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iii DEIB Fellows

A Note from our DEIB Team Lead

"Through collaboration & input from all levels of our Integrated Innovation Institute community, our iii Equity in Action committee strives to combat the barriers of inequity that exist in higher education. Each person's contributions are not only a testament of dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion -- they are also a commitment to doing truly meaningful work with an impact that spans beyond our day-to-day duties. I am excited to be a part of a team that is committed to working together to create an environment of respect and to ultimately contribute to a future that is better for all."

Leia Delabahan, Senior Academic & Student Services Advisor

DEIB Fellows & Overview

2024 - 2025 Fellows

Shubhaa Chawla
MIIPS '25

Shubhaa is a doctor by background and working during the first wave of COVID inspired her to explore technology solutions. This passion led her to transition into a role as a product manager at a health-tech firm. Additionally, Shubhaa has volunteered with numerous NGOs and organizations, believing that leading by example can spark a ripple effect of kindness and empathy. In the long term, she aspires to innovate solutions in the field of preventive physical and mental health.

Shubhaa is deeply passionate about health and practices yoga and meditation daily. She also enjoys gardening, swimming, singing, and playing musical instruments. Shubhaa is an avid reader and occasionally participates in slam poetry. Lastly, Shubhaa loves traveling to new places, which brings joy to her soul!

Sahaana Das
MSSM '25

Sahaana Das is a tech-savvy marketing aficionado dedicated to using technology to drive meaningful change and build an equitable, sustainable future. With a Computer Science undergrad, an MBA in Marketing, and experiences at Dell and Tata Steel, she believes in blending tech-insights with consumer psychology to spearhead innovation. For her, extracting insights from information is the linchpin for success.

Her journey, spanning Vizag, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Georgia Tech, has given her a front-row seat to diverse cultures, fueling her love for storytelling and the richness of human experience. Outside work, she indulges in poetry, mythology, and mystery novels, hiking breathtaking trails, or sipping coffee in cozy cafés.

Fellowships are awarded for three semesters, with specific responsibilities assigned to fellows each semester:

2023 - 2024 Fellowship Overview

Fall

Begin iii Equity in Action Subcommittee work
Establish bi-weekly coffee chats
Participate in Bystander Intervention Training
Fall iii community event

Spring

Continue iii Equity in Action subcommittee work & bi-weekly coffeee chats
Plan & facilitate International Student Panel (admitted students)
Spring iii community event

Summer

Summer Project in Collaboration with Peer Mentors
Onboarding incoming DEIB Fellow
(2024 - 2025 year)

Interested in becoming a DEIB fellow? Applications for the Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley DEI fellow positions begin the summer before the start of your respective program. For more information, contact Leia Delahaban.

Past DEIB Fellows

Nitya Mathur
Fall 2023 - Summer 2024
MIIPS, Pittsburgh

Nitya completed her undergraduate degree in computer science engineering from New Delhi, India. Innovations that have the potential to change the world intrigue her, and she is committed to take on the challenge of playing an influential role in state-of-the-art technologies, especially in the field of Natural Language Processing, while welcoming the flexibility of her future career path. Vulnerability is power, hence Nitya strives to be unapologetically herself while asking the right questions to encourage others to share their perspectives. She is an ardent advocate for mental health and loves going to therapy. To rejuvenate, she reads, swims and watches Formula 1.

Neha Suresh Kumar
Fall 2023 - Summer 2024
MSSM, Silicon Valley

Neha Suresh is an MSSM student from Chennai, India. She has over 5 years of software engineering experience in a SaaS company and was part of a small NGO, called Mritsa, which promoted clean and green living in the local neighborhood.

She actively looks for ways to broaden her horizon, and understand different cultures and ways of living. She can fluently speak 4 languages and is currently learning one more. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, gardening and doing yoga. She also enjoys front-end development and like building small games.

She firmly goes by this quote, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”

María Beatriz Manrique Ardila
Fall 2022 - Summer 2023
MIIPS, Pittsburgh

Maria's favorite part of being a DEIB fellow was that she organized a potluck dinner for the MIIPS students. Students were each encouraged to bring a dish from their cultural heritage and everyone enjoyed trying each other’s dishes. Maria also hosted the bi-weekly coffee chats that provided a space for diverse perspectives to be shared. The coffee chats focused on a diverse range of topics such as mental health, bystander intervention, and disability awareness.

Seemran Mishra
Fall 2022 - Summer 2023
MSSM, Silicon Valley

Seemran organized and hosted large cultural events, including Diwali and Lunar New Year celebrations, which not only brought the community together, but also fostered a sense of inclusivity and appreciation for diverse traditions. Seemran also organized an event called "DEIB Insights in Tech", which provided a platform to explore the intersection of AI and diversity.

Somya Mittal
Spring 2022 - Fall 2022
MSSM, Silicon Valley

Somya assisted with the creation of the CMU-SV Diversity Career Guide, which serves as a resource for DEI-related considerations for students navigating their internship & full-time job search. She also collaborated with the iii Marketing Team to compile a bi-weekly round-up of DEIB-related news & opportunities for the iii newsletter and Slack. In addition, she helped to co-facilitate the first ever International Student Perspectives session for prospective students.

Virgil Looney
Fall 2020 - Spring 2022
MIIPS, Pittsburgh

Virgil co-facilitated a Get to Know iii DEIB Session with the iii student community. In addition, he also collaborated with iii Admissions to launch the first iteration of the DEI Funding & Scholarship resource for incoming iii students. He also served as the department's representative for the CIT Student Advisory Committee and helped to co-facilitate the first ever International Student Perspectives session for prospective students.

Alex Cusell
Fall 2020
MSTV, Silicon Valley

Alex co-facilitated a Get to Know iii DEIB Session with students, emphasizing the importance of diversity, equity, & inclusion within the department & collecting feedback on the student experience. She also collaborated with iii Marketing to provide DEI-related content for the bi-weekly iii newsletter, promoting DEIB programming & initiatives to the iii community.

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A Note from our DEIB Team Lead

DEIB Fellows & Overview