Meet the Founder

Anjali Chadha

Anjali has been interested in science, technology, and their applications since a very young age. As an innately curious child and voracious reader, Anjali always looked for ways to take the facts she learned and use them to solve real-world problems. This quality lead to her founding a nonprofit called Empowered at the Catapult Ideas Entrepreneurship Incubator hosted at the Harvard University campus. The mission of Empowered is to train minority girl high schoolers in technological skills and pair these students with minority women entrepreneurs in their community. Together, these women and girls are able to form a close knit and trusting partnership that enables young women to develop life skills and relationships, while small business owners have a greater chance of success and reaching their potential. Anjali has interned at an impact investing firm called Access Ventures in order to further connect with businesses and youth in her Louisville community as well as learn more about microfinance. She is the Treasurer for her schools 150-member chapter of the Technology Student Association, a nationwide organization.

Anjali really enjoys working on solving real-world problems, Anjali has spent the last several months developing a novel arsenic sensor using IoT devices and software. Creating this device has allowed her to combine knowledge of programming, chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. She is on a school-district-wide board for organizing an Idea Festival where student speakers present their ideas on education, politics, and social change. Anjali is also on a city-wide board for Louisville’s mayor’s WE Day/Give a Day program, which promotes community service to all.

Anjali’s interests extend far beyond science and technology; she has a deep love for literature, art, and history, and as the captain of her Quiz Bowl team, she has led her school to Nationals for three years in a row.

Meet the Team

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Lizzie Papalia

Mentor

Lizzie Papalia is a rising senior at Kentucky Country Day School in Louisville, Kentucky. She is dedicated to serving others and enjoys seeing people reach their goals and succeed, believing that every individual is capable of achieving great things. As the captain of her school’s volleyball team, Lizzie drives others to practice hard, be disciplined, and approach competition in a healthy way. She is a firm believer that these will bring success, both on and off the Court.

Shreeya Arora

Mentor

Shreeya Arora is a rising senior at the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky. She believes in driving positive outcomes through technology. Along with coding and graphic design, civic engagement is also important to Shreeya as it allows her to learn more about the communities she serves.

Angelica Smith

Angelica Smith

Program Manager

Angelica Smith is a Career and Technical Education teacher for Jefferson County Public Schools. Currently, she teaches Cyber Engineering in the STEM Academy at Ballard High School. To add, she is also an Advisor for the Student Technology Leadership Program that serves all students throughout the school but in particular, The Bruin Bots, which promotes STEM technology through the use of VEX Robots. In 2019, she received her Masters of Science in Human Resources and Organization Development with a concentration in Career and Technical Education from the University of Louisville and a Bachelors of Arts in Electronic Media and Broadcasting, Minor in African American Studies, and Area of Focus in Women’s and Gender Studies from Northern Kentucky University in 2014. Prior to teaching, she served as the School Technology Coordinator for Ballard High School, improving technology use and opportunities for all students and staff.

Thank You to Our Past Managers and Mentors

Alisia McClain

Program Manager

Alisia was the perfect candidate to help teach high school girls the technical skills and applications needed in the business world. Empowered couldn’t be more happy with having her join the training program. Alisia is a strong education research professional and student pursuing a PhD focused in Educational Evaluation and Research from University of Louisville. Experienced high school math teacher with a demonstrated history of working in the education industry. Skilled in education, math/statistics, Nonprofit Organizations, Volunteer Management and Public Speaking, in addition to vocal music of many styles.

Sasank Vishnubhatla

Mentor

Sasank is currently a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University. There, he is majoring in computer science and minoring in either mathematics or business. He has conducted research at the University of Louisville as well as the BioRobotics Lab in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon. Additionally, he has worked for GlowTouch Technologies and Signature HealthCARE, and helped both companies as a skilled intern. He aspires to help teach the next generation of students in computer science and mathematics.

Eric Ou

Eric Ou

Mentor

Eric is currently a sophomore at Yale University. There, he is double majoring in computer science and economics. Eric is passionate about using his knowledge in computer science to give back to society. Driven by his desire to bridge the diversity gap in computer science, he also serves as a mentor for Code Haven back in school where he travels to local middle schools to inspire underrepresented students to pursue computer science. Additionally, he has worked for GlowTouch Technologies as an intern where he conducted market research, developed an automated testing system for quality control, and contributed to the revision of the company’s strategy. Post graduation, Eric aspires to continue using his knowledge to give back to the community.

Brice Bai

Mentor

Rising junior undergraduate with a background in UI/UX, product development, multi-year science research, and multi-year indie game development. Interested in entrepreneurship, technology, design thinking, user experience, and storytelling. Seeking creative, innovative opportunities, particularly in product design, user experience, product management, and design consulting.