Diya Arun

Student Researcher · Leader · Community Volunteer

ACT superscore: 35 Weighted GPA: 4.43/4.00 John Burroughs School | Class of 2027 Download Resume(PDF)

RESEARCH & EXPERIENCE

2025–2026       Independent Researcher  Geneoscopy
‍ ‍Worked with Geneoscopy’s Chief Medical Officer to extract and analyze data from six clinical trials testing colorectal cancer screening devices. My first project studied whether a decentralized recruitment model could bring more diverse patients into clinical trials. My second was a review of how Medicare and Medicaid coverage affects colorectal cancer detection for publicly insured patients; it became a poster for the Cancer Genomics Consortium (CGC)

2026                  Fellow  Yale Elmseed Consulting Organization
‍ ‍Learned consulting and pitc hing through weekly sessions led by Yale student leaders, then worked to develop a solution to a challenge from the City of New Haven

2024–2026       Hospital Intern & Neurosurgery Shadow  SSM Health
‍ ‍After meeting a neurosurgeon through a school career program, I stayed in touch and created opportunities to shadow him during surgeries and patient visits. I also found an internship at the hospital where I helped with administrative work while continuing to learn about patient care

2024–2025       Independent Researcher  Danforth Science Center
‍ ‍Spent a semester growing and testing millet varieties under different conditions for drought resistance. I recorded observations throughout the experiment and wrote a final research report summarizing our findings that was submitted to the Danforth Science Center

2025                  Intern  Nest
‍ ‍ I independently reached out to a school alum who founded Nest, a nonprofit for artisans, which led to my internship. For their Educational Climate Series project, I reviewed hundreds of pages of source material and selected key statistics, phrases, and images for Nest’s public website on climate issues affecting artisan communities

2025                  Judge  Science Fair Youth
‍ ‍Evaluated elementary science projects and gave students personalized feedback to help strengthen their scientific reasoning and presentation

LEADERSHIP

2024–2026       Founder & President  New Student Mentorship Program, John Burroughs
‍ Founded a peer mentorship program serving 50+ students, where I paired new students with mentors, led monthly meetings, and organized community-building activities. This program is now part of the school’s new student orientation

2023–2026       Lead Youth Ambassador  iGiant
‍ ‍ Started as a youth volunteer and later became Lead Youth Ambassador, where I inducted new volunteers, led roundtables, prepared presentation materials for board members, and reviewed companies for gender equality Seal of Approval. Co-authored two gender-equity research papers and one was published in the Journal of Women’s Health

2023–2026       Special Delegate  Model United Nations
Started with local MUN conferences and later participated in a conference at University of Urbana-Champaign and represented Mauritius on the Historical Security Council at THIMUN in The Hague. I became more confident speaking without a script and negotiating with other delegates, and several clauses I drafted were included in the final resolution

COMMUNITY SERVICE

2024–2026       Lead TA & Elective Teacher  AIM High
‍ ‍Designed and taught a financial-literacy curriculum with 100+ slides and 5 learning games; created a self-guided website that will be used by 400+ students. I also worked as a teaching assistant, office admin, and led AIM High club during school year through weekend tutoring

2024–2026       Leader, Bomber Buddies  Montgomery Plan, John Burroughs
Led a branch of my school’s volunteering hub and headed the committee to plan Special Olympics events for county students with special needs; it involved planning games, activities, student pairings, and event logistics

2024–2026       Volunteer  KEEN
‍ ‍I coached kids with physical and developmental disabilities in tennis, swimming, dance and gym activities, helping them develop new athletic skills and confidence

2024–2026       Volunteer  Equine Assisted Therapy
‍ ‍Supported individuals with emotional and mental challenges during therapeutic horse-riding sessions by leading horses and helping them build perseverance and independence

2024–2026       Volunteer  ENGin
I had weekly English tutoring sessions with Tanya, a Ukrainian student which helped her build English fluency with new vocabulary by sharing each other’s tradition and a lot of knock-knock jokes

WORK

2025–2026       Cashier & Waitress  Chicken Salad Chick
‍ ‍ Handled drive-thru, online, and in-person orders working closely with the kitchen staff to provide accurate and customer-friendly service

2024–2025       Tutor  Eye Level
‍ ‍Tutored students on Math and English work, graded assignments, explained concepts and talked with parents about student’s progress and challenge

2023-2025 Pet sitter Neighborhood families
Cared for the pets through walking, feeding, playtime, and taking care of their daily routines for neighborhood families when they were away

ACTIVITIES

2015–2026       Company Dancer  Soorya Performing Arts
‍ ‍Bharatanatyam dancer since kindergarten and performed in major productions within St Louis and other states. I assist my teacher in training younger dancers

2021–2026       Equestrian  Ridgefield Arena
‍ ‍Started as a beginner rider and developed into a 2.5-foot show jumper; regularly helped younger and newer riders learn to tack horses and basic trotting and riding skills

2023–2026      Dance  John Burroughs School
‍ ‍Choreographed and taught original pieces blending Bharatanatyam and hip-hop after training across multiple dance styles

2022–2026      Volleyball  John Burroughs School
‍ ‍Captain of JBS junior varsity volleyball for two seasons and competed in charity tournaments supporting the local Tamil community

HONORS & CERTIFICATIONS

May 2026           AP Scholar Award, College Board
April 2026           First Aid / CPR / AED, Adult & Pediatric American Red Cross
2024                    Presidential Volunteer Service Award, Gold