​My first experience at AGSS was when I was in fifth grade, attending the Geometry Workshop. I was a bit intimidated at first, but mostly curious about what was in store. When I stepped foot into the library’s multipurpose room, the bright tablecloths and welcoming smiles immediately brought joy to me face. I felt like I belonged. We spent the workshop learning about shapes - not just the ones I saw in my school textbook, but ones that went beyond the classroom basics. An origami-lover at heart, I was excited to learn that our activities involved folding intricate, 3D origami shapes.

Now, 7 years later as a high school senior, I’ve had time to reflect on what it was that made me want to volunteer. Part of it was the challenging and intriguing nature of the workshops. They’re not necessarily topics that you will see in any classroom or syllabus. These are often unique and interesting subjects that are explored on a deeper level than students in elementary and middle schools will have experience with. That’s what made my experiences as a participant so fun, and it’s what I strive for as a volunteer and member of the leadership team.

AGSS is where I discovered the fun in learning. I wasn’t being forced to attend; I was able to choose what workshops sounded interesting and become self-motivated to learn and experiment. The beauty of it all is that I’m able to give back to the organization that sparked my love for STEM — whether it was that first Geometry Workshop I attended, the Python Workshop that introduced me to computer science, or the Physics Workshop that I taught with my friend Sophia two years ago. At every workshop, I learn just as much from the students who attend as they do from the workshop’s contents. Their eagerness to learn and ask questions inspire me everyday to do the same — think boldly and pursue curiosity.
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As a volunteer, I aspire to instill that enthusiasm and sense of belonging that I first felt as a participant. There aren’t many spaces where I can be surrounded by an inclusive and safe environment. Back then, I didn’t understand just how valuable it was to be surrounded by older role models who looked like me and peers who were like myself. I’ve worked in labs and been in classrooms where most people there are not female. I’m grateful to always be able to return to AGSS and call it my home. It’s truly shaped my passion for collaboration and developed my love of learning.

I encourage you to cherish the times and memories you make at AGSS -- and who knows? You, too, may return as a volunteer one day!

In 2020, Gitanjali Rao became the first ever winner of Time’s Kid of the Year award. At only fifteen years of age, she won on the basis of her “astonishing
work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying,” according to Time’s Magazine.

This included Kindly, both an app and a chrome extension that uses AI to
prevent cyberbullying before it happens. “You type in a word or phrase, and it’s able to pick it up if it’s bullying, and it gives you the option to edit it or send it
​the way it is,” Rao explained in the same Time’s article. Another one of her
impressive accomplishments was her innovation sessions. Rao organizes
lessons, labs, and contests to help foster young minds with innovative ideas.
“The students that I work with, they just don’t know where to start,” Rao said.
“If you give them that spark that they can then build off…that means one more person in this world wants to come up with ideas to solve problems.”

Now, three years later, Rao is as motivated and extraordinary as she was at fifteen. She is a current freshman at MIT, where she hopes to major in biological engineering and minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. She was also honored at the White House’s first Girls Leading Change celebration this past October “for her work promoting science and innovation among youth, locally and globally, and inspiring them with several inventions,” according to MIT News. “My dream is to work on developing solutions to some of the most complex problems in our communities, and possibly someday run a biotech company,” she told MIT News. 

In addition to all her work with innovation and invention, Rao has written two books—“A Young Inventor’s Guide to STEM: 5 Steps to Problem Solving for Students, Educators, and Parents,” and “A Young Innovators Guide to Planning For Success,” the latter of which will come out in June 2024.

​Rao is an inspiration to young minds in STEM, and proof that there are people fighting hard to change and improve the world we live in today. No matter what age, she is a testament to the fact that you can make a difference for our future.

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