HALL OF FAME

MAYUKHA VADARI - CEO

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Mayukha is a recent graduate of MIT. Mayukha has been into math since the fourth grade, when she joined her school's math club. She got off to a good start, winning 8th place at the Math is Cool state competition only a few months after she started. For the next few years, she continued to take part in math competitions, including in national competitions like ARML and NSF Nationals. She has won several awards at the regional, state, and national levels. Then, in 8th grade, Mayukha enrolled in Seattle Science Infinity Club. At first, she did not like science very much, but soon began to love it. She and her team excelled, getting second place in Science Bowl at the regional level, only losing once to the first place team, who also happened to be from the Seattle Science Infinity Club. She also went to Nationals for the North South Foundation's Science and Math Bees and won awards there as well. By this time, she realized a trend that girls were losing interest in math and science. She noticed this trend through direct experience with her classmates and friends, as well as observing at competitions (e.g. she was the only girl in the top ten at the 2012 NSF MathBee Nationals). In order to combat this drop in interest, she decided to form Girls Rock inScience and Math to increase interest for girls in these two subjects and make them enthusiastic participants in all areas of both academia and extracurricular.

SHRIMA NARASIMHAN - Former PRESIDENT

UNIVERSITy Of washington

Shrima Narasimhan is a freshman at the University of Washington and former GRISM president. She began her GRISM journey when she attended GEMS and later became a GRISM instructor after being immersed in the supportive sisterhood the organization provides! Shrima believed that teaching at GRISM provided a perfect outlet to spread her passion for STEM subjects, while also learning a lot in the process. She loves seeing all the curiosity the girls bring to GRISM sessions and is thrilled to spark their interest in new topics! Apart from GRISM, Shrima is an active member of a non-profit organization called Sustainability Ambassadors, where she works alongside other youth to rapidly advance a sustainable future. She is interested in conducting climate science research using satellite remote sensing and computer algorithms. Shrima also enjoys participating in Model United Nations, writing spoken word poetry, and playing the violin.

TARA KRISHNAN - FORMER PRESIDENT

VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

Tara Krishnan is a sophomore at Villanova University and the former president of GRISM. Tara became a part of GRISM because she strongly believes in its mission to instill a passion for math and science in girls from a young age. She hopes to excite and interest the next generation of young girls in all the different aspects of STEM. Tara has a great passion for the STEM subjects of biology, anatomy, and psychology. She hopes to use her passion for health care to help others around the world. Many of the activities Tara participates in allow her to engage with the community and give back.

RISHMA MURUGAN- FORMER PRESIDENT

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY

Rishma Murugan is a senior at the University of California Berkeley and the former President of GRISM. She has loved science and math since she was very young and this inspired her to teach at GRISM. During her freshman year of high school, Rishma took AP Computer Science and she realized how much she loves computer science and began programming video games. She also developed features for a commercial mobile app on Android and has conducted research to improve virtual reality experiences. Outside of school, Rishma loves to play film themes on the piano and to play badminton.

ananya ganapathi-FORMER GRASS DIRECTOR

She loves math, biology, astronomy, and many other sciences as well. Beyond STEM, Ananya enjoys dancing and playing the violin. She loves teaching and has taught math, science, and dance for several years. In GRASS, Ananya aims to create engaging and informative sessions and hopes to excite younger girls about STEM and help them see how diverse and interesting STEM can be!

GRACE KIM-FORMER GRASS DIRECTOR

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Grace Kim is a junior at MIT and the former director of GRASS. She has been doing and enjoying math starting in fifth grade and have performed well at several math competitions since. She loves physics and coding, and outside of STEM, she loves to draw and sing. When she first heard about GRISM and then GRASS, she became immediately interested in becoming a part of it. Middle school was the time when a majority of her girl friends formed their definite dislike of STEM, which stayed consistent into high school. Through GRASS, she hopes to make STEM more interesting, fun, and useful for the girls, regardless of their attitude when they walk in.

AVNI RAO - Former Vp OF MEDIA

University of Washington

Avni is a student at the University of Washington and former GRISM VP of Media with a passion for all things STEM. She started instructing at GRISM after realizing that when girls are introduced to STEM at a young age, they push past the arbitrary boundaries created by society and uplift other girls to do the same. She has always wanted to create change, however big or small, and instructing at GRISM is her way of doing so. Apart from that, Avni is an activist, poet, and avid bookworm. She volunteers for the National Organization for Women (Seattle), is a part of Seattle's Youth Poet Laureate Cohort, and runs her blog: avnisbookshelf.wordpress.com. Over the summer of 2021, she co-taught GRISM's first coding camp, teaching the basics of JavaScript and app design. She loved inspiring change for young girls in her corner of the world!

