Ashika has spent her 6 years in the STEM Program cultivating technical knowledge, interpersonal skills, and meaningful friendships. She has tried to take advantage of the opportunities at her disposal as an SLI student, participating in Maker Mart, Project Invent, Synopsys Science Fair and Pay It Forward. In addition to the engineering skills these hands-on projects gave her, Ashika is most grateful for the opportunity to work alongside ambitious peers and with a welcoming community. She hopes to take this experience with her into a career in the healthcare industry.

Ashika is dedicated beyond the classroom, spending her free time practicing Bharatanatyam—a classical Indian dance form she has devoted over 10 years of study towards. Ashika has also worked as a math and EL teacher at Kumon for over a year, applying her knowledge of working with children to long term education based projects like Team React and Ladki Leaders. She is passionate about taking her interests to the next level, inspiring her 3 years of ASL and club council position, her medical-based volunteering and physician internships. Ashika hopes to take the valuable experiences she has gained through STEM and high school with her to the new frontier of college.