Empowerly

Student profile

We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it. (100 words or fewer)

I’m obsessed with birthdays. I love the feeling of finding just the right thing for someone I care about. It forces me to think about each of my friends carefully, keeping their likes and interests in mind. As each person is unique, so is their present. For some, it’s a surprise party with fifty of their friends and karaoke, and for others, it’s a Game of Thrones marathon with a small gathering of their closest circle. 

Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? (100 words or fewer) 104

In the future, I would like to become an artificial intelligence (AI) researcher, studying the implementation of AI in neuroscience. MIT’s Course 9 addresses all aspects of this interest, providing me the foundations for my future career. I know the MIT learning style suits me, having taught myself linear algebra using Course 18.06 lecture slides to better understand machine learning theory for my ISEF research project. Moreover, I would like to conduct research at the bioEECS program, specializing in computational neuroscience, working on projects to analyze EEG and MRI data, as I have done for my ISEF and Simons SRP research projects. 

At MIT, we bring people together to better the lives of others. MIT students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way in which you have contributed to your community, whether in your family, the classroom, your neighborhood, etc. (200-250 words) (246)

A few years ago, a devastating landslide hit the lumber town of Darrington, Washington, killing more than 50 members of the community and destroying many of their homes. In an effort to rebuild the Darrington school district community, the Darrington STEM initiative was created by my school, with my organization, STEMcademy, taking the lead role. 

I co-founded STEMcademy in freshman year to introduce science to younger students after seeing how my five-year-old sister did not have any science opportunities at her elementary school. By junior year, I had already run 15 workshops and one hackathon, teaching over 500 students. I decided to reach out to communities that needed STEM opportunities the most, and started running workshops for the underserved students of Darrington Middle School.

Prior to these workshops, most of the Darrington students had not been exposed to STEM education before, as many of them did not have Internet or computers at home. In our computer science workshop series, I mentored an eighth-grade girl who, over the course of a few months, went from having trouble typing to making her own personal website! She told me she wanted to become a web developer when she grew up, saying “I’ve been using the internet for so long... I never realized it was so easy to create websites!”  Through STEMcademy, I helped students realize their own potential in science and technology, enabling them with the right attitudes to pursue STEM careers, building their confidence to take on the challenges of tomorrow. 

Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations? (200-250 words)

Harvard supplemental project: Relationship with cousin, project, dreams

Focus on family in the beginning and move to cousin then project and then dreams

Doctor/Engineer, I am a mix of the two

My younger cousin and I spent our childhoods together, as I spent the first three years of my life in India, continuing to visit even after I moved to the US. As the more responsible of the two of us, I took on the role of her elder sister and protector.

When she was diagnosed with epilepsy a few years ago, I was deeply worried. I researched epilepsy intensively, finding articles about the prediction of seizures utilizing machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence.  If implemented, epileptic patients would receive notifications minutes before their attack, allowing preparation before a dangerous seizure. However, these algorithms were still only about 80% accurate, far short of the desired 95% accuracy for an effective wearable device that could mitigate serious harm. 

Over the course of six months, I studied machine learning, exploring the mathematics behind the algorithms. Although I did not have an extensive machine learning background, I experimented for hours on end with various algorithms for seizure prediction. At first, I had an accuracy of only 60%, but after months of work, reached a desirable accuracy and won 3rd Place at the Intel ISEF competition.

With this project, I came to realize I wanted to become an artificial intelligence researcher at the intersection of biology and CS, working on solutions to pressing healthcare problems.  And as I see the elated expression on my cousin’s face while I tell her of my latest development of 98% accuracy, I know all the hard work was, and will continue to be, worth it. 

Tell us about the most significant challenge you’ve faced or something important that didn’t go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? (200-250 words)

“Dad, I’m gay”

It was on the tip of my tongue. But something held me back. Instead I asked, “What do you think about gay marriage?” My father grew up in India, where homosexuality is still a taboo. I had hoped that after twenty years in America, his views might have shifted. I was wrong.

Instead, he said this: “Marriage should be between a man and woman. Anything else is unnatural.” All of a sudden, I was seeing my father in a new light. Rather than the man who raised me, I saw someone who was unempathetic, homophobic, even discriminatory. I didn’t recognize this man and I didn’t tell him the truth.

It was only when my mother confused “lesbian” for “Lebanese” that I realized it wasn’t hate my parents held in their hearts -- it was ignorance. I set my mind upon changing my parent’s beliefs. As we watched CNN, I would point to Anderson Cooper, who my father respects greatly. “Did you know he’s gay, Dad?” I showed them articles about the first Hindu lesbian wedding, podcasts about coming out, documentaries about the struggle for gay rights. At first their reaction was a wrinkle of the nose in disgust, but later became a nonchalant nod. Slowly, but surely, I could tell their attitudes were changing. It wasn’t #pride, but it was progress.

Last July, about three years after my initial hesitation, I finally said the words that had been on the tip of my tongue for so long.

“Dad…I’m gay.”