Future Leaders

FUTURE LEADERS STARS FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS

ITHZEL TOSCANO ’21

MAJOR: mechatronics

• Weston Research Scholar

• Science Olympiad multiple award winner

• Co-president of student tutoring service

Why engineering? I was convinced beyond belief I would be a lawyer. Then, I got to Tech. I realized I was an engineer at heart, and that no other profession made me feel the passion and freedom I felt while tinkering with electronics or writing some particularly complex code.

Being a woman at Tech means… Initially I am underestimated, but my gender doesn’t matter – because I get the job done.

Career aspiration: Be a professor of mechanical or electrical engineering with my own lab where I can develop technologies that improve lives. Influential film: “Dora’s Fairytale Adventure.” Watching and re-watch- ing it as a child is how I became the first in my family to learn English.

“Everything I don’t know, I want to learn. Everything people tell me I can’t do, I want to do.”

NIA MAJOR: BLANKSON industrial design ’20 COLLEGE: McGill • Parliamentarian, National Honor Society • Member, Tri-M National Music Honor

Society • Co-MVP and co-captain, varsity soccer

• Won third place, as a first-time entrant, in Tech’s annual Shakespeare Monologue Competition The class I’ll never forget: In orchestra, I used to be the one student who would play as quietly as possible, and put my music stand up high so I couldn’t be seen. However, my teacher believed in me. She helped me become more confident and gave me the opportunity to progress and grow. Orchestra had a huge role in my becoming the person I am today. Tech taught me: It’s OK to try things out of your comfort zone, discover new passions, and things that you don’t particularly like. Being a woman at Tech means… pushing the boundaries with academics, sports and extracurriculars. Cool thing I did: Our varsity soccer team made Tech history by becoming the first to reach the citywide finals. Role model: Phoebe Waller-Bridge Influential book: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Career aspiration: Definitely something in music. I would love to learn more about music composition.

“WE ARE THE CRISIS GENERATION”

ALICE GOYER ’20

MAJOR: physics COLLEGE: Harvard • Lead roles in three Tech musicals • Co-founder of a school club, “Tech Treks,” that helps Tech students gain opportunities and funding to study abroad • Silver medalist in Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, a juried national competition • Granddaughter of a Tech alum (Harold Shair ’57)

SOLENNE WOLFE ’20

“My drive for success is coded as overly competitive. My educational accomplishments are perceived differently from those of my male counterparts.”

MAJOR: environmental engineering COLLEGE: Dartmouth

• Debate team captain, national debate champion • Created and published a student magazine • Community gardener Challenge I overcame: Feeling small in a huge school. I want to be the first woman to… Earn a dollar to a man’s dollar. Cool thing I did: Compiled my friends’ writing into a zine about Brooklyn Tech. From my résumé: Bilingual in French, proficient in Italian. Certified Autodesk Inventor user. Have worked with SolidWorks, soldering, basic circuitry, and 3D printing. Tech taught me: To self-advocate. Challenge I overcame: I used to be very shy, which is actually what got me into theater in the first place. I have been performing ever since. :) On studying abroad, post- COVID-19: I am optimistic that the appeal of travel will outweigh the fear once it is deemed safe and legal. Career aspiration: Pursue STEM in college, couple those skills with business, and enter the startup world. Role model: Elizabeth Warren My must-watch TV: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel On Tech’s stage as Grandmama in The Addams Family Second coolest thing I did: Taught a yoga class on Tech’s new green roof. Memorable achievement: The debate team qualified for a national tournament. Role model: Joan of Arc Influential book: “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron Influential film: Lady Bird My mustwatch TV: Cake

Boss

SOPHIA CHOK ’20

“Asian women have traditionally been brought up to be quiet at home. Tech offers and creates an environment where if you want to be someone different, you can.”

