12/15/2020
*STUDENT SPOTLIGHT*
Hello! My name is Yash Desai and I am currently a junior at UT Austin. I joined the Honors Biochemistry Program with the hopes of becoming an oncologist. At UT, I am also a part of a charitable initiative very close to my heart, called Texas 4000. As a part of this initiative, I and other like-minded individuals will be biking over 4,500 miles from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska in order to raise money for cancer research. You can support me and Texas 4000 here (http://tinyurl.com/YashTexas4000)
I graduated from Clements High School in 2018. If I had to describe my high school experience, I would say that it was tough but rewarding! I was intellectually challenged in my classes, but through hard work, I did very well (particularly in math and in the sciences). I also broadened my horizons through participation in extracurricular activities. Some of my favorite activities included orchestra and debate. I enjoyed participating in both of them at a competitive level. During my senior year of high school, I was honored to be a Texas-state level octafinalist in Public Forum Debate. High school also introduced me to Spanish, which is something that I am especially grateful for. I enjoyed learning about the language and culture so much that I picked it up as a minor in college.
My family played a huge role in my life and especially throughout high school. They provided a solid support system for me and helped me by encouraging me to explore different interests, supporting my extracurricular activities, and providing me with help when I needed it.
When I was met with challenging classes (such as Physics, Algebra II, and Calculus), I realized that I wasn’t studying effectively. Sigma Learning Center provided a lot of support. They taught me how to be a better student and how to better dissect/understand complex concepts in math and science by breaking them down into smaller pieces.