Kirtan Thakkar

kirtanhthakkar@gmail.com
kirtan.thakkar@wheelermagnet.com
678-577-1858
Objective:
o Accomplished high school senior, with excellent analytical, quantitative, interpersonal and communication skills, seeking to
pursue Computer Science and Technology.

Education:
o Senior at Center for Advanced Studies at Wheeler High School (Magnet STEM Program): Graduation May 2023
• GPA: 4.640, SAT score 1550 with a perfect SAT Math score of 800
▪ Higher-level Courses Taken: AP Human Geography, AP World History, AP Psychology, AP English Language and
Composition, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Chemistry,
AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, 4 years of Spanish
▪ Higher-Level Courses in-progress: Georgia Tech Linear Algebra Dual Enrollment, Georgia Tech Multivariable
Calculus Dual Enrollment, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Economics, AP Government

Experience:
o Research Intern, College of Computing and Software Engineering at Kennesaw State University (June 2022-Present)
o Collaborated with Dr. Dan Lo and other esteemed KSU faculty members to research the use of Long Short-Term Memory,
Convolutional Neural Networks, and Machine Learning to analyze the effect of Normalization on a model for Deepfake
Video identification
o Preparing to publish research paper at the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) conference in February
o Developer, Inspirit AI (May 2022 – June 2022)
o Pursued advanced concepts that included logistic and linear regression, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), with guidance from mentors in Stanford and MIT
o Applied Data Science tools and algorithms like logistic regression, LSTMs, and BERT to predict long-term stock market
trends, and anticipate potential booms and busts
• National Student Task Force Member, Campaign for Our Shared Future (July 2022- Present)
o Selected as one of eight students nationally for the first Campaign for Our Shared Future Student Task Force
o Met weekly with COSF senior staff to discuss strategies and tactics around key issues affecting classrooms across the
country
o Wrote press releases, advocated for policies, and raised funds to ensure that every child in the country has the right to an
inclusive, high-quality education regardless of race, gender, or background
o Intern/Trainee, WarnerMedia Institute for Future Leaders (May 2022 – June 2022)
o Selected for a virtual intensive “All Things WarnerMedia” program focused on leadership and media career development
o Learned about various types of media and the lifecycle of media from idea generation to content creation to production to
monetization. Studied various types of social media and their influences
o Assisted with social media marketing by editing trailers and posters for original movies and TV shows for HBO Max
o Acquired entrepreneurial and leadership skills from life experiences and lessons shared by renowned leaders at CNN,
WarnerMedia, and DC Comics
o Won first place in Filmmakers challenge, where interns pitched movie and TV shows representing minorities to a panel of
WarnerMedia executives
o Trainee, 21st Century Leaders- Goizueta Business Program at Emory University (June 2021 – July 2021)
o As part of a highly selective business program, I learned from business leaders at Coca-Cola, Emory, and MarketSource
about social enterprise, entrepreneurship, leadership mindsets and career opportunities open to the next generation of
leaders
o Understood and applied various aspects of business including marketing, supply chain, and legal processes
o Writer, Georgia Youth Justice Coalition (May 2021-Present)
o Championed educational equality and youth justice to overcome disparities in public school funding
o Collaborated with reporters, wrote press releases and advisories, and created products like op-eds and message guides to
help bring attention to issues such as education inequality and multiracial democracy
o Gained real-life experience in the press with grassroots organizers. Learned how to facilitate and utilize storytelling as an
element of movement-building
o Trainee, 21st Century Leaders- Earthcare Program (June 2020 – July 2020)
o Advanced my leadership skills through interactive diversity, team-building, and public speaking workshops
o Collaborated with Georgia Power professionals and community leaders to learn and effectively employ sustainable and
energy efficient technologies to advance clean energy
o Intern, Innovation experience with Delta (June-July 2019)
o Analyzed passenger flight-boarding processes and proposed improvements in customer experience by reducing wait time
and introducing pre-boarding customer engagement activities
o Worked with Delta innovation executives to create a correlation model to improve customer experience and operational
efficiency with Delta’s profit margin
o Pitched my innovative solutions to Delta Airlines’ customer experience executives and was shortlisted for Delta’s
innovation council presentation. Awarded first place among competing teams that presented their solutions
Skills:
o Soft Skills: Public Speaking, Communication, Active community volunteer, Leadership skills
o Programming: Python, Java, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, TensorFlow, Keras
o Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, OneNote, Project, Publisher, Outlook
o Languages: English, Gujarati, Spanish, Hindi

