Tanvi Ravilla

Tanvi Ravilla is a student at Edison High School in New Jersey and is a part of the STEM Academy. She also tampers with the arts, which include Kuchipudi (a classical dance form), acrylic painting, and Telugu classical singing. She is also a state and national archer and an active member of a volunteer special education program. A large part of her life is devoted to debate and public speaking. For example, she spoke at a TEDx young people event about her experiences with volunteering as well as the disabilities commonly found in minority communities. For which, she had to reach out and speak with external non-profit organizations to identify solutions for impoverished students. This was her first large push toward STEM and biology, making her realize her love for science related subjects. Her experience in STEM Academy made it easier for her to speak about topics she was passionate about. This encouraged her to continue public speaking and become more comfortable with her voice. Becoming more engaged with STEM, she co-founded the International STEM Initiative, a non-profit in which students get more chances to apply their knowledge of STEM into the world with the exposure of universal topics. As Tanvi continued to learn about science outside of a classroom, she, as a growing woman, started to realize the gender barriers and societal constructions placed on girls. A topic she was especially concerned about was the taboo feeling and unsafe products surrounding menstruation. Appalled, she and a co-writer wrote a paper about the lack of sanitary products in their school district. She started working with a company that created sanitary products with natural and beneficial ingredients. Tanvi is currently working on a research project to study more about gender equality and violence against women. With this organization, she is extremely excited to share her knowledge and learn so many new things on the way.