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| Gati Aher |
Gati Aher is a senior at Burlington High School. She has been part of the National Honors Society since sophomore year and has gotten High Honors or Honor Roll every term. To challenge herself, she self-learns an academic subject every April Vacation. So far she has tested out of Honors Chemistry and Honors PreCalculus and has taken the AP Java Exam. She has gotten 5s on all her 6 AP exams so far, and she is taking 4 more APs this year.
Gati has been awarded the M.A.S.S. Certificate of Academic Excellence, the Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award, Gold and Silver Medals for the National Latin Exam, and the President’s Volunteer Service Award for volunteering more than 300 hours in the last three years teaching Indian languages at Shishu Bharati. Her love for giving back to the community can also be seen in her role as President of BHS Peer Tutors and main coordinator of Balagokulum, an Indian cultural organization.
Her extracurriculars reflect her passion for STEM: she is part of HelpDesk, BHS’s IT-group, Leader of Math League, President of Programming and Technology Club, and Head of Computer Aided Design for the DevilBotz FRC Robotics Team. She worked every weekday in this past summer: six weeks at a paid computer science internship at Boston University and four weeks as a camp counselor and mentor at Einstein’s Workshop teaching children robotics and 3D-printing. She also mentors an all-girls FLL robotics team on the weekends and has presented at MassCUE and ISTE, technology in education conferences.
She balances her passion for STEM with a focus on the visual and performing arts. This year she took a break from running cross-country so she could spend more time perfecting her 2-hour long classical Indian dance graduation performance. Additionally, she is a Ted Talk Youth speaker, has won her school’s Factatholon and Poetry Out Loud competitions, and plays four instruments including the oboe. Her artwork has been published in the Marble Collection, state art magazine, and has twice been featured on the cover of Collab, the school’s literary and arts magazine. She wants to use art and technology to make the world a better place. Her dream college is MIT.
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| Neil Pandit |
Neil Pandit is a senior at Burlington High School. Over the past four years, he has attained high grades in very rigorous classes, having held a course schedule that includes Honors and AP level classes. He has also received awards, such as the Middlesex League SILS Award and the Harvard Prize Book Award.
Outside of class, Neil is the President of the Rotary Interact Club of BHS. He has improved the financial standing of the club while also increasing its engagement and philanthropic activities within the community. He is the President of the Multicultural Club of BHS. In this position, Neil steers the club in planning for BHS’s annual day of intercultural exchange and celebration of diversity, “Culture Fest.” Also, Neil is the President of the Medical Careers Club, a club which promotes hands-on learning and discussion with healthcare professionals. Neil competes on the Factathalon team “Socratic Serpents” and has won BHS’s Factathalon Quiz Bowl.
His community service involves photographing and maintaining the official Instagram page for Strongwater Farm Therapeutic Equestrian Center and volunteering at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. Neil is a volunteer photographer for the India Association of Greater Boston; the domestic violence prevention and family support nonprofit, Saheli Boston; and Indian Americans for Burlington of which he is also the Youth Services Liaison.
Neil hopes to pursue a double major in biology and political science. Neil would like to thank the dedicated BHS teachers and staff members who have guided and inspired him at every step in his educational journey.
