Welcome!

I have been participating in the National Science Bee^↗ since 6th grade. I have qualified for the Nationals every year that I have participated; making it to the National Quarterfinals in 8th grade and the Semifinals for the past two years.

The Science Bee is an individual buzzer-based competition based on any of the many different streams of science. Questions are in the form of 30 tossups for each round. Four paragraph-long descriptions of the answer are presented as hints by the host that gradually progress from the obscure to the better-known facts. For each tossup, the first to buzz in and answer correctly wins the point. However, one may only buzz in once on a given tossup. This intensive ruleset leads to exhilarating gameplay that tests both one's knowledge and speed, and I absolutely love it.

In an effort to share this experience with others and increase my sending school's representation (from one student), I started a club in 10th grade to prepare other students for the competition. We used to meet once a week, and I had a lot of fun guiding and practicing with the members about the format and how to best approach the problems. We all enjoyed practicing in mock competitions that let everyone experience a bit of that thrill I always got at the actual event. By the time the qualifying exams came around last year, the club could proudly announce having increased the number of qualifiers by two! The club still continues at NAHS to this day, now led by a former member.

As you might have guessed, I enjoy the exhilaration of competition. I first tried my hand at hackathons last year at the BU Hacks High School Hackathon. I formed a team of two, and we developed a telemedicine web app since the theme of the competition was making healthcare accessible. The intensive 6 hours of ideation, coding, and debugging was worth it when we won the "Best Technical Award".

My immediate family consists of my parents and my younger sister.

As a family, our favorite engagement is traveling to new places during any long weekend or vacations, especially to National Park Service sites. We have visited around 200 such sites across 40 states. My fondest memories are of our trips to the Yellowstone (the variety of geothermal features is mind-boggling), the Everglades (seeing a lazing alligator just a few feet away was even cooler than wild horses of Assateague), and Bryce Canyon (the sunset at Grand Canyon was not quite as spectacular as the same against the red hoodoos of Bryce). It's an indescribable feeling to be able to visit places of such unique scenery, historical significance, and wildlife. On the right is a picture my family took of our shadows on a hot spring at Yellowstone.

We also enjoy playing video games, cards, Scrabble, and going on picnics together.

My extended family back in India, especially my grandparents, are very close to my heart. Meeting them is something I look forward to during our frequent visits to India, along with India's unique cultural and historical charm.

I was a member of the middle school and high school band program of North Andover. I am a trombonist in the audition-only "Wind Ensemble" as well as the open "Symphonic Band". I deeply enjoy playing with the NAHS band and the bond it fosters. Our band teacher, Mr. Smalley, is the best! He is very supportive and always encourages us to do our best.

Our "All-town band concert" in April is the highlight of each year. The different grades of the middle school and the 2 bands of the high school play their pieces one after the other, ending with the 'Eagle Summit March' played together as the grand finale. This concert brings our whole town together like a big family playing and enjoying the music together.

Leisure

In my spare time, I also enjoy playing music on my keyboard, mostly figuring out tunes that I hear and enjoy. Recently, I have been picking up songs from Overwatch 2, but I also attempt pop and Minecraft music. I discovered the joy of picking up songs on instruments when I was training as a violinist during my elementary years. It's like solving a puzzle to figure out how to play a song as a instrumental.