Our Leadership Team
MAYUKHA VADARI - FOUNDER & CEO
Mayukha has been into math since the fourth grade, when she joined her school's math club. She got off to a good start, winning 8th place at the Math is Cool state competition only a few months after she started. For the next few years, she continued to take part in math competitions, including in national competitions like ARML and NSF Nationals. She has won several awards at the regional, state, and national levels. Then, in 8th grade, Mayukha enrolled in Seattle Science Infinity Club. At first, she did not like science very much, but soon began to love it. She and her team excelled, getting second place in Science Bowl at the regional level, only losing once to the first place team, who also happened to be from the Seattle Science Infinity Club. She also went to Nationals for the North South Foundation's Science and Math Bees and won awards there as well. By this time, she realized a trend that girls were losing interest in math and science. She noticed this trend through direct experience with her classmates and friends, as well as observing at competitions (e.g. she was the only girl in the top ten at the 2012 NSF MathBee Nationals). In order to combat this drop in interest, she decided to form Girls Rock in Science and Math to increase interest for girls in these two subjects and make them enthusiastic participants in all areas of both academia and extracurriculars.
MINAL GOWDA - GRISM President
Minal Gowda is a senior at Lincoln High School in Seattle, WA. She is the current president of GRISM and has been involved in GRISM for 3 years. Her interests include piano, dance, volleyball, swimming, listening to music, hiking, and spending time with friends and family (and her dog!).
Maya Baciou - grass Co-director
Maya is a sophomore at Lake Washington Highschool, with a passion for STEM – especially biology, astronomy, forensics, and math. She loves GRISM’s blend of STEM with leadership and with mentoring younger kids. Maya’s school clubs include Medical Research, DECA (she’s an ICDC participant and Emerging Leader), NHS and Key Club. She also likes to dabble in math programs such as AMC, Kangaroo, and Noetic. Maya is a Martial Arts black belt and instructor.
Navya Jain - Grass Co-director
Navya Jain is a student at the Transition School at the Robinson Center For Young Scholars. She started GRISM when she was in third grade, and went through GRASS before ending up here as an volunteer! She wants to help out others the way the GRISM program did with her, adding to her passion with STEM and showing her girls can do it too! Navya is passionate about math and biology and has participated in Math Is Cool, Math Kangaroo, Science Olympiad (Anatomy and Physiology being her main topic), AMC8, AMC10 and much more! In her free time, she loves to read, hike, research random facts, and do math!
Anika Iyer - vice president of media
Anika Iyer is a junior at Redmond High School. She is passionate about science, especially chemistry and computer science, and hopes to pursue a career in computer science or informatics. Anika has been an instructor at GRISM for two years and loves teaching the girls about STEM. Outside of GRISM, Anika does art, reads, and manages her school’s newspaper!
ANIKA SHAH - Vice president OF OUTREACH
Anika is currently a junior at Lake Washington High School. She loves science, especially biology, and is passionate about pursuing a career in the medical field. She first joined GRISM two years ago as an instructor with the hope to get more young girls interested in STEM. Outside of school, Anika loves to read, bake, and play volleyball!
SAhana sarangi - Instructor Manager
Sahana is a sophomore at the University of Washington. Her journey with GRISM started with GEMS in elementary school, and she has now been a part of the team for three years. She loves learning and working in STEM, hoping to become a surgeon one day! Outside of GRISM, she teaches computer science at UW, is passionate about cancer research, and loves to ski.
NISHKA HEGDE - Manager of Expansions and Communications
Nishka Hegde is a sophomore at Issaquah High School. She’s been involved with GRISM since third grade, and thrilled to come full circle by inspiring elementary school girls through science. Some of her favorite hobbies include listening to music, paddleboarding, and reading. Nishka’s passion for science motivated her to join GRISM as an instructor, allowing her to share her enthusiasm for STEM with young learners. Beyond GRISM, Nishka is also active in robotics and runs her own cupcake business.
Our Instructors
Ava ALDERETE
Ava Alderete is currently a junior at Redmond High School. Her favorite subjects are math and chemistry. Being a GRISM instructor gives her the opportunity to spread her passion of topics in STEM to young girls who dream or have curiosity in these fields. Apart from school, she loves watching sports, playing basketball, listening to music, and being around her friends and family.
TANVI Varangaonkar
Tanvi is currently a junior at Lake Washington High School. She started GRISM in third grade and did GRASS throughout middle school. Being a part of the GRISM community grew her passion for STEM as a kid, and this year, she's so excited to return as an instructor! Her experience in GRISM especially sparked an interest for her in math: she's a part of the math club at her school and competes in competitions such as the AMC and ARML. Outside of school, Tanvi enjoys dancing and photography.
isha mehta
Isha is a junior at Interlake Highschool pursuing the IB diploma. She began as a GRISM instructor in her freshman and is excited to continue her journey spreading the world of STEM to younger girls. Isha is passionate about math and coding, hoping to pursue a career in data science. Outside of GRISM, Isha enjoys participating in DECA (2x ICDC qualifier!), playing badminton, spending time with her friends, and playing with her dog!
isha kulkarni
Isha Kulkarni is a sophomore at Skyline High School. She love sports medicine, going on walks, dancing, and learning new things! She became a GRISM instructor because she enjoys spending her time with children, teaching new skills, creating presentations, and sharing her knowledge to help them grow as individuals. Having attended GRISM as an elementary student, she was inspired to return and be an instructor, as she found a passion in STEM and teaching. She hopes to help young girls thrive in STEM, build confidence, and teach them to step up as leaders whenever they can!
riana sujit
Riana is a junior at Lake Washington High School. She attended GRISM’s summer camps as a kid and is excited to now be part of the same community of girls that once inspired her to explore STEM. Her passion for STEM has grown in high school through her involvement in Science Olympiad and the Technology Student Association (TSA), as well as by founding her school’s AI club. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, baking, spending time with friends, and graphic design.
emma jocic
Emma is currently in 10th grade. She goes to Lake Washington High School, and she occasionally likes to draw in her free time. She has always had an interest in STEM, as she had attended GRISM and later on GRASS for a while before she became an instructor. Becoming an instructor for GRISM now gives her the opportunity to teach it to others!