Alex A. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Hi! I’m Alex from Queens, New York. I grew up going to public school on Long Island. I have always loved school and learning, and my favorite subject is biology. I have three siblings very close in age to me who are my best friends. We spend a lot of time kayaking, baking, and binging Star Wars and Harry Potter. Beyond these interests, I love music: I play cello and am an avid listener of Broadway musical albums! One of my biggest passions, though, is teaching. I have taught kids since I was in middle school and have only gotten more excited about it since. I recently moved to California and am now an undergraduate student studying Bioengineering at Stanford! I hope to pursue an MD-PhD in the future and work in the biotechnology industry. I love the idea of combining creativity and science to impact people’s health, and it’s where I believe I can make the most of a difference in the world. I have done a lot of science research, working in a tuberculosis treatment lab, shadowing at NYU Langone Hospital, designing a stroke outcome predictive technology, and working at a biotechnology startup that uses AI to design novel antibodies. I am starting a new research endeavor at Stanford where I will use AI to predict drug and treatment success. I have also had many experiences teaching. I ran a club in my high school that connected high school tutors with middle school students. The high schoolers who were advanced in a particular subject would tutor middle school students struggling in those similar areas. While running this club, I tutored many students in subjects ranging from Latin to English to Biology. I also created an organization called Science Stars. We make middle school visits to conduct hands-on science experiments in order to get kids excited about STEM areas! We’ve built potato batteries, launched rockets, and talked with robots: it has led to me witnessing students transform their mindsets and dedication to subjects ranging from math to chemistry. More recently, I’ve joined an organization at Stanford called Flying Treehouse. We go to local elementary schools and teach creative writing. We then take the stories that the students write and perform them in short plays so that they can watch their writing come to life. It is an incredible way to get kids excited about reading and writing! All of these experiences have allowed me to approach teaching from unique lenses. I’ve been able to experiment with hands-on and visual methods that not only lead to deep understanding of academic material, but promote excitement around these subject areas. Watching a child’s eyes light up when a difficult concept clicks will never cease to excite me! I love connecting with my students: it facilitates an openness that fosters incredible learning experiences. I hope to continue to make this impact on my students: helping them learn and helping them become excited about the process of learning!