken gives off an arrogant impression, but I do think that being too shy is a bad thing. I feel like I’ve found a reasonable balance between the two extremes.”

Karan delved deeper into his interest of finance by taking up work related to economics.

“Well, for one thing, my father was a banker; he’s retired. He worked for [Bank of America] and Wells Fargo. I’ve also had a job at a bank as a credit analyst intern at the First National Bank of [Northern California] up in San Francisco. I really learned [that] my passion is to help others in the community.”

Rather than continuously focussing on economics-related activities, Karan also has several pastimes.

“I like to work out, play some Xbox, text my friends, play squash and ping pong on the side and work with my dad on his company,” he said. “I love driving, which is the best way to get rid of stress. It can be dangerous if you’re reckless with it.”

At the end of everything, Karan believes that self-drive is one of the most important traits a person can have and that any path in life is possible.

“You should always try your best. Don’t let other people’s standards define you. I truly believe there’s no life that’s better than yours,” Karan said. “At the end of the day, it’s not what cards you get, it’s how you play your cards, so you should trust your intuition, do your part and hope things work out. Even if things don’t work out, there’s always another opportunity for everything.”