MAJOR: law and society

COLLEGE: Yale – National University of Singapore College (2021)

• One of 15 recipients nationwide of a State Department-sponsored scholarship to study abroad

• Varsity wrestling team

• President, Advocates for Housing Rights

Linguist: Speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay, Hakka; working on Korean: “Languages have power as we become more global.”

My gap year,2020-21: A U.S State Department intensive, immersive Korean language and culture study program in Seoul, Korea. Why wrestling? “It empowers women. It made me stronger and tougher. It helped me stand my ground, physically and mentally.”

Being a woman at Tech means… “To do beyond what is expected and be a powerful woman in the room. To inspire other women to be the same.”

Always in my backpack: “A metal spoon. It’s more eco-friendly.”

Cool thing I did: Raised over $7,500 and organized a 50-student trip to the annual Harvard Crimson Student Journalism Conference.

Influential book: “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli

Career aspiration: Study urban studies, computer science and east Asian studies in college: “I’m not certain what career I will pursue, but I aim to uplift low-income, immigrant communities in New York City.”

MAJOR: software engineering

COLLEGE: NYU Tandon

• Computer-coding, viola-playing orchestra life stories, and the he described history

member who performed at Google.

at Titans of Tech gala dinner

• Member of student team that planned Tech’s first Founder’s Day

• Volunteer at Alumni Foundation office (event planning and alumni services)

Why coding? It’s problem-solving, and I love puzzles. You feel powerful when you can tell a machine what to do.

How Tech changed me: Tech throws countless opportunities at you, so I’ve learned not to hesitate.

Being a woman at Tech means… There are a lot of people not my gender in my field of study. However, we are not so different.

If I could have a celebrity mentor: Lupita Nyong’o

The class I’ll never forget: Global history, sixth period. I’ll never forget my teacher, captivating, clear way concepts.

Influential book: The Bible

Career aspiration: To be a software engineer Mr. Decker’s unique

AMY BOBB ’20

Rocking the ’70s exhibit at BTHS Homecoming “I got into robotics in third grade. I didn’t realize until middle school that the field I was interested in was male-dominated. If it’s a coding problem to solve, it doesn’t matter whether you are male or female.”

MAJOR: social science research COLLEGE: Haverford

Filmmaker ( her documentary represented Tech at a National

History Day competition) National Honor Society executive, Key Club treasurer Varsity table tennis

ABIGAIL ISAKOV ’20

From my résumé: With two classmates, produced a documentary about Woodstock: “A revolutionary festival that brought people together at a time when society was divided.”

I want to be the first woman to… Create and lead an all-woman film company.

Challenge I overcame: I came into Tech from a very small school, and social anxiety controlled my life. Over time, after joining several student organizations, I became more social, gained leadership roles, and soon was able to speak in front of hundreds of students.

The moment I knew Tech was family: I spent a lot of time in 1W2, the office of Parent and Student Engagement, starting as a monitor. I developed a family there – some of the most important people in my life now. When I was dealing with stress and anxiety, they made me feel comfortable and relaxed, joking around but not invalidating my feelings. Sometimes, when I was scared to go into an office to hand in a form, my whole group would follow me there, motivating me and telling me things like: “You’re a queen, you got this!”

Influential books: “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover; “Catching the Big Fish” by David Lynch

My must-watch TV: Broad City

REWAA ELGAZZAR ’20

“Sometimes people think that good grades mean you are a hard worker, not that you are really smart. When I was accepted by Johns Hopkins someone said, ‘That’s crazy.’ Well, why is that crazy?”

MAJOR: biological sciences

COLLEGE: Johns Hopkins

• Founder and president of a school club to raise awareness and donations for autoimmune diseases

• Teaches self-defense to young women

• Co-chair, National Honor Society community service committee

Challenge I overcame: Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis – the most difficult yet rewarding experience of my life. I didn’t expect a chronic condition to be one of the things I had to deal with. As I began to share my story, I found that several classmates shared the same struggles of having

STUDENTS

an autoimmune condition. They helped me realize that although I might have to live with MS for the rest of my life, I should not allow it to interfere with my dreams and aspirations.

