About CTSG
Hi! We are the Cornell Tech Student Government.
We aim to serve Cornell Tech by giving Master's students a voice, representing student opinions, and maintaining tradition to enrich the overall quality of student life. We give student interest groups funding, put on events, and serve as the liaison between you and CT administration.
Executive Board
Bio: Burke is originally from Chicago, IL, but has lived in Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; and Prague, Czech Republic. Prior to Cornell, Burke studied Economics and Statistics. After his undergrad, he started in tech consulting as he moved down to Austin to work in Big Tech. Later, he moved back to Chicago to work in a consulting firm. In both work environments, he served in the strategy and implementation teams for Financial Cloud products. Burke is passionate about the intersection of music and technology, specifically, how generative engines will change the way the world becomes interactive with music.
Fun Fact: Very fortunately, I have been able to fly on Standby passes to around 40 countries. I love being on the road and budget traveling. Finding a fun hostel is my ideal trip!
Bio: Jan is a serial entrepreneur focused on Artificial Intelligence. He founded a nonprofit to increase non-English speaking talent in AI and his latest EdTech startup was acquired by another company from YC. During Covid, he was part of the team that built the first low-cost ventilator to get approved for human clinical trials, and in his spare time he enjoys training for triathlons, surfing and traveling.
Fun Fact: I managed to get a job as a 16y old bartender during the peak of Spain’s economic crisis. Besides carefully drafting my CV, I made sure to print it in a higher weighted paper. When the owner of a beach club reached out, he shared how he “randomly” picked my CV from a stack of submissions. This taught me that it is worth maximizing one’s odds.
ypm2@cornell.edu
Bio: Yash is from Chennai, India! Like his name, his professional career is long. He designed and set up one of India’s largest notebook manufacturing factories. He then headed operations and digital sales for an agritech startup before moving to a HR tech company to lead their operations, business operations and product teams. He loves working and storytelling with data! He is passionate about cooking and data-driven and tech-enabled business strategy, in that order.
Fun Fact: He did a 700 mile off road motorbike trip in the Himalayas on a sportsbike!
Bio: Rowan is passionate about the application of technology and data science to make cities more equitable. She also loves planning fun events and socials to bring people together! Before coming to Cornell Tech, she worked in consulting advising public sector clients on economic development strategies, and at a civic nonprofit managing public programs. She majored in Urban Studies and Environmental Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. Rowan grew up in the suburbs of Boston but has lived the last 9 years in New York.
Fun Fact: I’ve had my artwork stolen from a gallery wall in a coffee shop before, a watercolor painting of a pigeon. I also illustrate on the side, check out my work at rowanwu_art on Instagram!
np452@cornell.edu
Bio: Nandini graduated with an engineering degree in Information Technology from Manipal, India and previously worked at a fintech as a Data Engineer. Nandini is now interested in exploring the depths of user research and HCI and in the long term, plans on contributing to the accessibility provided to users in the birding space; by conducting more user studies, building better applications, and interfaces for ornithology labs across the 🌎
Fun Fact: I was a district level roller-skating champion for two years. I am also an avid birder (if you didn’t already guess), and really into mechanical keyboards so, hit me up if you want to conceptualize and build one together!
pg485@cornell.edu
Bio: Priyanshi is a passionate technology enthusiast with a keen interest in creating impactful solutions for people's everyday lives. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from India and is passionate for NLP, which has lead to research work and publications before her enrollment at Cornell Tech. Over time, she gained valuable industry experience by collaborating with renowned companies such as SYSTRAN, NVIDIA, and NOKIA, contributing to various NLP projects. During her undergraduate years, Priyanshi embraced an entrepreneurial spirit while actively participating in the early stages of an AI-powered fashion styling startup. Committed to leveraging technology for social good, she also founded and led the tech team at Enactus BVCOE. Her overarching goal is simple: to develop solutions that have a meaningful and positive impact on people's lives.
Fun Fact: I love the water so much that, in fact, I used to write 'I want to be a mermaid when I grow up' in my diary when I was a kid.
