Varun Madan

I’ve always been interested in science; my parents are both physicians and I’ve been inspired all my life by their work. But when I was in eighth grade in Orlando, Florida, I visited a farm where I learned about honeybees and colony collapse, which was an especially big concern at that time. I was so interested that I developed a five-year project through my high school’s research program and the University of Florida, creating a machine learning model to predict the optimal dosage of a probiotic that could supplement the immunity of bees, allowing them to live longer and be more productive.

I loved that project, and I couldn’t get enough of the machine learning and artificial intelligence I was just beginning to use, so when it came time for college, I looked to Stanford, because I wanted to be at a research institution that was close to the tech scene and where I could meet some amazing people.

I have a deep interest in technology and AI’s potential to impact so many different fields around the world. But I also love teaching. I first heard about CS 105: Introduction to Computers being taught in high schools on Stanford’s Ed-STEM discussion platform. It was an opportunity to support high school students from around the country, and that really appealed to me. Helping someone understand concepts and apply them is a beautiful thing, but I also believe that learning to teach is integral to whatever we do. If you’re running a team or a company, for instance, you need to teach that team all kinds of things. It’s a universal skill.

The CS 105 program operates in a number of Title 1 high schools around the country and has three elements: recorded video lectures by Stanford computer science lecturer Patrick Young, live video sessions with a Stanford teaching fellow like myself, and ongoing support from the classroom teacher. It’s a wonderful initiative, because a lot of these students haven’t imagined themselves going to college, so this is also a mentoring opportunity. As a teaching fellow working with students at Birmingham Community Charter High School in Los Angeles, I was able to build relationships with them – I’m relatable because I’m not that much older – and it was so much fun. They can ask questions not only about the course, but also about academic life at Stanford, what it’s like to apply to college, all of that. I was surprised how prepared they all were and how on top of the material. They’re all driven to learn. As we went through exercises together, I watched their faces light up when they knew an answer, and that’s a beautiful thing to see.

Being a Stanford student has been amazing in ways I couldn’t imagine before I got here. I’ve found friends I hope to have for the rest of my life, and I’ve become very involved in the tech development scene on campus. I founded and currently lead the Google Developer Student Clubs chapter at Stanford, which now has 250 members and is working with a number of Stanford schools and departments to develop useful projects to help communities. Our flagship project is HavenLink, an app that’s now being used to connect people living in 12 Santa Clara County homeless shelters to all types of resources. Leading this group has been the highlight of Stanford for me so far.

I’d like to continue teaching with the CS 105 program, and I’m considering applying to the School of Engineering’s coterm program for my master’s degree. I’m especially interested in health tech and improving people’s lives, and I eventually hope to do that working at a startup – or perhaps by creating my own.

For me, the key to success here at Stanford is to take the initiative and do things, even though you might sometimes face rejection. Once you adopt that mindset, you’re free to take advantage of opportunities all around campus, and the sky is the limit.