Student Affiliates

Marisa Ngbemeneh, Columbia University '20 - Essay Specialist

Marisa is a recent graduate of Columbia University, where she studied Chemical Engineering and English. She is interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary career at the intersection of technology, business, and social entrepreneurship. In her free time, Marisa loves reading, spending time with friends and family, and pursuing her passions for language-learning, dance, and travel. She will be starting as an Analyst at Citi in Summer 2020.

Nikhil Gupta, UCSD '14, Tufts University '15, M.D. Tufts University School of Medicine '21

Nikhil Gupta graduated from the University of California San Diego with a double degree in Human Biology and Management Science. He completed a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University and worked in the music industry in the US and abroad before deciding to pursue a career in medicine. He returned to Boston to complete his medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine and is currently a Diagnostic Radiology resident at Tufts Medical Center.

Nikhil’s passion for mentorship stems from his own experiences applying to medical school as a non-traditional applicant and the inspirational role his mentors have played in shaping his career. He seeks to empower future physicians by helping them craft their own unique narratives to achieve their career goals. In his free time, Nikhil enjoys composing electronic music, playing soccer, and cooking.

Sana Pandey, University of California, Berkeley '24 - Essay Specialist

Sana is double-majoring in Cognitive Science and Data Science at UC Berkeley and cares deeply about the intersection of technology and the human mind. At Berkeley, she conducts research on cognitive neuroscience and generalization, the scientific underpinnings for machine learning. She has also worked with the UPenn Lauder Institute to analyze science and technology policy trends, the biotechnology start-up Koniku on a project harnessing neural receptors to detect Covid-19, and the Berkeley AI Research Labs (BAIR) to discuss the human-compatible applications of AI. Currently, she’s working with deep learning models and NLP to make mental health services widely accessible. She is a Division 1 Fencer and speaks fluent Mandarin. In her free time, she loves to dance, play with her dog Mushu, and get way too invested in Kdramas :).

Kinjal Vasavada, Stanford University '17, Tufts University School of Medicine '22 - Strategy Specialist

Kinjal Vasavada is a medical student at Tufts University and a graduate of Stanford University's Program in Human Biology. Her passion lies at the intersection of healthcare and human-centered design, where she believes some of the world’s most complex and interesting problems lie. Her experiences as a photojournalist, design researcher, and strategy consultant prior to medical school have driven her to approach medical training as an extensive need finding exercise, grounded in the stories and lived experiences of the patients, providers, and hospital staff around her. Kinjal works to uncover these stories and guides students and organizations to learn from them.

Alexa Hui, Stanford University '22 - Essay Specialist

Alexa Hui is a junior at Stanford University studying Human Biology and Political Science. She currently works as a research assistant in Dr. Michelle Monje’s Lab, developing therapeutic techniques for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. She also works for the American Voices Project, a research collaboration between Princeton University and Stanford’s Center for Poverty and Inequality endeavoring to understand and report on poverty in the United States. She hopes to receive a medical degree with a professional focus in global public health. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, practicing yoga, reading Harry Potter, and watching The Office.

Mihir Sharma, Georgia Tech '24 - Essay Specialist

Mihir is a freshman at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he plans to
major in computer science in the College of Computing. In high school, Mihir served in
student government and on the leadership committees of the French National Honor
Society and Link Crew. He also captained his school's varsity tennis team and
participated in national level tournaments around the country. In his free time, Mihir
enjoys playing tennis, making music, and cooking.

Stephanie Hsu, Harvard '26

Stephanie will be a rising freshman at Harvard looking to study Applied Mathematics with a specialization in Economics. During high school, she was involved in several clubs around campus and mainly loved learning about math, business, and art. Outside of school, she spent much of her time training, competing in tennis, and creating a business teaching curriculum for high school students. Stephanie enjoys drawing, walking, and exploring new places with friends and family in her free time.

