Name: Malaika Ramachandran
Year: Class of 2017
Hometown: Palo Alto, CA
Major: Statistics and Human Services
How would you describe your style?
You can catch me going to class in anything from my favorite Lululemon leggings, a casual tee, high-top Converses, and a baseball cap to a simple top, statement necklace, skinny jeans, flats and a blazer. As college students, given a choice between spending an extra 30 minutes getting ready or an extra 30 minutes sleeping in, I think it’s safe to say that its a no brainer and that 95% of us would catch the extra Zzzs. With that in mind, being a college student in a place like DC has taught me the value of investing in simple, solid, basic pieces that can be dressed up or down and go from day to night in the blink of an eye. To quote Drake, these are my go-to pieces in my closet that take me from 0 to 100 real quick.
What is your ultimate career goal? Ultimately, I want to work for a global non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating world poverty. It shocks me that in a world where I can see my grandmother in India 8,000 miles away live on a screen and where you can buy a cupcake out of a vending machine there are children dying of hunger everyday, and that we still haven’t found a way to change this. Call me crazy, but I plan to see world poverty end within my lifetime.
Why did you choose GW?
I loved the prospect of attending a school that was so deeply integrated into the city, and that takes advantage of everything DC has to offer. #OnlyAtGW can you someday tell your kids that you used to be late to class in college because the President’s motorcade stopped you? Or that you were there for the first female President’s inauguration (Okay, maybe not quite yet, but Hillary 2016 is all I have to say). I love being able to look at my friends and to see not just a bunch of your average 20-something year olds but a diverse and dynamic group of Capitol Hill interns, marathon runners, pre-med students volunteering at the world-famous GW Hospital, athletes, club promoters and everything in between. The people around me inspire me everyday.
What active organizations are you apart of at GW?
I am Director of Community Outreach for GW’s Ubuntu Service Group, an MSSC org dedicated to connecting multicultural students with the DC community through service events. This semester, I am also serving as a liaison for Raas Chaos XIV, an event GW hosts every year showcasing some of the most highly competitive collegiate Raas teams from across the nation. Serving as a liaison has been a great opportunity to get more involved with the Indian community at GW and to get in touch with my roots a little more. Finally, I am going on an Alternative Winter Break trip to New Orleans.