April S.

April is an ambitious high school student with a passion for medical research, neurotechnology, and creative tech. She is particularly interested in using advancements in neurotechnology to reshape healthcare and enhance quality of life for individuals with neurological conditions. April's academic interests have led her to conduct an intensive bioinformatics research project under Stanford University, focusing on epigenetics, biochemistry, and oncology. Over an 8-week period, she worked with a team to optimize computational drug discovery by curating drug compounds that target the EZH2 enzyme, applying machine and deep learning techniques for in-silico testing to develop efficient solutions in cancer therapeutics. April's work was reviewed and presented in front of the Stanford Compression Forum, highlighting the significance of her contributions to computational drug discovery. She is currently a co-author on a research paper under submission based on this work. April was also chosen as an international 2024 TechGirl finalist, as one of 17 U.S. participants from a pool of over 6,000 applicants worldwide. The program included participants from 37 countries and offered three weeks of immersive experiences, including STEM instruction at Virginia Tech, leadership development, community immersion, and site visits with tech leaders across the United States. A current personal project April is currently working is Bookoli, an edutech initiative aimed at developing AI tools to support individuals with reading difficulties and dyslexia. With Bookoli, she has won several awards at science fairs, attended research conferences, and carried out literacy advocacy projects, including book drives across Florida schools. She hopes to set a full public launch of the Bookoli app by 2025 and expand initiatives globally. Additionally, April is working on NeuroSensa, a neurotechnology project designed to create personalized, multisensory experiences for individuals with sensory processing challenges. NeuraSensa has already seen success with work accepted into galleries, and April hopes to make this a sustainable and impactful project that makes art accessible and therapeutic for neurodiverse individuals, both locally and globally. Through the development and exhibition of technological art installations, NeuraSensa will host multisensory, textile-based pieces in local galleries, raise awareness of the need for sensory-friendly art experiences, and advocate for accessible art spaces. The project’s target audience includes neurodiverse individuals such as those with autism, sensory processing disorders, or Alzheimer’s, with a specific focus on underserved communities and populations often overlooked or misdiagnosed, such as women and young girls. In the future, April plans to attend college to major in electrical engineering and neuroscience to work as a medical researcher in the neurotechnology industry. She aspires to make meaningful contributions to the field of brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosthetics, and hopes to merge her technical skills with her creative drive by exploring new ways to bridge technology, global health policy, and the arts.