2021 - 2022 Fellows
Niklas Bloom is a rising junior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, majoring in Mathematics, Economics, and Computer Science. Niklas recently completed an internship with Urban Science, a data consulting company, where he gained experience in properly visualizing data and focusing on the story behind it. For the upcoming academic school year, Niklas will be a research assistant, working under Professor Eugene White to assess bank supervision and financial stability using historical data. On campus, he serves as the Treasurer for the student organization Effective Altruism as well as a Peer Mentor for the SAS Honors Program. After finishing his undergraduate studies at Rutgers, Niklas aims to pursue his Ph.D. in Economics and work at one of the Federal Reserve banks. Besides his academic interests, Niklas enjoys playing guitar, hiking, and reading.
Amanda Chen is a rising junior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, majoring in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies. Amanda is currently co-authoring a paper with Professor McCabe about political discussion in online spaces. She will be traveling to Seattle to present this paper at the 2021 American Political Science Association’s Annual Meeting. Amanda is an active leader in the Honors Program and serves on the Student Advisory Board and as a Peer Leader. As the president of the Douglass Residential College Rainbow Pines, she is also currently advocating for the safe inclusion of gender minority students within the Douglass community. Amanda is a scholar in the Institute for Women’s Leadership Scholars Certificate Program where she is organizing a social action project that will focus on revising current Title IX regulations. Previously, Amanda completed an internship at the Center for Violence Against Women and Children and will co-author a paper about campus sexual violence climate tools and surveys. This past summer, Amanda pursued her interests in public policy and higher education through an internship at the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. Outside of academia, Amanda enjoys baking for her friends and family, sewing her own clothes, and listening to music. Amanda is delighted to join the Lloyd C. Gardner Fellowship and continue working towards her aspirations of becoming a researcher and professor whose work will one-day influence public policy.
Kavyasree Chigurupati is a junior in the Honors College double majoring in Political Science and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Kavi's interest in public policy centers around education and educational accessibility. Last year, she was an inaugural member of the Rutgers Advocacy Corps, where she met with various Congresspeople to advocate for increased federal student aid. She was also a 2021 Teaching Fellow at Breakthrough Collaborative Pittsburgh, a summer program where she taught literature to highly motivated and under-resourced students. Last October, Kavi volunteered with Teach for America through their One Day program where she worked with 8th grade students to discuss setting goals during a global pandemic. Furthermore, Kavi is entering her second year working as a Learning Assistant for the Honors College Forum. She believes that education is integral to an equitable future. Outside of the education field, Kavi worked as a research assistant with the Aresty Research Center and Professor Lisa Miller. She serves on the e-board of the Douglass Student Recruitment Network and is a member of the Honors College Ambassadors. She is also a member of Rutgers' pre-law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta. After college, Kavi hopes to attend law school or attain a Master’s degree in Education Policy; she aims to continue to work with low-income students and students of color. In her free time, Kavi enjoys trying new recipes, buying way too much Dunkin' Donuts, watching 90's romcoms, finding new music, and petting every dog in New Brunswick.
Gabriel Garcia is a junior in the School of Arts and Science double majoring in Political Science and Economics. Gabriel first became interested in politics after playing President Juan Peron in his high school’s rendition of Evita. During his freshman year at Rutgers, he was a member of the Law and Politics Living Learning Community where he met many like-minded peers who shared his academic and career interests. He also became involved with the student-led organization NJPIRG and volunteered with them in the Fall of his Freshman year as well as interning to help with their New Voters Project that subsequent summer. Most recently he interned with State Senator Vin Gopal’s reelection campaign this past Spring and then participated in the Rutgers Advocacy Corps this past summer where he advocated for higher education funding. Gabriel wants to use his affinity in both Political Science and Economics to fight for and protect the economic rights of the less fortunate, as well as fight against absolute profit maximization pursued by corporations at the expense of the general public’s welfare. Gabriel’s current favorite political topic is the history of Cuban-American relations, more specifically America’s involvement and hindrance in Cuba’s economic state of affairs. Outside of school, Gabriel really enjoys musicals, riding bike, playing chess, and watching Hasan Piker, a political commentator. After more than a year of physical absence from the Rutgers community due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabriel is excited to finally come back to campus and to engage with the Rutgers community, especially through the Gardner Fellowship Program.
