Hi! My name is Diya Agarwal, and I’m a rising sophomore in the Mechanical Engineering option. I’m from sunny Miami, Florida, and, as my friends say, Florida is half my personality (ask me about Miami or Florida man jokes, and I won’t stop yapping). Coming to California from the east coast was definitely a transition, but I’m really loving my time on campus! The weather is especially amazing (it’s actually a bit colder than what I’m used to), and the majestic view of the mountains from campus is something I always enjoy seeing.

At Caltech, I’m majoring in mechanical engineering, or MechE as we call it. I’ve been passionate about mechanical design ever since high school, where I was a part of my school’s VEX robotics team. I love the idea of creating something out of spare parts and seeing its application in the real world; therefore, I’m planning on minoring in robotics, Caltech’s newest minor (it was just added in 2024!). Currently, I’m participating in research in the Burdick Research Group, a robotics laboratory , and I’m designing spherical joints for applications in gripping technology. In summer 2024, I’m also doing an off-campus SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) at Florida International University (FIU) in my hometown, Miami! My project revolves around simulating the Boston Dynamics Spot robot (yes, the cool robot that walks around like a dog) in low gravity and extraterrestrial systems to see how it would walk on planets such as Mars. Though it is a lot of computer science and coding (something I’m not the best at), I’m excited to learn more about the topic! Here’s a cool picture of the Spot robot that I’m working with in the lab.

Other than classes, I’m a part of multiple clubs and activities on campus. I’m a member of Caltech Racing, a club that builds a racecar for a national competition every year. Though I don’t have much experience, its been great having upperclassmen to guide me through the learning process. Apart from academics and sciencey clubs, I also dance and have performed multiple times on campus with Caltech Aarya, an Indian classical dance group. We even performed at Caltech’s annual dance show in May 2024 (see picture above!). Having weekly dance practices really de-stresses me, especially when my days are mostly taken up with classes and psets. I’m also a BOC (Board of Control) representative, where my responsibilities include upholding Caltech’s highly emphasized honor code.

In my spare time, I love listening to music (I need to start going to concerts in LA!), drawing/painting (I tried taking the class here at Caltech, but it didn’t work out with my schedule), playing the piano and guitar (aka “borrowing” my dorm neighbor’s guitar when I’m bored), and watching movies and TV shows (yes, I am a Netflix addict). I also enjoy hanging out with my friends and exploring Pasadena and the LA area. Every weekend, we try to get off campus for a change of scenery, and especially to try new restaurants. One of my favorite places is this small cafe, less than a mile from campus, that serves breakfast all day (waffles! french toast! eggs! smoothies! so yum). Also, the easily accessible beach also warrants frequent beach trips (as a Floridian, I’m very happy about this). At Caltech, I’m a part of Avery house (don’t worry, I won’t break rotation rules), and we do a lot of fun activities such as Avery Olympics, Assery (Avery Assassins), and house trips (picture of us at beach trip below!) that really have made my time at Caltech memorable.

I’m excited to be part of the admissions & blog team at Caltech, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and speaking more about my experience here so far! Feel free to contact me at dagarwal@caltech.edu with any questions!