Tanav was always personally interested in how the world worked and how numbers could tell a story. After taking Calc BC in 8th grade, he became fascinated by the magic of mathematics. Through statistical modeling, he found a new language for understanding the world. His instinct for problem-solving followed him into computer science. At first, he didn’t love it. But by the time he sat for the AP exam, everything clicked. He saw how logic and structure could unlock new ideas.

A new turning point came during the Governor’s Honors Program. He designed a research project that blended two of his favorite things: sports and statistics. Inspired by the movie Moneyball, he modeled cricket matchups using real-world data, optimizing rosters, tweaking variables, and running simulations. There was just one problem: he didn’t know Python. So he taught himself.

What started as a side project turned into a published research paper and a personal realization:

Tanav then made leadership part of his everyday life. He founded his school’s chess club, marketed it on his own, and learned what it really meant to get people to show up. He played violin in the orchestra, where he served as a section leader, and ran varsity cross country, where he became team captain. Yale didn’t admit him because he did everything. They admitted him because he knew how to make things better.

Researchers are the thinkers and builders who go beyond class assignments to pursue deep, original inquiry. They formulate questions, chase down answers, and create new knowledge. For research-focused colleges, these students are: pre-professionals who know how to explore and contribute to complex ideas. Tanav is a Researcher not because he completed a project or took a course, but because of the way his mind is wired. For him, learning is all about discovery then mastery. What sets Tanav apart is his instinct to break things down, understand how they work, and then rebuild them better. With his GHP project, he merged two actual passions, cricket and statistics, to further explore these interests. And when he didn’t have the technical background to build what he envisioned, he created it anyway by teaching himself Python in just a few days. That blend of persistence and intellectual curiosity is what defines Tanav’s identity. He later pushed himself even further to complete Stanford professor Andrew Ng’s deep learning course by fusing two additional interests: linear algebra and statistics. Eventually he used this knowledge to train a computer-vision cat-recognition neural network from scratch.

Research is how Tanav naturally engages with the world. Every subject becomes a tool for exploration and every challenge becomes a new invitation to learn. In a world full of students checking predetermined boxes, Tanav seeks out unanswered questions and follows them wherever they lead.

Tanav is a natural Bridge-Builder—the kind of person whose presence turns individual ambition into collective momentum. He’s not just involved in groups; he’s the one who makes sure they happen. Whether it was organizing a 50-person running group at GHP, keeping the math team alive when no one else stepped up, or founding the school’s chess club from scratch, Tanav’s strength lies in his ability to bring people together around a shared purpose. As he puts it, he’s the friend whose absence means events don’t get planned. But what makes his leadership special is that it’s never about being the center of attention—it’s about making sure others have the space, structure, and support to thrive. His instinct to foster community, connect disparate people, and create opportunities that outlast him reflects the collaborative spirit colleges deeply value. On a campus like Yale’s, where research, leadership, and service often overlap, Tanav’s ability to harmonize different voices and turn ideas into action makes him exactly the kind of student who helps a community thrive.

Captains are the organizers, motivators, and glue that hold teams and communities together. While others participate, Captains lead. They step up when no one else will—building, reviving, and sustaining the things that make a community thrive. Colleges value them for their initiative, dependability, and quiet power to rally others.

Tanav is a Captain because he instinctively steps up when something needs to be fixed. That instinct showed up again and again. When his math team lost its coach, Tanav didn’t wait for someone else to take over. He started leading practices himself and rebuilt the program from the ground up.

His willingness to act prevented his team’s dissolution and created something stronger in the process.

Tanav’s leadership style is quiet but catalytic. He leads from within, helping people to stabilize and refocus while proving that progress starts with stepping up.

Initiatives & Impact • Researched Moneyball-style analytics in cricket at Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP), later expanding it into a published project • Explored advanced mathematical theory including Automata, Algebraic Number Theory, and Combinatorial Game Theory at GHP • Minored in Evil in Literature at GHP, showing range beyond his STEM core • Founded and organized a 50+ person running group at GHP, successfully advocating for campus-wide policy change • Took college-level courses at Georgia Tech through dual enrollment in mathematics and computer science while still in high school • Self-taught Python and built multiple simulation tools and machine learning models from scratch • Speaks Spanish and Tamil professionally, reflecting a global multilingual mindset Honors & Recognition • National Merit Scholarship Finalist • 3× AIME Qualifier (American Invitational Mathematics Examination) • 2× All-State Orchestra Violist • GHSA All-Classification Cross Country Champion • PAGE STAR Student

Even his decision to attend Yale over a top-ranked CS school like Georgia Tech was a reflection of this mindset. He chose the environment where he could build, collaborate, and lead.

Curiosity Becomes Action —Tanav followed his questions into code, research, and models and built real tools to explore what fascinated him. Leadership Starts Small —He organized, revived, and grew large communities through interpersonal relationships. Lasting Impact —He stayed with what mattered and built things to outlast him. Tanav leaves every space better than he found it.