A Stimulating Conversation with Mehul Smriti Raje

A Harvard MS Student, Google WTM Scholar, Student of Vision ABIE Award Winner & RA at MIT Media Lab

Mehul is currently pursuing a Masters in Computational Sciences at Harvard University. She has a stellar profile, having won prestigious awards such as the Google WTM Scholarship and Student of Vision ABIE award. During her postgraduate studies, she interned at Microsoft Redmond and conducted research at the MIT Media Lab. She was a panelist at the UN 62nd Commission on the Status of Women on ‘Connecting the Disconnected: Enabling Rural Women Creators in Tech’. As a B. Tech student, she founded Women Techmakers Manipal chapter and directed a YouTube video series. She participated in and won multiple competitions such as the Microsoft Imagine Cup, Microsoft code.fun.do, Oracle GHCI Hackathon. Do watch her interview to gain an insight into a wide variety of topics, ranging from life at Harvard to networking in graduate school.

About Mehul 👩‍🔬💻

• Secured the Google Women Techmakers Scholarship, 2018.
• Student of Vision ABIE Award Winner and Keynote Speaker at Grace Hopper Celebration, 2017.
• Former Software Engineering Intern at Microsoft Redmond.
• Panelist at the UN 62nd Commission on ‘Technology in Rural Areas” and Voice of America on “Barriers Women Face in Technology”.
• Research Assistant at the Fluid Interfaces Group, MIT Media Lab.
• Former Firmware Engineer at SanDisk, Bengaluru.
• World Citizenship Champion at Microsoft Imagine Cup National Finals India, 2016.
• Winner of Design Milestone at Acad Accelerator, Microsoft.
• Founded Women Techmakers Manipal Chapter and directed a YouTube video series called “TheSpectacularFemale”, with over 1000 followers.
• First female to win the “Brain of Bihar” award in 2010.

The Interview Session

Questions Covered ✨

• We’ve heard of your Tech Trek visits at Harvard. Can you give us insights on similar events and initiatives for students that are unique to Harvard?
• You’ve chosen a diverse set of subjects including Data science, Machine Learning, Cognitive Science, Robotics. What motivated you to choose MIT’s Computational Cognitive Science and Design Across Scales courses?
• How was your Capstone project experience with Spotify different from a corporate internship? Can you give our viewers some insights about Capstone projects?
• You interned at Microsoft during your summer break at Harvard. What is your advice regarding availing such internships during one’s Masters and leveraging career fairs?
• Working with the MIT Media Labs is an incredible feat; how did you bag the role of an RA and manage to do your undergrad thesis under Dr. Pattie Maes, a pioneer in HCI?
• What are you currently working on and which aspects of ML interest you?
• A lot of students apply for loans, which are usually paid by means of part-time or full-time jobs. What were the challenges that you had faced while applying for TA or Ra roles?
• Your speech at GHC, as the winner of the Student of Vision Award 2017, was sensational. Furthermore, you received the award from Melinda Gates! According to you, what stood out in your profile, while applying for the same?
• Are there any instances that you would like to share from your experience as a panelist at the Voice of America?
• Your team, ‘the Matrix’, won the 3rd place at Imagine Cup National Finals 2016 for the World Citizenship Category. What went behind the preparation for the Imagine Cup National Finals?
• You have a fantastic portfolio showcasing your work. What aspects should one bring out in their personal portfolio websites, while applying for Masters or diversity scholarships?
• You were instrumental in setting up Women Techmakers Manipal. What is your advice to girls who are striving to establish similar initiatives in a male-dominated environment?
• During your childhood days in an all-girls school, you were brought up in a female dominant environment and you had a supportive ecosystem. How did the sudden change in a co-ed college like Manipal, transform or add value to you?
• You have an outstanding profile and terrific achievements. Your former mentors/managers at SanDisk have nothing but praises for your diligence and work ethics. What drives you to perform so well in the corporate?
• Based on what factors did you select colleges like Cornell, Harvard, UPenn and UCLA?
• TheSpectacularFemale has over 1k followers on Facebook. What inspired you to launch this?
• Building your connections (networking) plays a vital role in graduate school. When it comes to professors, can you shed some light on how to draft E-mails for them?

Tidbits 🌟

Mehul’s advice about doing things one is passionate about and having a constructive perspective towards life, truly inspired us. She highlighted the importance of working on side-projects and being able to write emphatically about them . This interview will benefit students who are aspiring to study at prestigious universities like Harvard as Mehul gives useful pointers about cross-registration , Capstone courses and career-fairs. To find out more about her, do visit her LinkedIn profile and make sure that you have a look at her video submission for the Student of Vision ABIE Award!