Running a Marathon, Time Complexity, Whale Watching, and Prom

Letter? I Hardly Know Her! - June 2023

Welcome, WELCOME to Letter? I Hardly Know Her! I’m Apoorva (the her in question), an 18 y/o researcher, keynote speaker, artist, writer, and advocate for youth and gender minorities in STEAM. This newsletter is a means for me to keep track of my personal & professional growth, and to share all the good stuff I’m working on! First-timers: it’s great to meet you, I’m so glad you’re here! For my regular hardly-knowers, here’s your promised, extra special greeting: welcome you cool drink of water—you’re perfect to see on a hot summer day.

If you too want an extra greeting, you better subscribe:

As a heads up, I publish newsletters on each MONTH/MONTH, i.e. 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, … , 12/12. Is it the most efficient system? Frankly, no. But is it the most funky fresh? Absolutely it is.

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Happy Pride Month, Hardly-Knowers! We’re done with high school! It’s summer! Let’s do this!

(Prepare yourself for a barrage of pictures.)

2023 Tartan Ottawa International Marathon

I ran a marathon! Oh my god. I can’t believe I did that. Why did I do that?

Well, it was one of the most grueling, joyful, exhausting, and fun things I've ever done. I’m so grateful for the dear friends and strangers who ran with me, cheered all of us on, and kept us hydrated in the brutal heat (misting stations are heaven on earth).

As I crossed that starting line, I remember feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude and joy that I was about to cry—I just couldn’t believe that I was actually finally doing this. This feeling came upon me a few times during the run, nothing brings out my very emotional & reflective side like running. The first 5k were a tad difficult as I settled into a groove, and then once I got to 10k I was cruiiiising. I loved running 10k-25k, the wind in my hair, the beautiful sights, the cheering crowds—it was magical. But, oh man, that last 15k was brutal. It just kept getting hotter and harder, and I was being lapped by walkers with long legs because my shuffle was so slow. The last 2k was downright cruel, but it was all worth it to cross that finish line, officially becoming a marathoner. (Huge thank you to the X-tra miler who ran with me that last 3k!)

I never would have done this if it wasn’t for one of my best friends, Rachel. I started running because of her, because I couldn’t believe that someone could find running actually fun, and so I wanted to see for myself if I could love it too (surprise! I did). She constantly inspires me with her joyful spirit, inner strength, and determination to improve the world without losing sight of herself and her happiness. Thank you sunshine <3.

Besides the marathon, Ottawa was absolutely beautiful. I had the best time hanging out with Rachel, Noémie, and Graeme, from zip lining to having incredibly delicious food to rolling down a hill.

Zip lining!

Kayaking in Dow’s Lake!

Trek to the Rideau falls.

And, one of my favorite parts, lounging in a dog park after the marathon for hours, having relaxed conversations while watching enormous fish jump out of the nearby pond.

Thank you to Rachel’s family and Noémie’s family for letting me stay with you while I was in Ottawa, you all are the absolute best and I can’t thank you enough for making my trip there so wonderfully fun. <3

Trip to Toronto!

My Canadian adventures didn’t stop there! After Ottawa, I took a train to Toronto to spend time with some more of my favorite people.

I was met by the amazing Peyton and her family, who graciously let me stay with them while I was in Toronto. Literally the most kind and welcoming people in the world, thank you all for making me feel so at home. <3

We walked through Toronto in tourist mode and hit the big spots: CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, shopping, and good food!

While I was in Toronto, I had dinner with the wonderful Khushi and met up with some of my favs Elly and Vik at the beautiful Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

I was very sad to say goodbye, but it’s actually, “Until next time!” I’m so lucky to have you all as friends, and I can’t wait to give you all a great big hug again the next time we meet.

Gems in STEM: Computing Time Complexity: A Big O or a Big No?

Let’s play a game: I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 100. Try to guess what it is, and I’ll tell you if my number is higher or lower.

Let me guess, your first guess was 50. (Uno-reverse card!) This is called the binary search algorithm where, with each guess, you eliminate half of the number possibilities. Pretty smart of you!

We use algorithms for all sorts of problems, from searching for a number to sorting a large list to finding the shortest path home because it’s hot and I forgot to put sunscreen on. In the real world, knowing which algorithm to choose for different situations is crucial for saving time and space—it isn’t good enough to have a solution if it takes months or years to find. In this article, we’ll learn how to measure the efficiency of algorithms, do some street-fighting math, and talk about some of the hardest problems in modern computer science…all in a day’s work. Read on below!

Computing Time Complexity: A Big-O or Big No?

!! ARTWORK ALERT !!

Just finished a new painting! Like I mentioned in the last newsletter, this one is a master copy/study of a painting by Kai Samuels-Davis, who is one of my favorite painters right now. I’m currently working on finding my own expressive style, so this study is to learn from his powerful & bold color palettes and emotive portraits.

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The Fun, the Fresh, & the Funky

You can’t have summer with fun, fresh, and funky things.

First up, senior prom!! It was held in Gilroy Gardens (a theme park) and it was so much fun going on (albeit small) rides in fancy dresses.

Next up, one of the best moments of my entire life: SEEING ORCAS IN MONTEREY BAY!!! My sister, our family friend, and I went whale watching and I crossed my fingers we’d see some, and lo and behold we saw 5!! They were so so cute, and we also got to see blue whales (very rare in May), humpback whales, Risso’s dolphins, and more.

Truly the lucky trifecta, what a dream come true.

My sister, Anoohya, graduated with her B.S. in Chemistry! Beyond proud of her and constantly shocked at how old she is.

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Coming up next on Keeping Up With (K)Apoorva…

• BOLD MINDS Conference in Vienna

  I’ll be going to Vienna in June to speak at the BOLD Minds conference about the future of work for Gen Z and the challenges we’re currently facing. I’m so excited to have been invited (huge thank you to the wonderful Trailblazers group I met at Collision last year), it’s going to be a good time!
  
  I’ll also be traveling through Europe with my mom for a few days, so we’ll be visiting Vienna, Paris, and Zurich! Very exciting.

• Counselor at RSI 2023

  I'm super excited to be returning to the Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT this summer as a counselor!! I had such an amazing 6 weeks of research & friendship last summer, and I’m so excited to be supporting a new cohort of Rickoids with some of my favorite people as fellow counselors. It'll definitely be a summer to remember!

• In-Person GLAM Event with Chase!

  Team GLAM is super excited to have our first in-person event coming up in July! We’re partnering with Chase Bank to host this two-day event. Though I unfortunately won’t be able to be there in person, I can’t wait to see how it turns out. The prep is underway!

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A Quarter for Your Quote?

“You're never ready for what you have to do. You just do it. That makes you ready.”

Flora Rheta Schreiber

I thought this was an apt quote for running a marathon.

That’s it from me, Hardly-Knowers. This was truly a life-changing month (I feel like I say that every time), and what a time to be grateful. I’ll see you next time, and I wish you the happiest start to your summer in the meantime. Until July!

Sincerely,

Her (Apoorva)

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Feel free to contact me about speaker events, comments, and anything else at apoorvapanidapu@gmail.com! You can also connect with me on LinkedIn, follow me on Medium, and check out my art gallery, personal website, or Instagram.

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