TRIP to the Story of My Life! by Samhita Ganti

Hey everyone!!! My name is Samhita Ganti, and I am a junior at the Downingtown STEM Academy. 

If I had my friends describe me, they would definitely say I am an energetic, extroverted person. I love to make new friends, partially because I cannot stop talking. But, if you were to see me quiet, it’s either because I am listening to music or sleeping. Recently, my favorite artists are Don Toliver, Giveon, and Kali Uchis and Tory Lanez, but my all-time favorite has to be The Weeknd. Another fun fact about me is that I am not a fan of watermelon or cucumbers, which usually comes as a surprise to many people. I finally finished watching OBX on Netflix and am desperately waiting for the next season to come out!

In my free time, you would definitely catch me with my violin. I participate in both my school orchestra and out of school orchestra. Being the section leader for the second violin in the Chester County Youth Orchestra, provided me with leadership skills, which also helped to showcase my dedication for this instrument. I have been playing this for around 8 years now, where last year I was given the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall virtually.  In school, I am involved with Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and Scientista, where I take part in leading science experiments at my local middle schools. This club provided me with the opportunity to inspire young minds about the great world of science, something that happened to me when I was a 6th grader in this very club. Outside of school, I love to spend my time volunteering to help out our community. I serve as a Project Manager at Strive2Thrive, where I collaborate with different countries to set up tutoring classes for underprivileged students. 

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I am so grateful to be a part of the TRIP community, mostly to strengthen the knowledge I currently know about the subjects I love (chemistry and biology) and start learning about flies!! I am looking forward to being able to design my independent research project. My kickoff experience focuses on how St. John’s Wort and disturbed circadian rhythms affect fly anxiety. I am so excited to see what this program has in store for us!!!