Ayana Bahadur: Her love of the heart, healthcare and STEM drives her to make learning more accessible children around the globe.
Bio: Ayana is a senior in Massachusetts with a love for the heart. Her interests include STEM, medicine, and research, striving to use her passions to make a difference in the healthcare system. She is captain of the Speech and Debate Team, President of Acton HOSA and Girls in Science, and leads nonprofits Genxl and Light on the Heart. In her free time, Ayana enjoys reading memoirs, painting landscapes, quilling earrings for her Etsy business, and spending time with her family.
1. Tell us your story. You have been involved in several non-profit organizations and have discovered a passion for blood cancer research. What inspired you throughout your journey, and how did it lead to your current research project for developing a more efficient RNA-seq processing pipeline?
Scalpel and surgical scissors in hand, I donned yellow scrubs, secured a blue mask around my face, and squeezed on a pair of small lavender latex gloves. “Are you ready?” Dr. Zhuang asked me with light in his eyes. Ready? I was waiting for this moment the entire week. I had never before smelled the putrescent smell of mice confined to a cage, sentenced to be the victims of science in such a setting as I did before coming to the lab—Dr. Zhuang’s Micro Computed Tomography room. I was dying to go into the surgical room, but I never expected what Dr. Zhuang would do with the mice. With the sharp end of his surgical tool, he cut the thorax open, exposing the esophagus, liver, lungs, and that oh-so-beautiful heart. Beating over 600 beats per minute, I marveled at the strength of the tiny organ (about the size of two peas) still beating for minutes, on end, after the focal stroke procedure. I had been called to cardiology since the very first lesson on the circulatory system we received in freshman year. It is an organ of poetry, an organ that is unrelenting in its work, the strongest piece of the body.
What led me to research? I joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a Student Visionary in 2022, where I met Raelyn, a six-year-old girl living with B-cell acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. My sister was also six at the time and I felt a need to do everything I could to help Raelyn live the carefree life that every
first-grader should have. With this goal in mind, our team raised over $10,000 for inclusive clinical drug therapy trials for treating pediatric AML. It was through LLS that I met researchers, postdocs, and principal investigators pioneering blood cancer treatments. I soon started working as a pathology in blood cancer research intern at Harvard Medical School. Research clicked with me— this was how I could make a difference through both advocacy and my love for science. I had the opportunity to work with the BROAD Institute’s cell line screening platform called PRISM and developed an RNA-seq pipeline to screen over 100 cell lines regarding the SALL4 fetal oncoprotein. I am currently examining the role of upregulating zeta globin in beta thalassemias through a CRISPR-DiR system as well as writing a paper on protein degradation.
Outside of academics, I am the president of Acton-Boxrough’s chapter of HOSA Future Healthcare Professionals, Girls in Science Club, and co-captain of the Speech and Debate Team, where I have led over 250 students in state competitions, speaker series, and community events. I am also a peer leader of the Outbreak Public Health boot camp in which I lead discussions on public health and the fields of epidemiology, disease surveillance, nursing, emergency preparedness, and more to over 100 high schoolers to gain exposure to medicine and public health. Catering to my love for advocacy, I am the first Muslim on the Superintendent’s Coalition to End Hate and Bias Speech of Acton; I also lead anti-bias training for freshmen in the Acton-Boxborough A World of Difference Program and am trained through the Anti-Defamation League. In the wise words of Mother Teresa, we alone cannot change the world, but we can throw a stone across the water to create many ripples.
2. You co-founded the 501c3 non-profit "Genxl" in 2021, which has now impacted thousands of students worldwide. How did you decide you wanted to begin this organization? What challenges have you faced in expanding internationally, and how have you overcome them?
The idea of Genxl was formulated in the summer of 2021. Picture this: your little sister is sitting in her online Zoom preschool class and watching TV, not interested in a word her teacher says through the hazy screen. And who could blame her? Millions of kids around the world were faced with this same dilemma: being completely stripped from hands-on learning. How are you supposed to stimulate your intellectual curiosity in an environment that doesn’t foster creativity, and doesn’t account for questions? As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the average student in American elementary schools is six months behind in math and five months behind in reading. Studies also found that where students lived mattered more to their economic progress than income or internet speed.
What’s interesting is that within a normal school district, the declines in test scores were similar for all groups of students, rich and poor, white, Black, and Hispanic. Feeling these effects in my home, and my school, I wanted to do something to help, to make a difference. Genxl was the first “call-to-action” project I would take in my life. I wanted to offer free quality STEM education with moderately easy and fun projects with basic materials at home. And it worked.
Creating “generational excellence”: that is where the name of the organization comes from. I had wanted to go into medicine since I was six, so I decided to develop and teach an Introductory Biology and Anatomy course. I asked for a book on the human body for my birthday and got to work! From hosting classes with a few students to impacting more than 10,000 students worldwide, Genxl soared. We now have established over 50 international chapters, have over 1,500 volunteers, and have raised millions in sponsorship funding for Google, Meta, and Apple. We were stuck in a lull for quite some time, offering the same classes and unable to raise engagement. By utilizing social media, we expanded our courses to far places in the world such as Thailand and Kenya. I started by reaching out to my family in India and Australia, who then gave me contacts of their relations in the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Asking for help is a strength, not a
weakness! I would say to keep going– don’t give up if things seem slow. Utilize your network and surround yourself with people whose goals you aspire to achieve.
What was a fuzzy hope in my mind, I am proud to say, sprouted into a successful endeavor. The world is your canvas, it’s time to make some art.
3. You seem to have a lot on your plate. Can you share how you balance your academic responsibilities with leading multiple clubs and organizations, and what strategies you use to manage your time effectively?