Recent area of interest: Molecular genetics, the submolecular aspects of biology.

Coolest experience: Learning the proof of Euler’s formula in calculus class. It blew my mind how all of the topics that we learned this year culminated in this one formula.

I’m known around Tech for… Speaking out on social justice issues. Although I want to pursue a STEM-related career, I think it’s very important to be politically active, or at least aware.

Career aspiration: Become a neurosurgeon; combine healthcare with activism to bring reform to that sector.

ASHA LAWRENCE ’21

“When girls see women doing powerful things, they follow in their footsteps.”

MAJOR: environmental science

• Student government officeholder

• Social activist

• Environmental activist

How Tech changed me: to my headset whispering something like “Standby cue 17; cue 17 go!”… cues about lighting, sound, scene changes, or all three. My “go” is what activates things to change on stage.

It offers me new ways to cultivate my growing passion for social justice. This has confirmed my dream of a career in social justice.

Activism… uplifts me. It gives me purpose and motivates me to question and challenge the world I live in. summer community arts and crafts program for elementary schoolers. Tutors elementary and middle school students preparing for state exams. The moment I knew Tech was family: Volunteering at Homecoming. For a lot of schools, graduation is pretty much the last time students interact with their alma mater. With Tech, it’s different. Tech is a community that’s always drawing you back in – and I can’t wait to attend the C entennial. Influential film: BlacKKKlansman I’m known at Tech for: My British accent. It’s a great conversation starter.

Being a woman at Tech means… I can freely explore who I am, what I am interested in, and what I am passionate about – all while surrounded by other strong and intelligent women.

Always in my backpack: My journal.

Influential book: “Just Mercy” by

Bryan Stevenson

My must-watch TV:

SANJID MUSTARI ’20

MAJOR: law and society COLLEGE: City College of New York • Stage manager for school plays and musicals

• Senior chair, National Honor Society’s parent services committee

• Advanced placement scholar award

Stage Managing: I’m usually glued

From my résumé: Volunteers in

Queer Eye

A STAGE MANAGER’S JOB

MAJOR: chemical engineering COLLEGE: Cornell

• Science Olympiad state and regional medal winner • Created and led a club to help the homeless

• Violinist

First-generation, immigrant family: I was born in China and am the eldest sister and translator for my family – the bridge between them and America. My parents gave me the world and redefined what “immigrant” meant to me.

Challenge I overcame: Accepting my Chinese-American identity and using it to empower others; growing comfortable with myself.

Cool thing I did: Chairing a Model United Nations committee on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims and watching my proposal come to life. Tech taught me: To chase opportunities, view myself as a leader, and speak up about issues I believe in.

Influential book: “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult

My must-watch TV: Sherlock Role model: Mulan

Career aspiration: Physician giving back to marginalized and underserved communities.

KELLY SU ’20

Kelly, studying on scholarship in Tokyo. in traditional Japanese yukata.

KEYLIN ESCOBAR ’20

“As a woman at this school, I love doing what people don’t expect of me. I smile to see people’s faces when I excitedly tell them I major in physics and I love it!”

MAJOR: physics COLLEGE: Columbia

• Weston Research Scholar

• Science Olympiad: placed first twice in forensics regionals • Tri-M Music Honor Society Favorite subjects: Advanced placement physics, orchestra: “Equally unforgettable.”

Academic revelation: I love how calculus ties up the concepts of physics so beautifully. Cool thing I did: I built three musical instruments: a dulcimer, a zither, and a glockenspiel.

Challenge I overcame: I was taken out of orchestra, the class I loved so much. This led me to learn the music myself and prepare for the concerts without the class.

I ended up playing for multiple orchestras in concerts.

I want to be the first woman to… be Hispanic and win a Nobel Prize.

Being a woman at Tech means… I can help prove that physics is a field women can go into.

Influential book: “The Way I Used to Be” by Amber Smith