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Ananya Devkirti

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Finalist

Bio

Hi everyone! I’m a senior at Sage Hill School with a deep passion for teen mental health, neuroscience, and expanding healthcare access to rural and underserved communities. Spending summers in my grandmother’s rural village in Nepal sparked my commitment to service early on. I began volunteering with the local childcare program, facilitating wellness and confidence-building discussions with young girls. There, I saw firsthand how systemic issues like gender stigma, caste discrimination, and poverty eroded self-esteem. These experiences inspired my dedication to empowering youth and fueled my interest in mental health advocacy. At school, I lead several initiatives aimed at promoting mental health awareness and scientific exploration. I serve as President of both the BrainSTEM Initiative (a district-wide wellness program) and the speech and debate team. Beyond campus, I’ve contributed to academic research as a lab assistant at the University of California, Irvine, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, focusing on adolescent addiction and mental health. I've also founded Mind Matters, a global mental health magazine and serve as the Director of Judging of the Orange County Debate League, a nonprofit hosting monthly debate tournaments.

Education

Sage Hill School

High School
2022 - 2026

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Bachelor's degree program

  • Majors of interest:

    • Public Health
    • Neurobiology and Neurosciences
    • Cognitive Science
    • Public Policy Analysis
    • Psychology, General
    • Social Work
    • Computer Science
  • Planning to go to medical school

    • Test scores:

    • 35
      ACT

    Career

    • Dream career field:

      Mental Health Care

    • Dream career goals:

      Advocating for mental health accessibility and suicide prevention as a public health official.

    • Paid Assistant Instructor & Debate Coach - Coached 70+ students over three classes to #1 squad placement at 3 tournaments including Princeton Invitational; developed curriculum & drills; managed parent communication.

      New England Debate Academy
      2023 – Present3 years

    Sports

    Dancing

    Club
    2019 – Present7 years

    Research

    • Human Computer Interaction

      University of California Santa Cruz Science Internship Program (9% acceptance rate) — Developed multi-user AI chatbot; Wrote a 25pg paper published in International Design & Children, a peer-reviewed conference hosted by the world's premier computing society (Association for Computing Machinery); Worked with neurodivergent children.
      2025 – Present

    • Neurobiology and Neurosciences

      University of California Irvine Lotfipour Addiction Lab — Investigated adolescent stress; Wrote a 30pg paper presented in a UC Irvine conference & published in peer-reviewed UCI journal; Conducted brain chemical tests (HPLC-ECD) to detect neurotransmitters; Prepped for rat surgeries; Spoke @ weekly lab meetings
      2024 – 2025

    • Neurobiology and Neurosciences

      Southern California Academy of Sciences Research Training Program (1/22 selected from California) — Selected as top project presenting at Southern California Academy of Sciences Annual Bulletin, earning chance to present at 2026 American Association for Advancement of Science Annual Meeting
      2025 – 2026

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      The BrainSTEM Initiative — Co-President & Grant Writer: Partner with 3 schools across Orange County teaching 200+ middle school students wellness & neuroscience curriculum; hosted brain dissections funded by UC Irvine.
      2023 – Present

    • Advocacy

      University of California Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience — Podcast Outreach Lead & Co-Host: Co-scripted and promoted an addiction podcast to the UC Irvine School of Emergency Medicine & 15 local schools.
      2025 – Present

    • Public Service (Politics)

      Orange County Debate League: Hosts monthly CA-wide events (80k annual budget, 43 school partners, 500+ attendees/tournament) — Youngest Member of Board of Directors & Director of Judging: Train/manage 510 judges; ran 11 500-attendee tournaments w/40 school partners; developed 1st judge committee & initiatives improving judge consistency
      2024 – Present

    • Volunteering

      Yellow Tulip Project (YTP) — Ambassador & Creative Writer: Co-led AAPI/Nepalese mental health campaign; Selected for 2025 Ambassador Spotlight for mental health work.
      2024 – Present

    • Volunteering

      Lion's Heart Teen Volunteers and Leaders — Teen Advisory Board Member: Represented 10k national members at monthly Board of Directors meetings; Co-led website and mobile app redesign; Earned Congressional Gold Medal.
      2022 – Present

    • Advocacy

      Mind Matters Mental Health Magazine — Founder & Editor-in-Chief: : Lead team of 1450 from 68 countries and 27 US States; 1.1M+ views/month; Earned 2 Scholastic Gold Key awards (top 5%) and 5 Scholastic honorable mention awards (top 15-20%) for creative writing excellence.
      2022 – Present

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Politics

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Entrepreneurship

    No Essay Scholarship by Sallie