I am a perfectionist at heart, which makes it very difficult for me to relent in my fear of “failure” when it comes to putting out my best work 100% of the time. I try to turn this fear into resilience to achieve my goals; but, I stay aware that an overemphasis on my grades and extracurriculars may sap me from reaching my potential. We all fall prey to something Kevin Kelly calls the 90% Rule: “When you have 90% of a large project completed, finishing the final details will take another 90%.” I try to keep in mind that perfecting this final 10% is what keeps so many of us from ever fulfilling our potential.
The single most important piece of advice I would give is to learn discipline. My religion has taught me the biggest form of discipline there is: praying five times a day and learning to live my life with modesty and sincerity. I limit myself to half an hour of social media. I also utilize my secret weapon: my academic planner— I am a huge fan of to-do lists, calendars, and keeping track of the tasks I need to do, which has helped me budget my time for things that matter to me. I also incorporate self-care days to avoid burnout. Keep in mind that you want to stay productive, not busy. And taking care of yourself is one of the most productive things you can do. By journaling every night, reading for 30 minutes a day, painting (landscapes are my forte), and doing skincare, I try to carve out ample time for my physical and mental well-being.
However, it is just as important not to stretch yourself too thin. High school is the time to explore your strengths and weaknesses and understand who you are as a person. Take advantage of teachers’ office hours, immerse yourself in a variety of clubs to figure out a direction to take in college (it’s okay if you don’t have a concentration in mind by senior year!), and spend time with your family and friends. Remember, you are living your life for you and no one else. So do what you love, and happiness and success will always find its way to you.
4. What advice would you suggest for other young students who aspire to lead impactful projects in their communities and who desire to find their passion?
Colleges want a meaningful, spirited, and passionate student who loves to learn. They want to see someone who demonstrates concern for others, is involved in the community, and has ethical engagement. You don’t want to be someone who racks up accomplishments, aiming for quality over quantity. Many freshmen fall into the trap of staying busy for the sake of it, joining tons of clubs to put on their resumes, and volunteering for hours on end. Don't let your hard work go to waste by forgetting to think about standing out. Identify these three things:
1. What are your academic interests?
2. What are your personal interests?
3. What are your special personal values?
Then, participate in extracurriculars that center around this theme. We’ve all heard that colleges are looking for a well-rounded student, but that’s not true. They want a pointy student, a student with a spike, and a
very strong passion. What better way to showcase your passion than a tangible project? The benefits of a passion project are that you have a unique standout factor that no one can copy to a T. You will have more time to study for your classes and the SAT/ACT, it will be easier to land a research position, you’ll have recommendation letters and unique essays. Make it your “Saturday Morning Project”, or designate a specific time of the week to put towards things that help you grow.
For me, that passion was the heart. In Outbreak, I won a grant for my project on the Impact of Social Determinants on Cardiovascular Disease. In my junior year, I conducted a research experiment on the effect of caffeine on the locomotive ability of Drosophila Melanogaster. In my senior year, I joined a lab at the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center to explore cardiac disease modeled through mice and computed tomography analysis. I started a non-profit called Light on the Heart to advocate for increased inclusion of marginalized communities in cardiovascular clinical trials. I also created 100 STEM kits for kids called The Little Hearts Science Crate to combat the rising instances of cardiac problems in children. My driving goal was to provide free quality science education to families of low income, outside of the classroom, to help more students find their passions.
Beyond college, your passion project is for yourself. You’ll find that, in the process, if you are doing something meaningful and beloved to you, it won’t feel like a school project or something someone is telling you to do. You will find true joy in your endeavors.
5. As a platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
My therapist once told me, “You’re not going to college”.
I stared at her, mouth wide open. How can someone try to stop me from this thing I had been mentally and academically preparing for for years? How can someone take one look at me and deem me unfit for learning? I love research, I love interacting with people and hearing their stories, and I love learning. My most immediate dream is to go to college and pursue cardiovascular research, pioneering a new treatment for ischemic heart disease with biotechnology. With the Little Hearts Science Crate, I hope to create thousands of kits to distribute to kids around the world and make them accessible in more languages. I want to add new experiments to the kit, utilize feedback, and impact as many people as possible.
My professional dream is to become a cardiologist and my biggest hope for the future is to start a clinic in a rural area catering to marginalized communities with little to no access to quality healthcare. I don't want future girls with the same dreams as mine to exhaustively search for role models who remind them of themselves in the same way I did. I want an adequate representation of all communities so they know that it is possible to accomplish their dreams. I want to make a difference in the lives of even a single person in the way I best know how— my passion for science. I strongly believe that changing the world starts with just one motivation, one idea, and one endeavor to make it all possible. Both my short and long-term academic goals are centered around my desire to help others.
I write poetry and am currently working on a memoir of my life experience dealing with mental and physical health challenges: Her Heart Beats On. I am on track to publish my book in August of 2025, with the hopes of sharing my story for girls who are going through similar struggles and advocating for the importance of mental health. One of the reasons I wish to become a doctor in the future is the innate desire for the privilege to help others when they are in their most vulnerable state. I was sick and healed because of the compassionate team and doctors I had on my side.
I dare to dream.
To picture those
Small hearts, sewn with a delicate stitch
Sticking catheters in mice
Spinning cells in flasks
Running my pen down crisp pages of my journal
I put my heart out on a plate
For the world to glimpse, no matter how cutting their words may be Because I want you to know
That vision in your mind’s eye—
All that you see
Is a dream waiting to be
Go chase that hope, conquer that fear
For without failure, nothing is near
I dare
you
to dream.