Learn about life at Columbia University from a Student CEO!
March 18th, 2020 Writer: Aarti Kumar Editor: Mishti Dhawan STEMLeader
One of our staff writers, Aarti Kumar, recently interviewed Chinmayi Balusu, a current Columbia student. Chinmayi is the CEO of Simply Neuroscience, an organization dedicated to developing students' interest in neuroscience and psychology. She works towards creating a space for everyone to pursue their passion for learning about the brain.
Check out the interview below to learn more about Chinmayi and her life at Columbia!
Aarti Kumar: To start off the interview, what drew you to Columbia University?
Chinmayi Balusu: Columbia has a very welcoming environment and it allows you to pursue what you truly are passionate about. Columbia’s Core Curriculum is also unique and rich in its connections to society nowadays. The university as a whole provides access to many opportunities that enhance the college experience, and I was drawn to the possibility of being able to find an avenue to pursue every one of my interests, however quirky they may be. Last but not least, Columbia's located in New York City—the city is our classroom too!
AK: Now that you are at Columbia, what’s your favorite thing about it?
CB: My favorite thing about Columbia is its interdisciplinary atmosphere. Even if I consider myself a STEM student, for the most part, Columbia still allows me to connect to the humanities. The Core Curriculum greatly encourages students to venture outside of their field of interest and explore applications of what they’re studying.
AK: What drew you to the field of Neuroscience?
CB: The idea that a three-pound wiggly lump of tissue sitting in my head is one of the most complex objects in the universe fascinates me, and I want to learn everything I can about the object that makes me who I am. As I’ve said before, I’m a big fan of interdisciplinary connections and neuroscience is such a vast field with connections to music, art, economics, law, ethics, philosophy, business, computer science, and more, which is simply fascinating.
AK: What's one activity that you participated in during your high school years that has helped prepare you the most for college?
CB: Probably taekwondo! The dedication required to continuously learn and practice was very helpful in getting into a strong growth mindset. As a trainee instructor, I used to help teach classes for younger students at the studio, and it greatly helped me practice my leadership skills. Also, competing and volunteering at taekwondo tournaments introduced me to many friends. I’m a mix of an introvert and an extrovert, and meeting new people through tournaments helped me embrace the more outgoing side of my personality. That’s also carried over into embracing new friendships in college!
AK: What was your favorite class in high school, and why was it your favorite class?
CB: AP Human Geography with its connections to environmental science, sociology, anthropology, ethnic studies, and political science, helped me understand how interdisciplinary the world is. To 13-year-old me whose mind had been segmented into the singular disciplines of various subjects, it was one of the first classes that taught me about the applications and intersections of various fields. That fascinated me.
AK: What extracurricular activities did you participate in high school?
CB: I played soccer (and refereed youth games), practiced taekwondo (I’m a 3rd-degree black belt), conducted research, volunteered at a community senior care center, helped out at an animal sanctuary, and led a math club at the local middle school.
AK: What would you say is the biggest obstacle that you have faced in college so far? How did you overcome it?
CB: The biggest obstacle is not having enough time. There are only twenty-four hours in a day, and balancing courses, clubs, research, events, and running a nonprofit organization is rough at times. I’ve overcome time constraints by truly focusing on the activities that I want to do and that are meaningful along with realistically planning out my time.
One of the biggest mistakes is committing to too many responsibilities because you think you can do it, but you have to give yourself time to enjoy the experience as you go along and not be worried about getting everything done.
AK: What is the biggest obstacle that you faced when founding Simply Neuroscience? How did you overcome it?
CB: Finding the perfect balance between pursuing different initiatives that members are interested in and reasonably moving forward as an organization is always difficult. I don’t think it’s an obstacle that necessarily can be overcome at a certain point, but rather it’s an ongoing struggle. At many points, it forces me to take a step back and think about the long-term sustainability of the organization. The building of that perspective has helped me shape the framework of the organization since the start, along with developing my mindset in leadership.
Thank you so much for letting us interview you, Chinmayi!
If you are interested in learning more about Chinmayi's organization, check out Simply Neuroscience's Website or go to @simplyneuroscience on Instagram.
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