Throughout high school, while studying for my AP courses, I was never happy with the quality of the study material while using mass-market course books. I was frustrated that the material in these books was the same, regardless of the student’s progress level, and presented in a dull and uninteresting way. I was motivated to leverage programming to improve my learning experience. I consolidated my notes and created a mobile app for personal use that I could use anytime and anywhere. That app eventually led me to found the EdVentures.app startup and the APCSA iOS app on the App Store. I decided to make the app available for free so that any student can access the resource. But the original problem of homogenous and inflexible study material still bothers me. It wasn’t until I took a Statistics & Data Science course on Edx.org that I realized the role technology can play in creating personalized content for a tailor-made education experience. I believe the one-size-fits-all approach that print books currently follow is archaic and outdated. I intend to learn best practices for integrating the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) learning styles and strategies in content creation to improve learning outcomes. I believe my calling is to make a difference in the field of personalized learning. My goal is to expand my knowledge of computing and use machine learning to enhance my apps by majoring in Computer Science with a minor in entrepreneurship. I hope to propel my edTech venture into a viable enterprise and positively impact the eLearning space through a line of educational apps that will present customized content to match each individual's needs. I also plan to pursue postgraduate studies and further specialize in machine learning. I aim to develop a company that can truly impact online education.

Throughout high school, while studying for my AP courses, I was never happy with the quality of the study material while using mass-market course books. I was frustrated that the material in these books was the same, regardless of the student’s progress level, and presented in a dull and uninteresting way. While I was persistent, it was unfortunate seeing friends drop out of AP courses due to, among other reasons, indifferent study material. I was motivated to leverage programming to improve my learning experience. While thinking big, I started small. I consolidated my notes and created a mobile app for personal use that I could use anytime and anywhere. That app eventually led me to found the EdVentures.app startup and the APCSA iOS app on the App Store. APCSA is currently the only app that covers the entire AP Computer Science A syllabus comprehensively. I decided to make the app available for free so that any student can access the resource. But the original problem of homogenous and inflexible study material still bothers me. It wasn’t until I took a Statistics & Data Science course on Edx.org that I realized the role technology can play in creating personalized content for a tailor-made education experience. I believe the one-size-fits-all approach that print books currently follow is archaic and outdated. I intend to learn best practices for integrating the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) learning styles and strategies in content creation to improve learning outcomes. I believe my calling is to make a difference in the field of personalized learning. My goal is to expand my knowledge of computing and use machine learning to enhance my apps. I hope to propel my edTech venture into a viable enterprise and positively impact the eLearning space through a line of educational apps that will present customized content to match each individual's needs. I also plan to pursue postgraduate studies and further specialize in machine learning. Aside from my goals in software development, I also strongly believe in the importance of mental health. In my junior year, I started a chapter of Active Minds, a national organization that promotes mental health awareness and support. As President, I am committed to promoting positive mental health on campus and reducing the stigma surrounding seeking help. I advise students on how to be mindful of their mental health, recognize when they need assistance, and learn to ask for help in a way that empowers them. In the future, I would like to continue advocating for mental health by participating in similar organizations in college and beyond that will have a larger impact on my community. I want to be a part of the movement that intends to change the way we see mental health as a society, and further encourage its significance, especially during a time of global recovery from the pandemic and resulting social isolation. To me, the success of my future goals, both computer science and non-computer science related, depends mainly on how much I can positively impact my community. I firmly believe in the statement “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world," as said by Nelson Mandela. I hope to use my passion for mental health awareness and app development to contribute to our education systems by advocating for both of these interests. In college, I would like to educate students on the benefits of a healthy mind, while simultaneously gaining knowledge of machine learning that I can use to begin developing a line of new apps to benefit students in their classroom education and learning.

In seventh grade, I played a game on my phone that changed the course of my future. I was so captivated by it that I convinced them to buy me an iMac so that I could create my own apps and games. It was not as simple as I expected, as I found Apple’s app development UIKit framework very intimidating. While the initial learning curve was steep, I felt so proud after writing my first program, a text-based guess-the-number game. Although I took Computer Science honors courses throughout high school, most of my learning has happened outside of class through personal projects, training programs organized by Code2College - a nonprofit that aims to increase minority representation in STEM majors, tech internships, such as those at Silicon Labs and Cirrus Logic, certifications, studying for introductory data science courses on Edx.org, and preparing for individual and team events in competitions, such as the Science Olympiad. During my sophomore year, I discovered the brand new Apple SwiftUI framework for creating iOS apps. I was excited since the syntax of this new framework was much easier to follow than the old UIKit, and I would finally be able to realize my ambition of creating an iPhone app to solve a real problem. At first, I was unsure of what issue to address, but during my junior year, one presented itself. I frequently felt frustrated that the mass-market course books I was using to study for my AP Computer Science A exam displayed information in a dull and uninteresting way that didn’t take into account my progress level or learning style. I wanted a single source of high-quality content that was custom-built for my needs. With my programming knowledge of Apple’s iOS ecosystem— Swift and the SwiftUI framework— and a desire to improve my learning experience in the AP Computer Science course, I developed a mobile app that would enable me to study more efficiently. I saw the app's potential for other students as well, so I founded edVentures.app, a startup that creates mobile apps for AP subjects. I also launched my AP Computer Science A (APCSA) iOS app on the App Store, which is currently the only app that covers the entire syllabus comprehensively. I am now working on creating apps for AP Calculus AB/BC and AP Physics 1 to help students across the world study more effectively. I hope to propel my edTech venture into a viable enterprise and positively impact the eLearning space. Apart from my future interests in helping my community, I also strongly believe in the importance of mental health in a society still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. In my junior year, I started a chapter of Active Minds, a national organization that promotes mental health awareness and support. As President, I am committed to promoting positive mental health on campus and reducing the stigma surrounding seeking help. I advise students on how to be mindful of their mental health, recognize when they need assistance, and learn to ask for help in a way that empowers them. This year, I organized a fundraiser that involved selling Thanksgiving cards and affirmation stickers to encourage students to express gratitude towards their peers and teachers, and to spread a sense of positivity and “good vibes” across campus. The goal of this campaign was not only to raise funds but also to promote a culture of kindness and support on our campus. Through our promotional efforts and club meetings, we've built a small community of compassionate and empathetic individuals who are working to raise awareness about mental health among our peers.