Natalie Shepherd

I am a senior at Brookline High School Massachusetts. I'm so excited to be starting at the highly competitive Cornell University School of Engineering this Fall 2023.

As a young girl, I was shy but curious about the world. Through robotics, I found my passion and my voice.

When I was 8, my mom picked me up early from my after-school program for over two years to join the robotics classes she and her engineering colleagues took at work. I was the only child there. Rushing into the room, I greeted everyone with a smile, sat in the first row, and intently listened to our teachers. My favorite project was programming Arduino robots to follow lines taped on the ground.

In my robotics classes, I’ve learned about sensors and IoT. I’m eager to use technology to study the brain. I’ve nurtured my passion for learning about how we operate in my school’s neuroscience club.

I find joy in music, art, and languages. I work hard to improve my skills. I even won Second Prize at the Crescendo International Piano Competition! I speak 3 languages well (English, Russian, and Mandarin) and am learning Armenian, Farsi and ASL.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I've been volunteering as a teacher of private piano lessons to elementary school students to give back and support my community. I am also a member of Students for Equity in Education club where I led the advocacy for state legislation funding diversity training and hiring for educators.

On bustling robotics teams, I learned to be tenacious and outspoken. Now, I am a talented young woman in STEM. I use my voice and work to lift those around me so we can succeed together.