Apurva Chaturvedi
Co-President
(She/Her)
4th Year Psychobiology Major, VAPAE Minor
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?
I love working with kids and learning about the brain! I also like how InterAxon makes their own teaching materials to share with the classrooms.
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
Take life one day at a time!
Dhruv Khosla
Co-President
(He/Him)
4th Year Neuroscience Major, Global Health Minor
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?
Participating in the Arizona Brain Bee as a high school student ignited my curiosity in neuroscience during the same time period in which I taught music to disadvantaged youth in Phoenix. During my UCLA New Student Orientation session, I stumbled across former InterAxon secretary Diana Castro, and the rest was history! Learning about neuroscience topics through InterAxon and leveraging my knowledge to fuel the interest of Title I students in neuroscience, STEM, and higher education has been a dream come true.
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
While joining clubs is good, make sure you devote enough time to your classes! Also, savor every moment of living on the Hill (especially dining hall food) because a global pandemic might just be right around the corner.
Ritika Prasad
Vice President
(She/Her)
3rd Year Neuroscience Major
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?
From the very beginning of my freshman year, I knew InterAxon was a community I wanted to be a part of. I’ve always enjoyed teaching, art, and exploring neuroscience topics, and InterAxon was the perfect combination of all of it! Everyone in InterAxon has always been extremely welcoming and supportive, and being part of an organization filled with such dedicated and talented individuals that constantly look to help others is something I truly cherish.
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
Create opportunities for yourself! rather than waiting for them to come your way, if there’s something you’re interested in, take some time to learn more about how you can get more involved and reach out to people. there’s so many supportive and welcoming communities out there that you might end up loving!
Lorena Gonzalez
Publicity and Outreach Director
(She/Her)
4th Year Psychobiology Major
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?
Joining InterAxon has provided me with the perfect opportunity to combine my passions for science and service. I believe our mission not only grants underserved K-12 students the opportunity to become exposed to neuroscience as a whole, but it allows them to feel excited and enthusiastic about STEM, rather than intimate or reluctant to pursue it in the potential future. I enjoy witnessing firsthand how our organization has impacted various communities, and treasure our InterAxon family that works together to make school visits, projects, and presentations possible!
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
Follow your own path at your own pace. Do what genuinely makes you happy regardless of what everyone else is doing. It’s okay to not fit in absolutely everywhere. Make yourself proud and be your own advocate.
Gurlovellen Kaur
Finance Director
(She/Her)
4th Year Physiological Major, Biomedical Minor
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?
I joined InterAxon because I really enjoy learning Neuroscience, and I wanted to be part of an organization that can help teach students from a young age about how important the brain is and how we can take care of it.
Favorite InterAxon Memory
My favorite memory from InterAxon was our 2022 Science Fair. It was great to see how excited and engaged the students were with the presentations!
Gabby Malte
Secretary
(She/Her)
2nd Year Neuroscience Major
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?
I decided to join InterAxon because I wanted to be able to share my passion for neuroscience with younger students, especially those who may not have access to resources that would allow them to learn about this field of study.
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
One piece of advice I would give my freshman self would be to devote more time to myself through exercise and other means of self-care. I found that I struggled academically when I was overloading my schedule and not setting aside time to relax.
Tessa Jackson
Head Project Director
(She/Her)
4th Year Neuroscience Major, Public Affairs Minor
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?
I loved the idea of being able to teach kids, and it sounded perfect for me as a neuroscience major since it was a neuroscience club. I quickly grew to love it, and have been here since freshman year!
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
Don’t take everything so seriously, you have so many experiences in front of you and no one experience is going to define you.
Adam Akel
Project Director
(He/Him)
2nd Year Neuroscience Major
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?
I decided to join InterAxon because one of my friends told me that they were able to visit a school to teach Neuroscience to kids and that interested me.
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
Join InterAxon immediately! I hadn’t joined until it was too late in the first quarter to get active membership but the lovely officers still allowed me to go to events and participate in the club!
Christopher Loekman
Project Director
(He/Him)
4th Year Neuroscience Major
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?*
At first I enjoyed public speaking in high school, and also enjoyed teaching others as a Learning Assistant at UCLA. InterAxon was a way for me to do both!
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
Be open to new opportunities and push yourself to make the best of your undergraduate experience!
Rory Simpson
Project Director
(He/Him)
4th Year Neuroscience Major, Global Health Minor
Why did you decide to join InterAxon?*
I loved the idea of working with kids and inspiring them to look further into STEM!
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
Take as much advantage of everything offered here as you can. There are tons of resources as long as you know what you’re interested in and go out of your way to find them.