Summer + Fall & Everything in Between
May 2023 -> October 2023: A Life Update From the Past 6 Months
Dear reader, welcome to my inaugural newsletter! It’s so nice to have you here, and I’m excited to dive into the happenings in my life over the past 6 months, including conferences and events, new people I’ve met, research streams, and starting junior year!
Summer (May, June, & July)
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
For me, summer included numerous transformative learning experiences and I spent my time with new and old friends. In May, I competed in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) hosted in Dallas, Texas (where everything is big)! This event is the largest high school science fair and is hosted annually with 1800+ international finalists! I competed with my 4th-year of honey bee conservation research which focused on the development of an eco-friendly and low-cost alternative to the toxic, expensive chemicals used for pest treatment in the beekeeping industry. ISEF was a great opportunity to meet like-minded peers interested in STEM and I still keep in touch with many of them!
UN Climate Change Conference
At the beginning of June, I traveled to Bonn, Germany, to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (SB 58). I was invited as a speaker for my work in research, empowerment, education, and innovation. I represented the UN Global Youth and the US in my activities at the conference 🇺🇳 🇺🇸! I also gained insights into policy-making and negotiation through sessions such as RINGO, YOUNGO, GST, and more. This conference highlighted the next steps for climate change mitigation and showed that we must continue to work together to meet the Paris Agreement!
Italy
Following my trip to Germany, my family and I visited Florence, Rome, Pisa, and Almafi Coast in Italy. The country has amazing food and even more incredible views. Of all the amazing things we experienced - kayaking, snorkeling, driving along the coast, sampling cuisine, visiting historic sites, and more - trying Italian gelato had to have been my favorite!
Stanford SummerMed Camp
From Italy, I flew (by myself for the first time ever - my mom was very much opposed to this idea) to Palo Alto, California to dorm at Stanford University for 2 weeks. At Stanford, I participated in the Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (SASI for short) which was hosted on campus at the Stanford University School of Medicine! My team’s capstone project focused on addressing the needs of an epileptic seizure e-patient. To help him, we designed a 3D-printed wearable device that we call SeizeGuard, which can predict and detect epileptic episodes based on EEG data. We also created an app mockup for a patient to interact with our device. It was received well by Stanford Medical School faculty and our e-patient which has given us motivation to continue this project after the program!
After back-to-back traveling, I was a bit homesick and eager to get back to Orlando for the rest of the summer!
Fall (August, September, & October)
Starting Junior Year
For me, fall marked the beginning of the new school year. After a fun and rewarding summer, I was eager to return to school and meet my friends and teachers. This year I’m taking 7 AP classes: Art, Seminar, Government/Politics, Calculus BC, Physics, and Language Arts. Although my coursework has been intense, it has certainly taught me to manage my time and study more effectively.
UN SDG Action Weekend
From September 15-17th, I had the privilege of visiting the United Nations HQ in New York City as a youth delegate part of the SDG Action Weekend!
I got to network with some really interesting individuals in sectors ranging from academia to civil society to government. My sustainability efforts center around SDGs 4, 13, and 15, and witnessing the work of others to bring us closer to accomplishing them was inspiring. Through partaking in meaningful dialogue and observing conversations of stakeholders, I plan to use my connections and learnings from this event to foster further partnerships.
T-Mobile Changemaker Challenge
At the beginning of October, I got to attend the T-Mobile Changemaker Lab hosted by Ashoka in Bellevue, Washington! I gained valuable insights into storytelling and impact, connected with fellow peers, and received mentorship from T-Mobile senior executives and employees to further my research project.
The International Youth STEM Society (IYSS)
Growing up, I was not exposed to STEM until middle school. Now having immersed myself in the world of STEM and seeing the impact it has had on my journey, I want to provide more elementary and middle-school-aged children with equitable access to STEM education and learning. As a result, last year my brother, Aakash, and I founded a non-profit organization aimed at STEM empowerment for all youth (K-12). We named our initiative the International Youth STEM Society or IYSS for short. Our organization provides both virtual and in-person learning through STEM workshops, educational handbooks on how to get started in STEM fields, technical blog post articles, science competitions, and more. In the past few months, we expanded our international team and have recruited directorship from 12+ different countries impacting over 750 students. And, we’re just getting started which is why I’m excited to see how IYSS grows!
Conclusion & Takeaways
In a nutshell, these past few months have been amazing and filled with so many fun experiences and new people. Although I was only home for 3 1/2 weeks this summer, I really enjoyed my experiences in Bonn at the Climate Change Conference, Italy for a family vacation, and Palo Alto for SummerMed camp. Fall served as the perfect transition back into the school year while allowing me to meet some amazing people at the UN and T-Mobile. I am super excited to continue building and researching this upcoming school year!