Major: Industrial Engineering with a minor in Business Administration
Hometown: I was born in India but grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Involvement on campus: I am currently the Outreach Coordinator for the University’s student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics Astronautics. We design and build rockets for multiple high-powered rocketry competitions. I’m also a part of Women in Science and Engineering and the Society of Women Engineers.
Why did you choose Iowa?
I originally chose Iowa for the Biomedical Engineering major. Iowa has a great program for it, and not many schools do. I also had several friends who went to Iowa tell me about what a fantastic school it is.
Why did you choose Engineering as a major?
Up until high school I wanted to be a doctor or a nurse, but then I joined First Robotics and got to see all the neat things that engineers do. I really enjoyed robotics, so I started looking into the different engineering fields.
What inspires you?
Food, honestly. And my cat. I work hard, so I can have good food and provide my cat with a good life. I also think it’s really inspiring to see the differences I’ve made in other people’s lives, even when it’s super small. It’s really neat to see kids who have no interest in anything about engineering, but then I’ll tell them about robotics or rockets, and they suddenly want to know everything.
Favorite quote: “It is our choices that show us what we truly are far more than our abilities.” -Albus Dumbledore
Dream job: I think I would enjoy any job where I get to work with people and travel often. When I picked engineering I was hesitant because I didn’t want to sit behind a desk all day. But then I learned that engineers do a lot more than that.
Hobbies: Whenever I have free time I really enjoy drawing and painting. I also love being outside, going hiking or rock climbing. I’ve recently been trying to teach myself how to cook Mexican food and Italian food because I love to eat.
Go-to coffee order: I’m not a huge fan of coffee, but I love chai.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
I think the best thing that someone has ever told me was to stop caring so much about what others think about your decisions. I realized it’s much more important to do what you actually want to do instead of doing what others want you to do.
Favorite place in Iowa City: Taco Bell! I also really enjoy being by the river because there are a lot of great places by it to sit and study. I also enjoy the engineering building’s student commons when it’s actually quiet, which is usually around 2 a.m.
Favorite snack: Is Taco Bell a snack? I like ice cream a ton, I think freshman year I spent all 100 Hawk Dollars on ice cream. It was pretty great.
Favorite UI class: My sophomore year I accidentally signed up for Biotransport, which was a grad class that I definitely shouldn’t have been able to take. For some reason I didn’t drop it and it turned out to be a really interesting class. There were only about 15 people in it so we had a lot of fun and the professor, Edward Sander, was absolutely hilarious. It was a nice change from having lectures of a couple hundred people in it.
Favorite TV show and movie: Right now I am addicted to watching Prison Break, but I’m not too far into it yet. I really like Rick and Morty and My Name is Earl. They’re both great shows. I also love the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies and all the Harry Potter ones, as well.
Biggest role models: My biggest role models growing up were always my brother and his girlfriend. They both have always been there for me, and they’ve always set great examples for me as well. I think my brother was the first person I went to when I was thinking about switching majors and all. They’re both super helpful, and they do a lot to help others. I actually just learned they ‘adopted’ a family from Syria, so they spend a lot of time working with them to help them on top of their full time jobs and everything else they do.
Favorite memory at Iowa: I loved move-in day freshman year. I remember after I got all my stuff moved into my dorm, me and another girl went around knocking on peoples doors and introducing ourselves. It was really exciting meeting everyone and then becoming friends with them over the year. It was cool learning about all the different places everyone had come from and seeing what a diverse group of people it was.