Program Representatives
Program representatives serve as the program-specific point of contact for students and the liaison between a program and CTSA & CT administration.
Q. If you were to choose another major, what would it be and why?
I would have majored in musical theater and become a Broadway star. I have always loved to dance, sing and act despite my limited talent.
Q. What is a motto that you live by?
Passion precedes results. I believe that the biggest accomplishments in life stem from something you are deeply passionate about as this drives motivation.
Q. What is an unpopular opinion you hold?
Mangos are the most overrated fruit and I do not like them at all.
Q. What is one of your favorite hobbies?
Cooking for friends and family!
Q. What is a random fun fact about you?
I can ski down a whole mountain backwards.
Q. If you had a famous restaurant, what would be your signature dish?
The menu would consist of Creamy Spinach Chicken Flautas, a Honey Balsamic Caprese Salad and Bourbon Chicken.
Q. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
“Home is where you park it” – I absolutely love traveling and would love to RV full-time at some point.
Q. What book/movie/show can you watch over and over again without getting bored?
Suits!
Q. What is a motto you follow?
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”
Q. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I’m a Bond fan, so, Matera, Italy
Q. What is your favorite class and why?
Computer Vision by Noah Snavely. Loved the real world examples. Imagine using pictures taken by tourists to create a 3D construction of a town!!! Just wow
Q. What talent would you like to learn someday?
Would love to learn to play the saxophone
Q. What are your hobbies?
I’m a movie buff and spend quite a bit of time at the theater. I also enjoy painting, indoor skydiving, cake decorating, and building things.
Q. What are you currently watching?
I’ll watch just about anything, but I love dramas, sci-fi, and documentaries. My current watch list includes Succession, The Morning Show, Schitt’s Creek, Ozark, and Stargate SG-1.
Q. What is your hidden skill/talent?
Public speaking/oration and singing.
Q. What book/movie/show can you watch over and over again without getting bored?
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! (the books, not the movie – although the movie is also pretty good)
Q. Weirdest thing you made?
A drip coffee maker out of a plastic food container (tough times, but good coffee is a must ☕️)
Q. What would your friends say your “catchphrase” is?
“She’ll be right”
Q. What is a motto you follow?
“If you change nothing, nothing will change.” It helps put the complaints/ whines into perspective, if you see something that is not good enough for you, go and do something about it.
Q. What book/movie/show can you watch over and over again without getting bored?
No doubt Silicon Valley (2014) or Modern Family (2009).
Q. If you were to choose another major, what would it be and why?
Science, Technology & Society! I think what I am doing now is pretty close, but I wish I had 4 years to dive deep into how these interact with one another. Since humans are so complex, it is exciting to see what we come up with and how it links to our environment!
Q. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I spent some time this past summer in the Scottish Highlands. It was a transcendental experience and I want to spend some time just living in a cabin up there at some point. I like sheep.
Q. What talent would you like to learn someday?
I’d love to get good at capoeira. I’ve tried like 3 times but good god is it hard!
Q. What is one thing you will never do again?
I once chose to roll down a 400 foot tall sand dune. Sand is not as soft as it looks!
Q. Favorite thing you’ve built?
Bluetooth potato launcher
Q. Craziest thing you’ve made?
Solid rocket booster fuel. Exploded on me ⅖ times, but I got the process down after 2nd failure.
Q. What’s your favorite thing to do?
Building things, working on fun projects, matching up the physics with my projects.
Q. What book/movie/show can you watch over and over again without getting bored?
Harry Potter books (except Chamber of Secrets).
Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”, which basically means you will have more success by being sweeter and good to others than by being rude.
Q. How old were you when you learned Santa wasn't real? How did you find out?
I was 7 when I figured out that my mom’s handwriting was the same as Santa’s.
Q. What’s your favorite thing to do?
I cannot decide between building things or sailing!
Q. What is a motto you follow?
Always be totally committed and motivated in what I do.
Q. What do you take everywhere with you?
Legos... but common! Everyone loves legos.