Heera Santhosh CC’28 studies biology and is being recognized for her commitment to building community through research, advocacy, and mentorship. She leads with intention, curiosity, and a clear sense of purpose, using her time at Columbia to engage deeply across disciplines and create spaces where others can grow. Across campus, Santhosh focuses on expanding access and strengthening connections. As VP of DEI for The Women’s Network–Columbia, she independently organized and moderated one of its largest panels, featuring women changemakers in DEI. She serves as engagement director for Columbia University Science Olympiad, leading one of New York’s largest collegiate invitationals, and holds additional leadership roles as VP of Membership for Phi Gamma Nu–Columbia, online director for the Columbia University Journal of Global Health, outreach coordinator for Camp Kesem, and editor-in-chief of The Mane Frame, where she is launching Columbia’s first student-run biomedical engineering publication. Across these roles, Santhosh is driven to make STEM more accessible, collaborative, and human. She aspires to be a “doctor and”: a physician who doesn’t see patient care, research, advocacy, and leadership as separate paths, but as responsibilities that belong together. That mindset has shaped her time at Columbia, where she has consistently stepped into spaces that don’t always have clear outlines and built something meaningful anyway.