Andreas Huey is an Honors College student at the School of Arts & Sciences, majoring in Economics and Political Science. Andreas' interest in public policy came from serving as a campaign intern with Zina Spezakis (NJ-09) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Andreas aided English to Spanish translation with potential voters, created social media advertisements to boost turnout, and developed economic policy that listened to voters' concerns. At Rutgers, Andreas has served as a campus representative on the Academic Affairs committee of the Rutgers Student Assembly, helping to ease students' transition to and from online schooling. He also regularly competes with the Rutgers Mock Trial team at competitions throughout the country. Andreas is proud of his Central American heritage. He has spent multiple summers tutoring Panamanian students in English, math, and computer applications. Following graduation, Andreas plans on attending law school with a focus on international law and foreign affairs. In his free time, Andreas consumes as much tennis as he can, whether that be through teaching lessons in his local community, playing with friends and family, or arguing about who the GOAT is.
Shaunak Kale is an Honors College student studying Finance and Political Science with a minor in Economics. He is a Managing Director for Rutgers Consulting Group and Treasure for IDIA-RU. Additionally, he is an RBS Representative within RUSA. Shaunak's interest in researching policy on climate change began when he acted as a student representative for the Divestment committee on fossil fuels. Since then, he has been passionate on enabling more change to address the climate crisis. This past summer, he worked as an intern within Deloitte's Global Strategy and Innovation group. He plans to spend some time in the consulting industry with a focus on green solutions before attending law school and pursuing a career in the legal field.
Ayaan Memon is an Honors College Student majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience, with interests in Music and Cognitive Science. Working at 2 labs studying models and clinical cases relevant to neurological disease, he also works as a volunteer tutor at the Learning Center and as the acting president of the Rutgers Cognitive Science Club. An aspiring physician, his foray into politics began in college when he recognized the intimate relationship between healthcare, health policy, and community health in the U.S. As such, he's taken on a new project through the Aresty Research Assistant program evaluating the promotion of preventative healthcare measures in areas within Essex and Passaic counties. He also aims to focus on researching developments in healthcare related policy independently as a writer for the Examiner Pre-Med Journal, an undergraduate student-run initiative at Rutgers that presents developments in health and healthcare to its pre-med community. Ayaan hopes that the Gardner Program teaches him a wealth of new knowledge about politics both related and unrelated to healthcare, allowing him to expand his proficiencies past STEM and into understanding what goes behind sustainable policy.
Kathryn Lee (she/her) is an Honors College junior majoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Political Science and minoring in Law and History with a certificate in Women’s Leadership. Kathryn is currently an Aresty Research Assistant for constitutional law expert Professor Miller, assisting with research for her upcoming book about power, accountability, and constitutional myths. She enjoys competing with the Rutgers University Mock Trial Association, where she was recently awarded Outstanding Attorney by the American Mock Trial Association. She is a founding E-board member of the Rutgers Women’s Pre-Law Society, where she works to create an environment that supports and empowers women and non-binary pre-law students. She hopes to further her passion for consumer safety, elder and disability rights, reproductive justice, and food sovereignty through law. In her free time, Kathryn enjoys obnoxiously scream-singing, making wholly underappreciated puns, and exploring New Brunswick’s underground music scene.
Archi Parekh is a student in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in Computer Science with minors in Economics and South Asian Studies. At Rutgers, Archi leads USACS, the largest computer science organization on campus. As president, she organizes tech talks, recruitment events, mentorship opportunities, and socials to foster an inclusive and supportive computer science community. This summer, Archi developed entitlements data management tools at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure as a software engineering intern. Prior to this, she expanded her tech skills as a software quality assurance intern at Cognition IP, a law-tech startup. She also volunteered for four campaigns in Michigan as a tech fellow at Bluebonnet Data, a progressive data nonprofit. Archi is passionate about leveraging her tech expertise in public interest technology and data journalism. She looks forward to exploring the political, economic, and societal factors behind tech advances as a Lloyd C. Gardner Fellow. In her free time, Archi enjoys baking, keeping up with current events, and watching Marvel movies.
Sreeja Pavuluri is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, majoring in History and Political Science with a minor in Art History. Over the summer, she was a 2021 Critical Language Scholar and studied Hindi through the American Institute of Indian Studies. Previously, she worked with Representative Tom Malinowski (NJ-07) as a campaign and finance intern. On campus, Sreeja is the President of House the Hub, a Rutgers organization that works with the homeless community of New Brunswick, and she serves as Treasurer for the Rutgers Undergraduate Society of History, the Rutgers Review, and the Anthologist. Her academic interests include South Asian history and politics, and women’s history. After Rutgers, Sreeja plans on exploring the political consulting field before attending law school. In her free time, she enjoys trying NYTimes Cooking recipes, creating travel itineraries for trips she plans on eventually taking, and A24 films.
