Hi everyone! My name is Mohan Setty-Charity (he/him) and I am a rising sophomore from Amherst, MA, planning on concentrating in economics or SPIA. I am also interested in certificates in African American studies and finance. On campus, I write for the Daily Princetonian Opinions section, do work with the Center for Finance, and am looking to join a club sports team in the fall. In my free time, I like playing soccer, hiking, cooking, playing piano, and going to the beach with my friends.
This summer, I am a Princeton RISE Fellow; the RISE program matched me with the Princeton Community House to help them with some of their programming this summer. The RISE program also has fellows meet in small discussion groups once a week to have discussions about racial justice and the role we can play in anti-racism efforts.
With the Community House, I have mainly been working on the virtual STEAM camp, targeted for grades 6 and up, with different topics each week:
Week 1 was Poetry and Creative Writing, where I led a virtual field trip to the Emily Dickinson House and the group did exercises in poetry and storytelling. Week 2 was Engineering, which involved tower building, an egg drop activity, and trying to make propeller vehicles. Week 3 was focused on Visual and Media Arts, where we did origami and web-based art, as well as a movie project and a clothing brand design. Week 4 was earth sciences, including a dissection activity and studying tectonic plates.
I have also been working with another Princeton student to run weekly SAT tutoring for students in the Princeton community. Both of these programs are designed to help often underrepresented students in the area. For an example of a typical day, this past Monday I met with my community partner in the morning to discuss the week ahead, before starting camp. We made baking soda and vinegar volcanoes as part of our earth sciences unit, and once camp ended, I worked with the other Princeton student to run a small group tutoring session to end the day.
Although it was disappointing that I would not be able to run this camp and meet the kids in person, it has been really valuable to get the opportunity to work on a personal level with some of these kids. The pandemic has meant that those who cannot attend in-person camps due to health risks or monetary barriers are put in a difficult position, but I am glad I could play some part in making their summers more productive or enjoyable.
