When I tell people I’m double-majoring in CNS and BEM, I usually get one of two reactions.
The first is confusion. “Wait, what is CNS?”
The second is a pause, followed by something like, “That’s uh… an interesting combo.”
And they’re not wrong. Computation and Neural Systems (CNS) and Business, Economics, and Management (BEM) seem like two completely separate worlds (and like I somehow signed up for six majors instead of two). But the longer I’ve studied both, the more it’s made sense. I didn’t choose them to be impressive. I chose them because I was trying to understand how complex systems work, and these two fields just happened to give me the tools I needed.
I didn’t come to Caltech with that clarity. I applied as a bioengineering major, thinking I wanted to work on medical devices. I was interested in medicine and public health and wanted to build things that could help people. That felt like the most direct path.
I also had zero coding experience. I wrote “Hello, World” for the very first time during week one of CS 1. I remember feeling like I was already behind, but I also remember thinking it was fun. I liked trying to figure out how systems worked, even when I didn’t totally understand them yet.
As I explored different majors, CNS caught my attention. It gave me the flexibility to stay on a premed track if I wanted to, while also letting me dive into engineering, computation, and machine learning. I didn’t have to pick one direction too early, which was exactly what I needed at the time.
It wasn’t until sophomore year that things really started to click. I began taking more neuroscience courses and realized I loved the subject, just not in the way I thought I would. I wasn’t drawn to research. I was more interested in applying ideas, spotting patterns, and understanding how systems worked so I could build on them or design better ones. It was during that winter term that I decided to no longer pursue the premed track (sorry, mom).
At the same time, I started taking more business classes. I’ve always looked at the world through a numbers-focused lens, but those courses helped me connect the dots between that way of thinking and real-world problems. I started thinking less about abstract models and more about how ideas turn into things people actually use. The more I explored, the more I found myself drawn to startups — not just the tech, but the process of building something from scratch and figuring it out along the way. That curiosity didn’t go away, so I leaned into it.
Eventually, that led me to an internship at a venture capital firm during my senior year, where I learned the ins and outs of venture capital. Now I’m a fellow at another one, and I spend a lot of my time talking to early-stage startups about what they’re building and where they’re going. I love being part of that world. It’s fast, messy, creative, and incredibly human. Every founder is trying to solve a problem in their own way, and I get to work with them to help figure it out.
Looking back, none of this was part of the original plan. I had no idea I would end up here. I did a SURF at NASA JPL and another in neuroeconomics. They were completely different from each other and also from what I’m leaning toward now, but both taught me a lot and helped shape how I think. I just kept following what I was curious about. I changed direction when something didn’t feel right. I leaned in when something sparked interest. I asked questions and gave myself space to let the answers evolve.
Everyone at Caltech has a different path. Some people arrive knowing exactly what they want to do and never change. Others figure it out along the way. Some fall in love with research, some with teaching, some with building. There’s no single way to make it through here. And honestly, that’s what makes it so special.
So if you’re at the beginning of your journey and don’t have it all figured out yet, that’s more than okay. I started with an interest in medicine and wrote my first line of code in week one. Now I study neural systems, decision-making, and markets. I spend my time working with founders and thinking about how people build. And I wouldn’t change a thing.