Nidhi Salian is a rising junior in the Honors College double majoring in Cognitive Science and Economics, with a minor in Computer Science. She loves learning about technology and is interested in exploring the ways in which user experience research, human-computer interaction, and tech policy can be used to design solutions for social, economic, and environmental issues. Since coming to Rutgers, she has actively been involved in several clubs and organizations on campus like CreativeX, HC Ally, and Women in Business. She has also served as a team lead and tutor in the Youth Empowerment Club’s A2E tutoring program, and she will be serving as a site leader for Rutgers Alternative Breaks this upcoming year. Outside of class, Nidhi loves to spend her free time participating in community service projects, biking, painting, and exploring new shows or movies on Netflix! In fact, Nidhi spent this past summer completing a 30-day biking trip with the Dream Project. Nidhi and the rest of the Dream Team collectively fundraised $13,000 for a local non-profit called Triple C Housing while simultaneously biking from town to town across New Jersey. In each town they biked through, Nidhi volunteered with local non-profit organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Elijah’s Promise, CFBNJ, CROPS, and more. This upcoming year, Nidhi is thrilled to be joining the Gardner Fellowship program and applying what she learns about leadership and social policy to continue serving her community. After completing her undergraduate degree, Nidhi hopes to attend law school and ultimately work in an industry at the intersection of technology and law.
Charis Shin (she/her) is an Honors College student majoring in English and Economics, and the proud daughter of Korean immigrants. On campus, she studies social entrepreneurship as a research assistant at the School of Communication & Information, with a focus on the organizational differences between commercial and socially oriented new ventures. She is also the treasurer for the Rutgers chapter of the Petey Greene Program, where she tutors incarcerated students and hosts events on the injustices present in our nation’s carceral system. Alongside her passion for social impact, Charis is a lover of stories, whether they be her own or those of others, and this passion has inspired her role as a Speaker Curator for TEDxRutgers. She enjoys giving a platform to people from all walks of life and has worked with everyone from indie rappers to history scholars. Outside the classroom, Charis identifies as an active learner, an outdoor adventurer, and a child at heart– she hopes to channel this energy in the nonprofit sphere after graduation.
Patrick Song is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He is an E-board member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honors society, which aims to create a more vibrant student community this year. Patrick had just recently finished canvassing for the New Jersey Covid-19 Community Corps, which is trying to help people in disadvantaged communities’ access social programs and get vaccinated. Patrick is also a member of the Darien Civic Engagement Project for the upcoming Fall semester, hoping to better connect with local political issues. After college, he hopes to be involved in state politics and go to law school. In his free time, Patrick enjoys playing games with friends, watching YouTube, and listening to podcasts.
Ricky Suta is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in English and Political Science with a minor in French. At Rutgers, he has been on the Dean’s List every semester and he writes opinions for the Daily Targum. Ricky has been a legislative intern for Senator Linda Greenstein (LD-14) since June. In that position, he has gained hands-on experience, as he has worked on major policy initiatives from criminal justice reform to sustainable infrastructure development. An English major, Ricky always looks for a few quiet moments to get lost in words, especially those of Percy Bysshe Shelley, James Joyce, and JM Coetzee. He loves any art museum, any coffee shop, and any city adventure. After he graduates, Ricky hopes to spend some time abroad and then attend law school to pursue a policy-oriented legal career.
Duncan Wood is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, double majoring in Economics and Cognitive Science with a minor in Computer Science. He has worked as a Program Mentor for Rutgers Upward Bound where he has helped aspiring first generation college students find passion in learning. Duncan also tutors introductory logic and intermediate economics for SAS Honors Program Peer Tutoring. He serves as president of the Rutgers Philosophy Club, Community Director of the Rutgers Cognitive Science Club, and a member of the Rutgers Ethics Bowl team. Duncan works in Dr. Liu’s civil engineering lab as an Aresty Research Assistant studying the development of artificial intelligence for next-generation intelligent transportation systems. In his free time, Duncan enjoys playing video games with his friends. He hopes to pursue a doctorate to study artificial intelligence and functional neural architecture.
