Project Inspíra
More About Our Student Teachers
Proudly introducing our dedicated student teachers
Elaine Ren
she/her
FOUNDER / PRESIDENT
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
Part-time robotics programmer, full-time shower singer. Dreams of being a CEO of a company one day. Loves to make everyone around her smile and believes that hotdogs are sandwiches. 100% night owl who lives on coffee, boba, and Torchy's Tacos. Currently working on building a dunk tank because who doesn't want one sitting in their backyard? Super excited for Project Inspira 2021!
Nidhi Malpani
she/her
VICE PRESIDENT
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
Full-time cookie monster, retired ninja, and sometimes designer. Passionate about making the world a better place and accessibility to all, one redesign at a time. Always open to going cloud watching, laying down on random surfaces for no particular reason, and complaining about back issues.
Alicia Park
she/her
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
Loves to cook and bake as much as loves to eat. Passionate about math, chemistry, and innovations. Wishes to start her own business related to STEM and to own a cafe in South Korea, selling scones and cookies. Trying to be less lazy and wants to try new things such as kickboxing and investments! Long term and my ultimate goal for my life is to live happily ever after with my family and friends :)
Vidula Waghmare
she/her
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
Virtually fearless of anything and everything except math. Wants to visit all the historical sites in the world to try to figure out how the past was. Aspires to lead a career in the medical field. Loves reading fantasy books as a way of escaping reality. Enjoys eating Hershey's nuggets during class to cope with the torture. Wishes to get free food from Alicia’s future café.
Shoumik Roychowdhury
he/him
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TEACHER
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
He is a multiple time AIME qualifier, 4X Austin Regional Science Fair Top 3 (Computer Science, and Physics), 4X TSEF qualifier, 2X TSEF Top 3, Member of The Health Physics Society, and President of both the Westwood HS AI/ML club, and Computer Science Club. Shoumik is a published author with publications and presentations at IEEE IJCNN and European Union HBP. Shoumik’s research interests include generative AI, optimization, and signal processing. He hopes his time at Project Inspira will foster other kids’ interest in AI and ML. In his free time, Shoumik enjoys playing soccer, watching movies, and tackling massive competitive eating challenges!
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Maxim Gao
he/him
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TEACHER
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
Avid fan of pastry bread and bubble tea. If not on the Rift, probably biking or playing basketball and soccer with friends. Interested in computer science and all of its possibilities, as well as finance and investment. Hopes to work in STEM or start a tech business in the future.
Carrie Li
she/her
PSYCHOLOGY TEACHER
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
I'm Carrie, an incoming senior at Westwood High School. I've always been very interested in the human mind and psychology especially as someone who wants to pursue business in the future. In my free time, I like to paint watercolor and gouache (while cringing at Fei Cheng Wu Rao). Some of my favorite shows include Scissor Seven and Kakegurui.
Sarah Qi
she/her
PSYCHOLOGY TEACHER
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
K-drama and anime lover, who spends lots of time crying over OSTs. She adores her dog Chico, a 9-year-old bichon frisé who is definitely the source of her mental stability! She has a passion for science, particularly psychology, and hopes to pursue a career in the medical field one day. She is also a musician, and plays the piano and violin.
Kelly Liu
she/her
HEALTH SCIENCE TEACHER
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
Loves HEB dearly. Enjoys spending time with family and friends. Holds green tea ice cream and Chipotle burrito bowls very dear. Hopes to pursue a career in business. Can't wait to graduate (senioritis is real)! Pro Westwood tip: Take IB Economics Bill Blaine is cool lol. Elaine is my #1 child. Stream sour by @oliviarodrigo˙ᵕ˙ Super excited to be part of Project Inspíra again!
Reyna Wang
she/her
HEALTH SCIENCE TEACHER
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
Big fan of boba tea but I guess I'm legally obligated to say that Starbucks isn't bad either. Watches anime and k/C dramas religiously and is down to talk about them anytime :) Loves health science + biology and hopes to attend medical school to become a surgeon in the future. So nice to meet you all!
