Other Extracurricular Activities
These are the other activities I have engaged in over the past few years and very much enjoyed. Not only did they give me a break from my regular academic and non-academic activities, they have given me opportunities to work together and have fun experiences with my friends.
Women in STEM Conference
I was fortunate to have met, interacted with and learnt from some amazing female role models in science, who have inspired me. Recognizing that not all girls like me may have such opportunities, I took the initiative to conceive of and organize the “Women in STEM Conference” on the occasion of World Science Day '22.
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For this, I reached out to and requested four remarkable, highly successful women role models including Dr. Julia Parish Morris, a Psychology professor from UPenn, Dr. Ayesha Khanna, Founder and CEO of Global AI Company, Addo, Dr. Natascha Ghadiali, a Senior Doctor from Singapore General Hospital and Dr. Sri Sarma, a Professor of Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, to participate and share their career experiences.
Students from over 20 countries participated and interacted with these role models through this virtual conference, which I moderated and ran the Q&A for.
SAS Science Club
In my junior year, I had the privilege of becoming President of my school's Science Club. It was at risk of being discontinued due to lack of engagement. However, I took up this position as I knew that there were many students in the high school with a passion for science who were looking for more opportunities to engage in their interests. I work together with my officer team to create and promote these opportunities, which include field trips to research laboratories, participation in science competitions and conferences and research engagement. Through these, I am working on building the Science Club into a community united by a love for science.
Science National Honors Society
My engagement with Science through success in rigorous courses has qualified me to become a member of my school's chapter of the Science National Honor Society. Through this organization, I help mentor elementary school children on a weekly basis, conducting activities and lab experiments to fuel their interest in science from an early age.
Dancing
That's me doing the baby freeze!!
I have learnt Kathak, an Indian classical dance, for 4 years as a child living in New Delhi. But my love for dance really got kindled after I was introduced to Hip-hop in middle school after moving to Singapore. I loved taking dance as my elective in school and performing in the end of the year shows. Some of my fondest memories from school are of my experiences in school dance shows, in which I auditioned for small-group choreography pieces as well as genre-focused dances in advanced hip hop, jazz, and even salsa.
The realization that dancing is my preferred way to pep up my mood and get instantly energised happened during covid lockdowns. I not only love watching dance videos and choreographing new songs but enjoy teaching the moves to my family and friends. It has become our go to way for spending time together and having fun even to this day.
High School and Club Basketball
Outside of horse riding, basketball has always been my favorite sport to engage in because I get to play with my team members. Starting in 5th grade, I played on various school and club teams up to the Junior Varsity level in my sophomore year of high school. There, because of the time commitment required to move to Varsity level, I had to choose between horse riding and basketball and picked the former. I continue to indulge in my love for the sport by attending games to support my teammates and friends, consistently keeping up with the NBA, and playing pick-up every now and then.
