Columbia Space Initiative:

I joined the Columbia Space Initiative (CSI) my first day at Columbia. By sophomore year I was elected treasurer, by junior year I was elected Co-President, and I served as Co-Lead of the Rocketry team during my senior time. During my four-year tenure at the club, I grew the club by 500%, both in terms of active members (30 students to over 200) and annual budget (less than $20k to over $100k). Now, CSI is the largest club on campus and still growing. 

During this time, I also oversaw the club's first and second rocket launches, first NASA CubeSat launch contract, a biological experiment sent to the ISS, multiple astronaut visits, sponsorships from large engineering companies, extensive outreach programming, and partnerships with nonprofits. To accomplish all of this, I managed a 30 member administrative team, navigated the intricacies of the Columbia administration university-wide, worked with people ranging from the department director of finance to the dean of engineering. and focused on improving culture, accessibility, and inclusivity through new community initiatives. Some of these initiatives included a mentorship program with different affinity groups, an onboarding program with a rocketry crash course and new member projects, many social bonding events, and an anonymous feedback form. 

CSI was the highlight of my undergraduate experience at Columbia. The countless hours that I have spent on CSI, with all its ups and downs, have shown me the power of a welcoming community of passionate people paired with a persistent desire to make dreams a reality.