Saybrook 2024-25 FroCos

Although Shankara was born in India, his family immigrated to Connecticut when he was just a year old. Shankara has had a number of academic and career interests (at one point in his childhood, he wanted to be a car designer and spent months practicing drawing cars). Ultimately, he found that he loved tinkering with computers and thinking about how new technology drives change. At Yale, Shankara is double-majoring in Statistics & Data Science and Economics—a combination that satisfies his problem-solving and inquisitive nature. He’s also a researcher at the Yale NLP Lab, where he’s currently working on building language models that better understand scientific domains, potentially accelerating research in fields such as biology and quantum physics. He serves as the Treasurer of the GeoTech Initiative, a student organization dedicated to understanding the intersection of geopolitics and technology. Beyond academics, Shankara is an avid fan of cricket, football, and Formula 1. In his free time, you might find him playing the piano, reading, or having a dangerous amount of fun with his friends. Shankara is incredibly excited to help out new Saybrugians, so feel free to reach out to him with any questions regarding Saybrook or Yale!

Nasra is proudly from two of the best places in the world: the beautiful nation of Somalia, and America’s Finest City San Diego, California. Now on the East Coast, Nasra studies Architecture with a concentration in History, Theory, and Criticism, in addition to a certificate in Education Studies. Outside of history surveys and studio class, you can find Nasra with the Questbridge Scholars Chapter (in general, first-generation low-income community at large), Muslim Student Association, Matriculate, the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, or at any one of her work study student jobs as an assistant with New Haven Public Schools classrooms, the Connecticut Children’s Museum, and the Gilder Lehrman Center. Nasra spent this past summer interning with a nonprofit applying for funding in support of community-led urban development projects (maybe this will help her with her senior thesis…). Fun fact: Nasra’s career as a working woman began in Saybrook’s very own buttery the Squiche! When Nasra finds free time, she enjoys gardening, volunteering with Dwight Hall, and strolling through Wooster Square Park. Contrary to what the other Saybrook FroCos say, Nasra is *the most* excited out of all of them to be supporting the Saybrook Class of 2028!