Personal Interests
Since the Research and Organizations sections of my homepage give a rather one-dimensional view of my interests (though science and medical research is definitely my main interest), I want to give you an idea of what I do for fun. As I mentioned in the background section, many of my personal interests and hobbies revolve around the water and sun. There are few activities, in my opinion, that are more relaxing than a sunny day at the beach playing volleyball or football with your friends. Below are a few of my main interests with associated pictures.
Flying
I first decided I want to be a recreational pilot when I lived in South Africa. That goal is close to being realized because I am in the process of completing my hours. A friend of mine from high school is a certified pilot and trainer so we have been flying a Cessna 172 whenever I come back home during college breaks (which is more infrequent than I would like). Below are some pictures of the beautiful Space Coast in Florida and a video of one of my first landings.
Scuba Diving
From the air to the oceans, I picked up scuba diving after I started flying. Since 2006 I have dived over 10 times, from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Rockport, MA. For my advanced open water diver certification, I completed a night dive, deep dive, and navigation course. I have seen many sea creatures, from (small!) sharks to lobsters to sea horses, and look forward to diving again on a regular basis (Boston, as I found out, is too cold for this Floridian).
Kayaking
Since I was in elementary school, I have enjoyed kayaking on the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. Every time I have kayaked on the Lagoon, which separates my town (Melbourne Beach) from mainland Florida, I have seen dolphins or manatees. Below is a shaky video of a pair of dolphins that my friend took while we were kayaking in January 2008 (the "best shots" are 0:38-0:40 and 1:05-1:09). Other times when we kayak, my friends and I fish or visit small islands in the Lagoon (which you can see in the video).
Cultural Dance
One of the annual highlights of my college experience was the Harvard South Asian Association's dance festival, Ghungroo. It usually coincides with Junior Parents Weekend in early March so many parents are on campus and can enjoy watching the dances, which represent the culmination of hours upon hours of practice. In 2008 I participated in Raas. A video of one of our performances is below (I am on the top left of the screen when the guys come out with dandiya - or Raas sticks). In 2009 I participated in Malayalee dance in which the guys were dressed as fishermen (see the second video below). In 2010 I danced in Bhangra (third video) as well as the Senior Dance (fourth and fifth videos).
Advising
Many of the activities I did on campus revolved around advising. I was a Peer Advising Fellow (PAF) during my sophomore and senior years and, through that role, advised 10 freshmen each year on academic and social issues. This was one of my favorite activities because I get to interact with, and (hopefully) help, some really talented and intelligent people. I was also a Drug and Alcohol Peer Adviser (DAPA). DAPAs are another cool group of people who are devoted to promoting safe habits on campus. One of my main activities through DAPA was national outreach through the BACCHUS Assembly. Articles about this can be found here: Peers Promote Safe Drinking, Alcohol Adviser Wins Award, Northeast Region Bacchus Conference Book (page 10), and DAPA Staff List. Lastly, I was involved with the Student Mental Health Liaisons who aim to create an atmosphere of good mental health on campus. Some of these activities include organizing the annual Mental Health Awareness Week and passing out de-stressing kits in the libraries during exam period.
Sports
My favorite intramural sports are football, ultimate frisbee, and soccer. I also used to play tennis for my middle and high school. Though I would have liked to actively pursue these sports in college, I enjoy playing at the intramural level nonetheless. I also have taken up running in college and run in at least one 5k race each year (though at my peak I averaged 15 miles/week).