Thought Piece: Aditi Vandanapu
By: Aditi Vandanapu
I’ve always believed that growth doesn’t come from staying comfortable. It comes from stepping into spaces where you can lead, learn, and lift others along the way. As someone who’s currently majoring in Computer Science and the Quantitative Analysis of Markets, I’ve realized that what grounds me most isn’t just the knowledge I gain, it’s the communities I help build. Through leadership roles in organizations like the Management Consulting Club, Women in Business, Mock Trial, and the Honors Student Advisory Council, I’ve come to understand that impact isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room, it’s about creating space for others to be heard.
As a woman of color in male-dominated fields, I often find myself in spaces where I feel like I don’t fully belong. I know what it’s like to question whether I should speak up, to feel like I have to adjust myself to be accepted. And I know how isolating that can be. But I’ve also seen how transformative it is when someone makes room for you, when you’re valued not in spite of your identity but because of it. Community, to me, is not just proximity, it’s belonging. It’s being able to walk into a room without leaving parts of yourself behind.
That’s exactly why I was drawn to the Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging. It’s so easy to talk about change, to name what’s wrong with the world and move on. But real transformation takes more than that. It takes showing up, taking action, and building structures that center people who’ve been historically left out. I didn’t want to just talk about belonging, I wanted to help create it. My dad used to tell me how much effort it takes to grow a single grain of rice. He taught me that we’re all interconnected, and that nothing we have comes without someone else’s labor. That lesson stayed with me. It taught me to be grateful, but also to feel responsible. To look at the world with empathy and urgency, and then act on it.
That’s what this work means to me. It's about bridging gaps between potential and opportunity. It’s about listening deeply, elevating overlooked voices, and building communities where no one has to wonder if they belong. Long-term, I hope to finish my double majors, work in consulting to gain the tools and exposure I need, and eventually go to law school so I can continue advocating for belonging and justice on a larger scale. But no matter the title or the field, I know this for sure: I want to be someone who shows up for others, who builds spaces where people are seen, and who helps turn values into visible change.