00:08I'm sure we can all agree that Anshu embodies the spirit of Herman B. Wells. Her radiant
00:16personality, passion for service, and deep and abiding love for Indiana University is evident.
00:23Ranchu, please join me on stage as we are proud and excited to present you with the Herman B.
00:29Wells Award. Congratulations.
00:45...of Bloom Magazine as a young superstar, and that she is, recognizing her leadership, innovation,
00:53and global impact. Through her work at the intersection of technology, equity, Anshu is committed to
01:02building systems and opportunities that empower the next generation of change makers. So let's hear
01:09from Anshu, in her own words, about the legacy she is leaving here at IU.
01:20My name is Anshu, I just have a money, and I'm the recipient of the Herman B. Wells Award. So
01:26I think winning the award named after Herman B. Wells is a huge deal. It felt so surreal when I
01:32got the call from Dr. Lamar. I was like, are you sure? I was in the induction ceremony during my
01:40sophomore year when I first heard about Herman B. Wells. The organizer was kind of thinking about it. I was
01:44like, are you sure? I was like, are you sure? I was in the induction ceremony during my sophomore year
01:44when I first heard about Herman B. Wells.
01:44...in his speech about how he was a transfer student and how he kind of found his way here and
01:49had all these exceptional achievements. I think that was really inspiring for me to be able to feel like I
01:55can find my own community here. So I think, yeah, he was a brilliant, inspiring person to me.
02:00I think when I first came to IU, I was feeling very adventurous and to have this newfound sense of
02:06courage. I always had a sense of self-doubt before I came here, and when I came here, I felt
02:12like I had the space to kind of reinvent myself.
02:14to step away from that shy person. I was like, okay, I wanted to start a podcast. I really like
02:19highlighting the stories of women.
02:21And I found, I searched online and found the Center of Excellence for Women in Technology, found their assistant director,
02:27and I was like, okay, I'm going to email her. What's the word she can say?
02:30She replied back and said, hey, we just started this podcast and our intern's leaving. Do you want to produce
02:36it?
02:36I was like, yeah, sure. Because it really shaped how I kind of went about the rest of my college
02:43career. I had to interview people, put myself out there, and talk to a lot of people that really, really
02:48got me out of my show.
02:49I'm so grateful I sent that email. It's just all those different experiences, I think, really contributed into shaping the
02:56kind of leader that I was able to become.
02:58I always think just coming from India and the kind of community that I grew up around, women's rights and
03:03advocating for women is always a big part for me.
03:06And the reason that it's so important to me is the STEM dropout rates for women are so high. Not
03:12just in America, but I've been able to travel around Africa and just seeing some of these experiences.
03:16And that's totally preventable if we find opportunities for community, for mentorship, and for support, and helping them when they're
03:25at their most vulnerable.
03:27So I just want to, I'm so grateful for the opportunities that I've been given, and I want to be
03:32able to continue to create more opportunities for other women and families.
03:35When I graduate, I kind of want to work in the intersection of AI and mental health, or some kind
03:41of social impact startups, while also continuing to advocate for women and continuing to grow my nonprofit.
03:50Wells had a radiant personality, a passion for service, and a deep and abiding love for this university.
04:00The Herman B. Wells Distinguished Senior Award honors an outstanding senior who has excelled academically and who is established as
04:12a leader within the IU community.
04:16Recipients of this award exemplify the spirit of Herman B. Wells.
04:21This year, we are honored to celebrate Anshu Roja Salavamani with this Distinguished Top Senior Award.
04:32Anshu is a Luddy honors student, graduating with a computer science degree and minors in data science and music production.
04:42A Founders Scholar and consistent Dean's List recipient, recognized with numerous honors, including the Maureen Biggers Leadership Award for Equity
04:54in Technology,
04:55the Luddy Excellence Award, the Luddy Excellence in Leadership Award, and the Outstanding Student Leader Award from the Center of
05:06Excellence for Women in Technology.
05:08At Indiana University, Anshu serves as the Academic Chair for Computer Science in the Luddy Student Government, and previously served
05:19as a Congressional Representative in IU Student Government,
05:23advocating for student concerns and communicating constituent feedback to improve campus policies.
05:30In addition, as the President of Tau Sigma National Honor Society, she led efforts to expand mentorship, foster community, and
05:42advocate for the success of transfer students.
05:45She is also the lead intern for the IUB Women Rising program at the Center for Excellence for Women in
05:54Technology, where she leads initiatives that equip students with future-ready skills in AI, digital literacy, and leadership.
06:04Through the podcast that she has hosted and produced, women of IU, Anshu amplified the stories of women, leaders, and
06:15scholars across the IU ecosystem.
06:18Anshu is completing an honors independent study in the IU Computer Vision Lab under Professor David Crandall, examining the intersection
06:28of artificial intelligence, food science,
06:31and an emphasis on user participation, system reliability, and real-world deployment.
06:39She also served as an undergraduate instructor for multiple advanced computer science courses.
06:45Her commitment to impact extends globally through experiential learning and service.
06:52As a site leader for the Alternative Break program, she led two international service-learning initiatives in the Dominican Republic
07:01and Portugal, designing and implementing community-driven projects, while fostering cross-cultural collaboration and reflection.
07:15Beyond campus, Anshu is the founder and president of Binary Horizons, an international nonprofit focused on digital literacy and AI
07:26empowerment.
07:27Through this initiative, she leads programming across multiple African nations, expanding access to technical education and enabling underserved students to
07:39build skills for emerging career opportunities.
07:42Anshu's work was recognized internationally, including receiving the Global Entrepreneur Award for Social Impact and the Global Impact Advocate Award.
07:54Anshu's work was recognized internationally.
08:01It was recognized that the University of America .
08:01Its great to strive to spur Could Prop The Place in the Fund pitch that interlinked challenges but as one
08:01result inありがとうございました.
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08:01Park Easy.
08:01Dr. a. U.S.
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