Sophomore/Juniors

Ijeoma Asonye

Advaith Bantval

Sophomore Ijeoma Asonye, mechanical engineering ’23 (Cohort 35), has creatively translated her STEM and art backgrounds into a new book titled, The Beautiful Math of Coral: A Novel. Asonye described her book as “a luminous, coming of age novel, moving through the love, heartbreak, and humorous banter of finding one’s place in the world.” Through her main characters, Coral and Fernando, Asonye was able to demonstrate the intricate relationship between STEM and art and share the unconventional beauty of STEM. When asked what propelled her to create this novel, Asonye shared that she drew inspiration from a movie about architecture, where she saw conventional objects like buildings relate to universal intangibles including love and friendship. Beyond her book, Asonye is incredibly passionate about her campus involvements. She spends her free time serving as a project engineer in the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering, where she is working this summer, and maintaining her connection to the arts through dancing and songwriting.

Advaith Bantval, mechanical engineering ’22 (Cohort 34), is passionate about making a social impact. Last June, in the midst of the global pandemic and national civil unrest, Bantval participated in the University of Maryland’s Shell Makeathon. With his teammates, Bantval went on to win first place in the social impact track for the creation of their socially-conscious platform Verse, a sustainable solution towards productive activism that focuses on three pillars: learning, serving, and engaging. Bantval described, “Myself and my teammates are incredibly passionate about issues surrounding diversity and inclusion, particularly with an emphasis on college campuses.” The social impact track of the Makeathon allowed his team to brainstorm what could and should be done on university campuses to encourage diversity and inclusion education. Since creating this product, Bantval has worked with the Do Good Accelerator and added a related minor: nonprofit leadership and social innovation. Although some of Bantval’s teammates have graduated, they all still believe in the importance of this project and are continuing development.

Amod Mathur

Amod Mathur, computer science ’22 (Cohort 33), always knew his academic passions expanded beyond his computer science major. Through QUEST, he developed an understanding of business analytics, which prompted him to add a business analytics minor. Mathur shared, “QUEST is the perfect complement to my computer science major because I have been able to gain both technical and interpersonal skills.” This intersection of interests and skill sets has resulted in a summer internship that will allow him to blend his passions for business and technology. This summer, Mathur will be living in New York City as a software engineer intern for The Blackstone Group, a financial services firm. He will have the opportunity to leverage software platforms that turn financial data into meaningful investment decision tools. Mathur is looking forward to working with the close-knit teams within the company and exploring a new city.

Grace Rocco, finance & operations management and business analytics

’23 (Cohort 36), will be serving as a supply chain and logistics intern with Peloton this summer. Rocco is interested in pursuing operations and analytics after graduation so she focused her internship search on companies and positions that would allow her to gain quality experience in those fields. Rocco wanted more than just a skills development internship and found herself gravitating towards companies that align both with her personal and professional passions. Her upcoming role at Peloton allows her to combine her professional aspirations with her passion for exercise. Even beyond that, she feels truly connected to the company’s mission. Rocco constantly strives for both personal and professional development, and she sees that in Peloton. When asked about her personal mission, Rocco shared “I’m always looking to help better others or communities,” and she believes that that will in turn better herself.

Grace Rocco