Hi everyone! My name is Riya, and I’m a Computational and Systems Biology major on the pre-med track, with minors in Entrepreneurship and Brain and Behavioral Health. If there’s one thing that completely defines my time at UCLA, it’s that I’m constantly floating between entirely different corners of campus. I really love that you don't have to stay in one lane here. On any given day, I’ll be over in the engineering department teaching the Autonomous Rovers undergrad course, heading to the lab for data analysis and life sciences research, and then pivoting completely to the business school for my entrepreneurship minor to work on startup models and build connections with the Anderson community. UCLA is the kind of place where you can genuinely bridge the gap between deep tech, medicine, and business without feeling like you have to sacrifice one for the other. I'm so excited to show you guys how you can build your own path here and take advantage of everything campus has to offer!

Hometown

Moorpark, CA, USA

Major(s)

Computational Biology

Minor(s)

Entrepreneurship, Brain and Behavioral Health

Clubs, organizations & involvement

E1AR Course Developer and Instructor UCLA ISU UCLA BMES

Describe your college experience

My college experience at UCLA has basically been a massive exercise in never staying in one place. Because I’m constantly bouncing between South Campus for my major and labs, the engineering department for teaching, and the business school for my entrepreneurship classes, my social circle is completely split across different worlds. I love that I can hang out with engineers talking about robotics, switch to discussing medical research with pre-med friends, and then grab coffee with people launching their own startups. It means you’re constantly meeting people who look at things completely differently than you do. When we actually manage to escape campus, my friends and I are always out exploring LA. We've turned cafe hopping into a sport at this point, constantly hunting down the best iced matcha or minimalist coffee shops, whether that's right in Westwood or driving out to different spots around the city. We do the classic LA things too, from driving down to the beach to just discovering hidden food spots and navigating the late-night traffic. UCLA gives you this perfect balance where you get to work incredibly hard during the week in these intense, diverse departments, but then you have this massive, vibrant city right outside your door to explore with the people you meet along the way.

Tip for future students

My biggest piece of advice is to completely throw away the idea that you have to choose just one path or stick to one crowd. When I first started college, I thought I had to pick a lane and stay in it, but the best parts of my experience have come from doing the exact opposite, bridging the gap between the engineering labs, life sciences, and the business school. You don't have to sacrifice your creative or collaborative side just because you're in STEM. I also wish I knew how important it is to actually step off campus and find a routine that keeps you grounded. College gets incredibly busy, but making time for the things that make you happy outside of class, whether that's going to pilates pilates, trying a new baking recipe from scratch, or just exploring different coffee shops around LA with friends, is what actually keeps you sane. Find your people, don't be afraid to take classes in departments completely different from your major, and make sure to enjoy the city outside the university gates

Favorite class

It’s a tie between two classes that couldn't be more different, which honestly sums up my entire UCLA experience. The first is MGMT 159 with Ramit Varma and Matthew Pierce. It was this amazing seminar where they brought in different startup founders every single week to share their raw, real-world stories. Getting that direct exposure to people who have actually built companies from the ground up, while building connections with the business school community, was incredible. It completely pushed me out of the typical STEM bubble. The other favorite is Chem 14D with Hung V Pham. Organic chemistry has a reputation for being a brutal weed-out class, but Dr. Pham made it incredibly engaging. Instead of just dry memorization, he taught us to look at the reactions like solving a puzzle, which actually made mapping out the mechanisms fun. I love that my two favorites are on completely opposite sides of campus, one week I’m mapping out a chemical synthesis, and the next I'm listening to a founder break down their venture strategy. That balance is exactly what makes the academic culture here so cool.

Career goals

I’m planning to pursue an MD​/​PhD, but my goal is to approach medicine and research with a much broader perspective than just the clinical side. The main reason I’m focusing so heavily on entrepreneurship alongside my STEM track is that the landscape of healthcare and work culture is evolving incredibly fast. To actually make an impact or scale medical innovations, you can't just understand the science, you have to be fluent in the business and venture side of things, too. Whether that's eventually running a lab, translating clinical discoveries into actual healthcare solutions, or leading medical tech initiatives, I want to bridge the gap between deep research and real-world application. Ultimately, I want to use the combination of medicine, data analysis, and venture strategy to build things that genuinely improve patient care.

Ideal way to spend a free night

My absolute ideal free night starts with getting dressed up and heading out with my friends to try a new dinner spot somewhere in the city, especially a place with good ambient lighting and a great aesthetic. Afterward, we’ll drive over to a different neighborhood just to hunt down a late-night dessert spot, bonus points if we can find a rooftop or an outdoor patio to just sit, catch up, and talk for hours. Once I'm back home, I love winding down by completely unplugging from everything academic. I'll usually just put on a great playlist, light a candle, and completely lose myself in a good contemporary novel until I fall asleep. It’s the perfect way to reset.

High school or secondary school

Moorpark High School Moorpark College (Dual-Enrollment Community College courses)

Favorite spot on campus

It definitely depends on what mood I'm in, because I have a favorite spot for every part of my day. If I want a great environment to just hang out or work, I love the Anderson patio. The cafe there is great, and the whole vibe on that side of campus feels really upscale and modern compared to the classic brick buildings. It's just a beautiful spot to sit outside. When I actually need to lock in and study, I spend a lot of time in the Lower Makerspace in the engineering department. It's funny because it's honestly really loud all the time with people working on projects and building things, but for some reason, that ambient chaos and energy actually helps me focus way better than a dead-silent library. Then just to completely relax, my favorite thing to do is lay down in the grass right next to Janss Steps with my friends, put on some music, and just nap in the sun. It's the ultimate UCLA student experience.