2024-2025, Year-in-Review

What specific experiences (honors or otherwise) in the past year have impacted your personal, academic, or professional goals and life trajectory most? Which future experiences will further encourage this growth? Please articulate specific academic and professional goals for the next year.

Looking back, 2024 was without a doubt the most defining and transformative year of my life so far. It felt like everything I was passionate about—technology, research, startups, and AI—all started to come together in ways I hadn’t fully imagined before. It was the kind of year that didn't just help me grow—it completely reshaped how I think about my future.

The year kicked off with my very first internship as a software engineer at Phillips Edison, a real estate investment trust (REIT). Walking into a corporate office and contributing to real production systems for the first time was both intimidating and exciting. I spent that semester diving deep into backend engineering and learning how data moves across complex systems. I got exposure to data pipelines, clean architecture, and the importance of writing code that scales and lasts. But more than the tech, I learned what kind of environment I thrive in and what kind of work genuinely excites me. That internship laid the groundwork for everything that followed.

In the spring, I had the chance to represent my startup at the EFest Startup Competition, where we were selected as one of the top 25 student-led startups in the country. We ended up placing in the top 20 and even won a cash prize, but the real value was in being surrounded by so many creative, driven student founders. Traveling to Minneapolis for the event, pitching to judges, and networking with other teams was surreal—it was one of the first moments where I felt, “Wow, I can really do this.”

Another unforgettable milestone was presenting my research at the AMIA Clinical Informatics Conference. I gave a full podium presentation on agile user-centered design in healthcare settings, and it pushed me way outside my comfort zone. Preparing for that talk taught me how to communicate complex ideas clearly and convincingly, especially to a room full of professionals. That experience made me realize how much I love being at the intersection of healthcare and technology—working on things that not only work but actually help people.

Then came the Venture Capital Investment Competition at Carnegie Mellon. Our team represented the University of Cincinnati and placed 2nd in an incredibly intense and competitive national round. It was one of those moments where months of preparation, teamwork, and late nights all came together. I learned how to evaluate startups from an investor’s lens, think critically under pressure, and work collaboratively with brilliant peers.

And in the middle of all this, I was promoted to general partner at Bearcat Ventures. Taking on that role gave me the chance to lead investments, mentor new analysts, and support some amazing early-stage startups. It’s one thing to build technology, but being able to evaluate it from a venture standpoint gave me a whole new appreciation for the ecosystem I want to be part of long-term.

Coming out of this year, one thing is clearer than ever: I want to be at the forefront of AI innovation, especially in areas that make a real-world impact like healthcare. I’ve always been passionate about AI—long before it became the buzzword it is now—and this year just confirmed how deeply I want to contribute to the field, not just follow it. Whether it’s through research, building tools, or supporting others through VC, I want to be a builder, a problem solver, and someone who helps shape where technology goes next.

Heading into 2025, I’m setting some big goals. I’m currently doing a summer internship with Kinetic Vision as a machine learning intern and hope to learn a lot about this field. And, of course, I want to keep growing with Bearcat Ventures and continue contributing to the startup ecosystem.

If 2024 was the year I built the foundation, 2025 is going to be about expanding on it.