LOCAL MANAGERS
Local Managers monitor tutoring, they ensure that students are consistently signing up, are assigned with a tutor. Local managers are also tasked with communications between members of the team. Local Managers work closely with their corresponding state director to plan out STEM Garden events, monitor courses and ensure students are being tutored!
NINA ALLY
Local Manager- Florida
Nina is a local manager from Pembroke Pines, Florida and is currently a junior attending Pembroke Pines Charter High School. Nina is an advocate for equal educational rights and is a peace ambassador for the nonprofit NVEEE, which fights to end violence amongst youth in the community. Amongst her extracurriculars, Nina is most actively involved in her school’s FAMAT team, having been the captain of her math division this year. In school, she is also one of the founders and presidents of her school’s Indian Student Association as well as a board member of the Muslim Student Association, where she works to provide different academic and cultural based resources to her members. Outside of her academic life, Nina loves soccer, music, and writing. She is a marimba player for her school’s indoor drumline and has been playing soccer since she was a child. During the quarantine, she and her sister began a blog where they write about human rights issues, such as the gender gap and LGBT equality. Nina is extremely excited to be working with the STEM Garden and looks forward to making many new memories with the team!
NIYATI BANKA
Local Manager- California
Niyati is a high school junior from California passionate about the biosciences and immunology. She strives to become a pharmaceutical scientist and develop medicines to treat auto-immune diseases. Niyati is also interested in the neuroscience of music, specifically studying the effects of music on dementia; she founded a volunteer-based music club ‘Music To Heal’ that performs at retirement homes and care facilities over the weekends. As the president of her school’s Society Of Women Engineers chapter, Niyati actively promotes STEM careers to young women in her community.
GLÓRIA GARCÍA
Local Manager- Spain
My name is Glòria García, I am a senior in high school in Teresianas Ganduxer school in Barcelona (Spain) and I will be going to college to major in computer science at Polytechnic University of Catalonia. I was an exchange student in the states when I was a sophomore in Lake Orion high school in Michigan and I just loved it and had an amazing time learning new cultures and people. While I was there I was on the Leadership Team, Soccer Team and cheer Team. I am a very creative person and when I am not busy with school I love drawing, painting, DIY, and all kinds of stuff. I used to volunteer at a nursing home but due to COVID-19, I had to stop. Also, I have been tutoring a great variety of subjects (steam, English, Catalan, Spanish...) from 2nd grade when I was an exchange I helped with learning how to read in my elementary school in my town, to a girl in 7th grade that I currently tutor from a school in my neighborhood and some of my cousins too. I would like to include that I love traveling, fashion, and spending time with my family and friends. I really enjoy being on this project so I can step up on tutoring and I am so thankful to be able to be involved in it.
ADITRI GUPTA
Local Manager- New York
Aditri is currently a sophmore at Shaker High School, and a local manager for New York. At school, Aditri is an active member in her Student Government and represents her Sophmore class. Aditri is also very interested in STEM and participates on her school’s robotics team and Science Olympiad. Apart from STEM, Aditri also participates in Model UN and track and field. In her freetime, Aditri enjoys reading, painting, running, and dancing. She has been dancing for almost ten years, and has been learning a form of Indian traditional dance for nearly seven.
SAMYUKTA IYER
Local Manager- Georgia
Samyukta Iyer is a high school sophomore from Marietta, Georgia, avid STEAM-inist, creative, and leader. As the founder of IuvaTech, Samyukta used her expertise and passion for teaching and problem solving through STEAM to create an environment and revolutionary program for students to develop their own solutions and create positive change in their local communities. She is excited to continue on this mission through STEM Garden!
KIRSTYN JARREAU
Local Manager - Louisiana
Hi everyone, my name is Kirstyn Jarreau and I’m a new local manager for Louisiana. I’m currently attending LSUE. My major is biological science with a concentration in pre-med. I am a math and science tutor on my college campus. I’m so excited to start working for stem gardens!
RHEA KAW
Local Manager- New York
Rhea Kaw is currently a junior at Monroe-Woodbury High School. She is the focus group leader for World Science Academy and a STEM educator for the World Science Festival. She is a Scholar Athlete who plays on her school's Varsity Tennis team. She is also a volunteer EMT. This year she will be representing New York State as one of the candidates for Empire Girls State. She hopes to major in STEM, and has a love and passion for science that she wants to help bring to the world!
JENNY LIAO
Local Manager- New Jersey
Jenny Liao is a local manager from New Jersey and is a rising senior in high school. She is currently the Community Service Chair of her school’s Student Council e-board and is a design editor for the Regalis Yearbook. She also competes in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) and has been a finalist twice. Outside of school, she is a research intern at a local center where she has assisted in the engineering of several candidate vaccines for HIV. She has also been a dancer for many years and enjoys choreographing her own routines. In her free time, you can find her watching documentaries or playing the flute and piano. She wishes to study biochemistry in the future, but until then, she hopes to help kids discover a passion for STEM through the STEM Garden.
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CLARISE LIU
Local Manager - Massachusetts
Clarise is a current high school junior attending the Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science. Since freshmen year, she has been actively involved in student government and has mentored a diverse group of students from as young as four years old to high school. She is also involved in a wide range of extracurricular activities, such as robotics, math team, CAD electives and Science Olympiad, to expand her scientific experience and STEM background. In addition, she has also been in band since fourth grade and is very fond of her clarinet. In her spare time, Clarise likes to draw and run. She would love to pursue a double major in mechanical engineering and computer science with a minor in music performance in college. Regardless of the career, she hopes that she can help give back to her community, and is very excited to be a local manager for the STEM Garden!
LINDA LIU
Local Director- New Jersey
Hi! My name is Linda Liu and I am an 11th grader at JP Stevens High School, I am a local manager for the STEM Garden. I wanted to participate in the STEM Garden because I absolutely love the subject of math and want to spread this appreciation to others around me. Something about me is that I participate in student council and am currently Vice President of my class! Outside of school, I spend a lot of time practicing and performing dance. I have been dancing for 10+ years, and I do not plan on stopping. When I'm not in school or dancing I love to sit in my room and paint, make crafts, and just nap! I also love shopping and food so in my free time I also love going out with my friends to shop and eat great food.
KHUSHALI VYAS
Local Manager - Illinois
Khushali Vyas is the Local Manager (IL) for The STEM Garden! Khushali is a rising junior at Glenbard North High School. She is very involved in school extracurriculars and a prominent leader. She is a varsity competitor in Science Olympiad and Math Team, she is an officer for Future Doctors of America and Science Honor Society, and a captain for Indian Student Association. She has also been on her way to establish and nationalize the Future Doctors of America club into HOSA, organize volunteering and fundraising opportunities in organizations like National Art Honor Society, and inspire others to immerse themselves into STEM! She has been tutoring since sophomore year in various math and science subjects as well as helping others to write essays. Apart from academics, she also is a varsity competitor in Badminton at her school and enjoys dancing for ISA! A fun fact is that she has travelled to 12+ countries!