Aaryaman Sawhney
he/him
ROBOTICS TEACHER
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
Has the ability to eat all he wants and sleep at absurd times and place. Aspires to be a surgeon and find a way to integrate robotics into it. Trying to get his permit but keeps getting rejected by the DMV but loves to go out and explore new places.
Rika Chang
she/her
ROBOTICS TEACHER
Rising Junior at Westwood High School
Always sleeps in and sometimes builds robots. She likes to play games, paint, and take way too many photos of her cat when she’s not indulging her sweet tooth. She strives to encourage more students to have fun in STEM and is excited to share her passion for robotics!
Gabin Leclercq
he/him
ROBOTICS TEACHER
Rising Sophomore at Westwood High School
He is always working till the last minute but never finishes. Last year was his first year in robotics and in FTC, was lead hardware for team Hunga Munga 17113. He was born in France and moved to America when he was 6 and has always been interested in engineering and robotics.
Philip Wong
he/they
PIANO TEACHER
Rising Senior at Westwood High School
A musician who does the piano, violin, erhu, vocals, and the ukulele, he attained his Associate's Degree in Piano Performance from Trinity College London. He also scuba dives regularly and is a certified SSI Stress and Rescue Diver. His passions include marine biology, traveling, and eating good food. Always fired up and ready to give a show, he’s excited to teach piano/music to y’all!
Salina Mu
she/her
POLYMER CLAY CREATIONS TEACHER
Rising Sophomore at Westlake High School
Crazy cat lady who lives, breathes, and almost ate (true story) cat fur. Her favorite pastimes include singing, polymer clay, and taking totally Insta-worthy selfies with her cat, Coconut. She’s currently working towards an RCM voice exam and learning to drive like a super cool person :)
Michelle Huang
she/her
CREATIVE WRITING TEACHER
Rising Freshman at Westwood High School
Rising ninth grader with an unhealthy sushi addiction and is a musical fanatic. Is a travel enthusiast (when there’s not a global pandemic) and a hopeless romantic. Will doodle and jot down ideas on literally any surface. Nothing is safe. Would love to study business or become a poet-activist. However, she knows that she’ll end up an anonymous hermit author living in a forest with only books as company living off of boba ice cream bars. Still, stretch goals!
Chloe Zeng
she/her
BIOLOGY TEACHER
Rising Sophomore at Westlake High School
Tennis player who probably spends too much time reading Webtoons and watching anime. Eats a ton and could probably survive off of ramen and fried rice. Enjoys making people laugh and learning new things. Aspires to help people and hopes to pursue a career in the medical field.
Kavin Poovannan
he/him
BIOLOGY TEACHER
Rising Sophomore at Westwood High School
A random guy found at school and loves traveling and trying new things. Has a dangerous sweet tooth and will do anything for a slice of pie (any type is fine). Hopeless at any and all forms of art but loves looking at it and has recently taken up short story writing. Always looking forward (because looking back causes neck cramps) and always willing to help others. Wants to change the world when he gets older and plans on taking it one step at a time.
Kinjal Kankaria
she/her
ZOOLOGY TEACHER
Rising Senior at Torrey Pines High School
An emerging artist that enjoys reading Webtoon and playing basketball A LOT. Was a pole vaulter and loved it until the pandemic struck. Adores all sorts of animals and aspires to become a vet. Intrigued by different cultures and religions around the world and how they overlap.
Ashmit Thakur
COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER
Rising Junior at Westwood High School
A computer science geek and avid basketball player. Loves dogs and hopes to develop a product that changes the world but as of right now only binges tv shows. Also involved in a nonprofit and a robotics programmer.
Kellen Cao
HISTORY TEACHER
Rising Senior at Cedar Park High School
Avid swimmer and pianist, history addict. Loves old 1990s Cantonese music, but needs to start waking up earlier.