Empowerly

Student profile

Honors and Distinctions:

1. National Merit Semifinalist 

2. NCWIT SF Bay Area Award Winner

3. Motivate Award FIRST

4. Debate Stuff

5. DECA Stuff

Extracurricular Activities (8):

1. Software Engineering Intern - Meimodo Inc. 

2. Director of Web Development - Gifts of Awesome

3. Project Leader & Teacher - Ardenwood Elementary Girls Who Code

4. Vice President - Miss CEO

5. Head of Programming, Head of Community Outreach - Robotics 

6. Co-Founder, Secretary, Vice President - MSJ Stop Hunger Now

Washington Hospital (2 years)

Relay for Life (3 years)

Principal’s Advisory Committee (3 years)

Microsoft Technology Volunteer (2 years)

A. Essay (Required) Maximum length: 500 words

It’s 2010, and in the middle of a dimly-lit, cramped apartment, class is in session. Professor Gupta is about to start her weekly English lecture, based heavily on what she learned earlier in her 5th grade classroom. Her students, none other than her parents, are eagerly (at least in her mind) waiting to take notes. Of course, nepotism won’t prevent the professor from charging tuition - a dollar per person.  

I became a teacher out of necessity. After we immigrated here, my parents often struggled with workplace communication using an unfamiliar language, inspiring me to host English lessons. As quickly as these lessons became a household tradition, I grew to love helping people understand subjects the way I do. Ever since, I’ve done my best to share my knowledge, from guitar lessons in my garage to coding classes at local elementary schools.

Although teaching isn’t as tangible as athleticism or musicality, it’s a talent I’ll always value. Even though we don’t all have access to equal educational opportunities, we are all capable of greatness. That’s why I believe it’s my duty to help those around me fulfill their potential. It’s also why I make it a point to host free classes: so students can learn without worry.

In class itself, rather than building the entire house, I teach students skills to find answers themselves: tools for their toolboxes. Ultimately, however, the will to build up new skills can only come from passion. By sharing my own passion, I try to inspire students to look beyond rote memorization and see the same value in learning that I do.

 I remember one student of mine who loved coding but felt out of her depth. With each error in her code, her frustration continued to stack up, to the point where she thought learning was wasting her family’s time. I took her aside and showed her my portfolio, containing everything from my first crude webpage to my latest fully-functioning website, and explained:

“The difference between engineers that succeed and engineers that don’t is realizing a bug isn’t a problem; it’s a way to make your program better. If you use your passion to find inspiration in your mistakes, you can only improve.”

She took my advice and focused on why she was coding in the first place - to raise awareness about global warming. Four months and a great deal of debugging later, she proudly presented her educational recycling game to thunderous applause and one incredibly proud teacher.  

That was a year ago. She still comes to every session, never missing a week, but instead of sitting with the other students, she’s up at the front of the classroom, teaching with me. She’s insistent on learning the ropes, hoping to keep classes up-and-running after I graduate. It’s comforting to see the passion that I inspired burning bright, ensuring that my dreams live long beyond me. 

B. Short Response (Required) 

Maximum length: 300 words

Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds.  Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc.  Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington.

My life is made up of firsts. I’m a first generation immigrant to the United States, the first person in my family to grow up with a language other than Hindi, and will be the first person to attend college in the US. My family has worked endlessly to lift me up. My mother even gave up the chance to pursue a PhD in India, just to bring me here and help me obtain an American education. Their support has not only allowed me to be first, but has ensured that I will never be afraid to be first.

Growing up, I found myself drawn to the amazing power of computer science and programming, but after consistently being marginalized at hackathons and tech conferences, I grew frustrated with the lack of opportunities for girls.

 Historically, it’s always been difficult to move beyond the status quo, and frankly, it always will be. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. If I couldn’t find the same conducive learning environment the boys could, I would make my own. As a woman who plans on using technology to change the world, I refuse to believe that a male-dominated engineering industry should remain the norm.

To instigate some change, I started the first computer science and technology club at my local elementary school, geared towards young girls in an effort to build their confidence and challenge them to expect more of themselves. I hope to inspire other girls to embrace the idea of being first, the same way my family inspired me. Working together, we can create a beautiful butterfly effect that ripples beyond the status quo into a vibrant and inclusive future.

C. Additional Information About Yourself or Your Circumstances (Optional)

Maximum length: 200 words 

In the same way biology defines life through structure and order, it helps me make sense of the world around me. I’ve always looked at life as this incredible mess of complex needs and ideas. Why do we act the way we do? How do we get the most out of life? Answers to these questions lie within us, tucked away in every cell in our body. Biology is how we dissect the internal forces that drive us and shape our futures, from everyday activities to life-changing decisions.

Just as biology helps us explain our purpose, it helps me explain my thoughts. When I feel anxious or depressed, I break it down into biochemistry - my body’s levels of glucocorticoids, catecholamines and various neurotransmitters. Knowing that my emotions have natural explanations comforts me: giving me the confidence to confront my problems. My self-diagnoses prove that what I feel isn’t unusual or wrong, which means that I can learn how to move on.

I plan on tapping into biology’s limitless potential by working at the forefront of biomedical research. I hope to advance biology’s practical applications and help people understand themselves in the same way that biology has helped me understand myself.

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D. Additional Space (Optional)

You may use this space if you need to further explain or clarify answers you have given elsewhere in this application, or if you wish to share information that may assist the Office of Admissions. If appropriate, include the application question number to which your comment(s) refer.

Throughout high-school, I found myself battling an eating disorder that peaked in junior year, causing my GPA and zeal for extracurriculars to plummet. I spent a week in the hospital, forced to look at myself and the damaging impressions that my disorder left on my grades, body, and family. 

During treatment, I realized that my situation directly contradicted all of my personal values. As a healthcare volunteer, I felt ashamed of being hospitalized for a disorder that I didn’t have to have. As an advocate of female empowerment, I’ve dedicated my time towards building young girls’ confidence. What example was I setting here?

I needed to get better. To do that, I decided to look to my community for strength. I pictured my students’ faces when I felt like skipping meals; I imagined the Washington Hospital patients I’ve met when I thought about purging. The people I spent so much time helping were now helping me, without even realizing it.

After a long year of tedious recovery, I’m proud of the work I’ve done to become healthy. Although my eating disorder has almost completely faded away, my gratitude for the people who inspire me to value myself will remain strong.