Extracurriculars/Leadership:
• President, Wheeler Model United Nations Team
o Lead the preparation and coordination of weekly practices for a team of 40+ students.
o Manage recruitment and preparation of incoming students for conferences
o Raised over $10,000 to take the team to the Harvard Model UN conference, the first out-of-state conference in
Wheeler MUN history
o Co-President, Wheeler Debate Team
o Supervise the coordination of multiple practices every week for the JV and Varsity students
o Coach novice level students in basics concepts and strategies of debate
o Lead finding, fundraising, and organizing competitions for all levels
o Captain, Wheeler Table Tennis Club
o Manage weekly practices for the team
o Research and organize tournaments throughout the year for the team to compete
o Fundraised over $1500 for team sports equipment
o Controls Team Lead, CircuitRunners FIRST Robotics Team (FRC)
o Lead the Wheeler FRC Controls Team to design and build the software and electrical engineering controls for the
team robot
o Steered the team to the FTC World Championships qualification in 2021

Awards:
o Georgia Certificate of Merit, awarded to top 5% of Wheeler’s class of 2023 (Awarded 2022)
o AP Scholar with distinction (2021-Present)
o CircuitRunners Robotics state champions award in 2022
o 1st Place at John’s Creek Debate Tournament (Undefeated record) (2020)
o 1st place at the Gwinnet School of Math and Science Model UN competition (2021)
o 1st place at the Georgetown National Debate Competition (2021)
o 1st Place at the KSU Model UN Conference (2022)
o Honorable Mention at KSU Model UN conference (2021)
o Verbal Award at University of Georgia Model UN conference (2022)
o Awarded to the best speaker in the committee
o Quarterfinalist at Freshman Deathmatch Varsity Tournament (2022)
o Octafinalist at the University of Kentucky National Debate Tournament (2021)
o Double-Octafinalist at the Harvard National Debate Tournament (2020)

Volunteering:
• STEAM Curriculum Developer, Hands on ATL Discovery Program (https://www.handsonatlanta.org/discovery)
o Discovery is an engaging Saturday morning enrichment program which offers STEAM, SEL, and health/wellness
activities to metro Atlanta’s K-5 youth in partnership with lesser-funded Title I elementary schools, serving nearly
1,000 students a school year in an effort to reduce educational disparity
o As STEAM curriculum developer, I helped create a curriculum for educational activities and concepts, including
robotics, coding, and science experiments
• Community youth leader and volunteer, BAPS Charities (www.bapscharities.org).
o Organized, lead and participated in annual walkathons, blood drives, health fair, food drives, healthcare and safety
awareness lectures and camps to benefit local community causes. Assisted with fundraising and sponsorships by
reaching out to corporations and local businesses
o Fundraised for the Nature Conservancy and the American Heart Association on behalf of BAPS Charities, by
participating in walkathons and collecting donations by going door-to-door. Raised $600 in donations
o Honors Societies at Wheeler High School
o National Honors Society, where I helped and motivated struggling students elevate their grades through tutoring.
Volunteered at a variety of community engagement opportunities like food drives and volunteering at local
community schools (10 hours per year)
o National Spanish Honors Society, where I volunteered in the Wheeler “Learning Links” tutoring program to teach
Spanish to younger high school students (10 hours per year)