2018 SCHOLARS | banyanscholarship

2018 BANYAN SCHOLARS

GULSHAN ASHAQUE

Gulshan was born in Lahore, Pakistan and currently lives in Queens, New York. She graduated from Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, where she was president of both the STEMinism and Science club. She has a strong passion for speaking out for women’s rights and was awarded by the Center for the Women of NY for her social activism. Gulshan started out at William E. Macaulay Honors College in Brooklyn and transferred to Columbia University in her sophomore year. She hopes to pursue a career in sports medicine and work with injured athletes on their road to recovery.

NIYATI NEUPANE

Niyati, who was born in Nepal, grew up in Queens, New York, where she attended Townsend Harris High School. She is currently a sophomore at Yale University where she is majoring in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology as a pre-med. She also plans to study global health and conduct science research, which are two of her other main interests. In high school, she competed in Science Olympiad and now she is supervising events for the SciOly invitational at Yale. In her spare time, she thoroughly enjoys dancing and reading novels.

DEBOLINA CHANDA

Debolina, whose family is of Bangladeshi descent, is currently a sophomore at SUNY Stony Brook University where she is pursuing a double major in Biology and Psychology on the pre-med track. Debolina aspires to become a cardiologist or an obstetrician while conducting her own health and medical research on the side. Debolina spends most of her time doing biochemistry research and dancing. She is involved in numerous clubs on campus such as the Pre-Med Society, SBU Bhangra, and SBU Taandava - Stony Brook's very own Indian classical dance team.

THARUSHI PERERA

Tharushi was born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Staten Island, New York. She graduated from Staten Island Technical High School and is currently a sophomore at Sophie Davis, a 7 year BS/MD program at the City College of New York. After completing this program, she hopes to become a pediatrician or general care practitioner and work to address issues of poverty and health disparities in underprivileged communities. During high school she conducted research in psychology and volunteered in soup kitchens, activities she wants to continue in college. In her free time, she also loves writing, doing yoga, and watching Netflix shows.