Rishik Kolli

Rishik Kolli enrolled at Arizona State University to delve into his passions and fully engage in an immersive learning experience. He opted to study computer science due to its interdisciplinary nature, which provided him with an opportunity to explore a variety of fields and utilize tools and languages to grasp programming paradigms.

“Early sophomore year, I began drawing out concepts on a piece of paper to understand how to approach implementing various data structures and algorithms,” says Kolli, who is earning his Bachelor of Science degree from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU. “Setting aside time to truly understand and piece through the logic helped solidify that I belonged in computer science.”

Throughout his academic experience, Kolli has received numerous accolades and awards, such as the President’s Club Scholarship, the Barrett Gold Standard Award for community involvement and is a Changemaker Challenge Grant winner. As part of his inclusion in the Grand Challenges Scholars Programs, Kolli worked on projects, attended pitches and explored different avenues of learning and development. 

Throughout his time at ASU, Kolli participated in the Engineering Projects in Community Service program, or EPICS, where he navigated dynamic learning obstacles and worked alongside a passionate, dedicated team of individuals.

“EPICS provided me with the opportunity to visit Vietnam working as teaching assistant to host skills sessions and assist with other EPICS projects,” Kolli says.

Additionally, Kolli served as a community assistant for the Vista Del Sol Residential Community and Barrett, The Honors College. He also held positions on the executive board of the Machine Learning Club at ASU, where he coordinated external events, workshops and hackathons.

“Computer science plays a major role in defining the norms of our social and cultural communities in the way we work, learn and communicate with each other,” Kolli says. 

After graduation, he plans to take a gap year to prepare for the GRE and apply to graduate schools while continuing to build the technical skills necessary to become a data engineer and data scientist. 

“My long-term goal is to go out of state to pursue a master’s degree in applied statistics or data science to become a data engineer,” Kolli says. “I hope to continue working in emerging technologies to help our growth as a modern society.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2024 class here.