ISHITA PATHANIA - Former VP OF OUTREACH

University of Washington

Ishita is a student at the University of Washington and former GRISM VP of Outreach. She first joined GRISM in 3rd grade, and later volunteered as an instructor. Ishita was excited to spread the concepts of STEM to young girls and she loved seeing them learn new things. She wanted to introduce concepts in historically male-dominated fields at a young age so that they are inspired to pursue STEM as they grow older. Outside of GRISM, Ishita volunteers as an art instructor where she helps young kids explore their creative side. Ishita always looked forward to working with other members of the leadership team to take GRISM to new heights!

HARSHU MUSUNURI- FORMER CURRICULUM DIRECTOR

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Harshu Musunuri is a student at Stanford University and the former Curriculum Director of GRISM. Her interests in STEM were catalyzed from a young age by her participation in math and science competitions, as well as a desire to learn more about the world around her. Over the past couple years, she has had the wonderful opportunity to take her passion for science a step further by conducting research on energy conversion technologies and synthetic biology, and presenting on international platforms. Harshu joined GRISM because she believes strongly in its mission to spark an appreciation for STEM among the next generation of female innovators, and she strives to craft GRISM lessons in a way that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of these fields.

ANNABELLE MARTIn

University of washington

Annabelle Martin is a sophomore at UW studying computer science as she is passionate about inspiring others in her community in that field. She hosted several science and coding summer camps, developed an app for improved student/teacher communication and hosted a booth at a maker faire showcasing digital art she had coded on khanacademy. It is her dream to help create a better internet for people in poverty around the world and use machine learning to develop better ways for early disease detection. With Astrophysics as a side hobby, she enjoys the idea of helping people to understand large and small-scale concepts through simulations of astronomical phenomena and quantum fluctuations.  She loved being an active participant in CoderDojo, DigiGirlz, Coding camps and other STEM related activities.

PRANATI DANI

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Pranati Dani is currently a freshman at the University of Washington. She loved being an instructor at GRISM, since her STEM journey started by participating in GRISM’s own GEMS competition in 5th grade. She enjoys STEM fields and teaching kids, GRISM being a perfect combination for her. Other than this, Pranati also enjoys debate and was an active member of Redmond High School’s Speech and Debate club. Her other activities included HOSA, MUN and volunteering for UNICEF and Relay for Life. Pranati is also interested in piano, dance and badminton. Just like any other typical teenager, she loves eating, TV and of course sleeping, although she doesn’t get too much time for that.

ANUSHKA LADHA

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Anushka Ladha is a student at the University of Washington and a former GRISM Instructor. She enjoys studying the fields of biology and chemistry and taking fun lab classes like Anatomy & Physiology and Forensic Science. During her sophomore year, Anushka was concerned with the lack of STEM topics represented in her high school newspaper, The Blaze. This prompted her to establish the Science & Technology section of the paper. Other than school and GRISM, Anushka likes photography and kickboxing.

KHUSHI CHAUDHARI

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Khushi Chaudhari is a student at the University of Washington and a former GRISM instructor and part of the GEMS team. She has loved math and science since a very young age and has actively taken part in various math and science competitions since elementary school. She has taken various AP courses in the stem field, and was also a part of her school’s Math Honor Society. Khushi felt immense delight upon hearing about the Girls Rock in Science and Math program as it helps instill the same love she has for math and science, in the girls who are starting their journey in the STEM world. She hopes to share her passion for the subject by teaching girls at GRISM. Apart from math and science, Khushi loves to do karate and debate as she participates in various debate tournaments and Model United Nations Conferences.

YUNA SHIN

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Yuna Shin is a student at the University of Washington and a former GRISM instructor. She is particularly interested in biology but has a growing interest in astronomy and physics. She plans to pursue a career in physics or the medical field. Through teaching at GRISM, she hopes to use her strong enthusiasm for science, and advocacy for women in STEM, to empower girls in math and science. Outside of school, Yuna enjoys walking her dog and reading.