Shreya Mantripragada, University of California, Berkeley '26

Shreya is an incoming freshman at the University of California, Berkeley intending to dual major in Data Science and Computer Science with a concentration in Computational Biology. She is interested in working in the intersection of Healthcare and Computer Science, applying her computational knowledge to solve targeted biological problems. In high school, Shreya pursued her passion for research through selective internship programs: the Science Internship Program (SIP) at UCSC and the Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) program at BU. Shreya was the Vice President of her school's largest volunteering club (Monta Vista Octagon), giving back to her community through weekly soup kitchens for the homeless and annual Cancer fundraisers. In her free time, Shreya loves reading, going on spontaneous adventures, and creating new concoctions in the kitchen.

Roshan Prabhakar, Stanford University '25

This year, Roshan will be going from Fremont High School to Stanford University, where he plans to pursue a degree in Computer Science. Throughout high school he has been heavily involved in the Information Theory space, specifically at the intersections of Image/Video compression and encoding with Machine Learning. More specifically, he has worked to provide scholars in data coding novel means to explore their field deeper, as well scholars in performing arts novel means to facilitate live, virtual theatrical performances in the age of COVID. Roshan attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-collegiate program during high school and plans continue his involvement with the musical community at Stanford.

Tia Jain, University of California, Berkeley '25

Tia Jain is a sophomore studying Computer Science at UC Berkeley. She's particularly interested in the applications of technology in healthcare, exploring this space by interning as an SWE at UnitedHealth Group, building an iOS app for the visually impaired, and doing bioinformatics and ML research. She's excited to continue exploring other intersections and applications of Computer Science during the rest of her time in college! In her free time, Tia enjoys hiking and running.

Neel Kandlikar, University of California, Berkeley '25

Neel is a freshman at University of California Berkeley, where he plans to major in Computer Science. Throughout the high school, he was actively involved in AI and NLP research work that spanned the topics of legal system accessibility to ground water locations working with Stanford Law school and UC Berkeley. He also led his high school varsity tennis teams during junior and senior years. He enjoys creating fun projects with his CS knowledge in his spare time!

Sidhant Rajadnya, University of California, Berkeley '25

Sidhant is an incoming freshman at UC Berkeley, where he plans to major in Computer Science and physics. His love for the two subject has lead him to robotics since middle school and he has patent in his name for a projectile shooter system that he invented and used for the Robotics Championship. In his spare time, he loves to build funny contraptions – a Roomba that screams every time it bumps into something , or a rewired toaster that consistently burns the toast, just to name a few. An avid choir singer, he has performed on the World Disney Stage!

Eeshit Vaishnav, MIT, Graduate Student

Eeshit is a graduate student at MIT doing research at the intersection of computer science and the life sciences. He received his undergraduate education at IIT Kanpur, double majoring in Computer Science & Engineering and Biosciences & Bioengineering, and minoring in Management. As an undergraduate, he conducted research at MIT as Dr. Hargobind Khorana Research Scholar and at Caltech as a SURF fellow. He has an Erdos-Bacon number of 8. In his spare time, he enjoys adventure sports, football, and trekking. He also holds a (non-exclusive) Guinness World Record for having jumped the world's highest bungee jump at the Macau Tower!

Jeremy Hsu, Harvard University '23

Jeremy is an incoming freshman at Harvard intending to concentrate in Computer Science with a potential secondary in Economics. As a high school student, Jeremy was the Vice President of his school’s Computer Science Club and was an Organizer for this MVHacks, a high school beginner-inclusive hackathon. He also managed Public Relations for Education for All, a small 501(c)(3) nonprofit he helped start, and frequently traveled around the country for national-level tennis tournaments. In his spare time, Jeremy enjoys reading, playing tennis, and trying out new hobbies!

Suraj Dhulipalla, Duke University '24

Suraj is from Sammamish, Washington and a rising freshman at Duke University where he plans on majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor/major in neuroscience. In high school, he engaged in two separate independent research projects (through Harvard MCB and Garcia Summer Scholars), volunteered at local memory care facility, and started a non-profit to educate elementary/middle schoolers on the importance of brain health. He was president of his high school's Science National Honors Society and Computer Science Club. In his free time, he loves playing basketball, learning geography, and hanging out with friends.