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< Back Rachel* Tham Rachel is a materials science graduate student in Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) at Caltech. Her research focuses on studying two-dimensional materials for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications. She is a Womxn in EAS steering committee member, and she enjoys dancing, gardening, and traveling. Through the Caltech Y, she enjoys planning and going to the Explore LA Cultural Cuisine Tours, in addition to going to events organized by the Y’s Student Activism Speaker Series. She hopes to support and encourage the Caltech community to get involved with Y events. Student ExComm, Communications & Marketing Committee Previous Committee Affiliation: Next

< Back Sulekha* Kishore Sulekha (‘25) is double majoring in computer science and political science. Her research focuses on using computer vision for spacecraft detection and in the social science realm, analyzing the vote-by-mail process and polarization within social networks. A member of Lloyd and Venerable House, Sulekha also captains the Caltech ultimate frisbee team, enjoys reading the news, and surfing. Through the Y, Sulekha has enjoyed taking part in the Local Government Seminar, organizing talks with the Student Activism Speaker Series (SASS) committee, and hosting lab tours for Make-A-Difference Day. As a student leader for this year’s DC Science Policy Trip, Sulekha is passionate about strengthening Caltech’s connection with the broader community and inspiring students to extend the impact of science beyond the lab. Student ExComm, Governance Committee Previous Committee Affiliation: Next

< Back Subham* Sahoo Subham ('26) is studying Computer Science and Business, Economics, and Management along with a minor in Information and Data Sciences. He is a member of Lloyd and Venerable House and was first introduced to the Y through the Rise Tutoring Program. Since then, he has continued to be a committed member of the Y through continued participation in the Rise Tutoring Program, volunteering as a student leader on the ASB trip to Costa Rica, getting involved with student excomm, participating in the Y hike, and helping lead the 2024 India Ki Khoj trip. Outside of the Y, Subham is a member of the track and field team, a performer in the Caltech Wind Orchestra and the Caltech Symphony Orchestra, and the co-president of the Caltech Christian Fellowship. In his free time, Subham loves to go hiking and camping, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and crocheting. Subham hopes to show the Caltech community the importance of fostering all aspects of one's health and the Y's role in gaining a broader perspective of the world around us and our place in it. Student ExComm, Finance Committee Previous Committee Affiliation: Next

< Back Michele Judd Michele is the former Executive Director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies, a joint Caltech/JPL space exploration think tank. A member of the Caltech family since 2001, she is a licensed engineer in the State of California. Asteroid "JUDD" was named after her in 2008 for her work at JPL on improving the research environment for scientists. Advancement Committee Previous Committee Affiliation: Next

About Us The Caltech Y's mission is to enrich student life and challenge students to grow into responsible citizens of the world. The Caltech Y is an independent 501c3 organization recognized by and formally affiliated with the California Institute of Technology. Founded by students in 1916, the Caltech Y seeks to broaden students’ worldviews, raise social, ethical, and cultural awareness through teamwork, community engagement, activism, and leadership. For more than 100 years, the Caltech Y has enriched the lives of Caltech students through a wide variety of programs and services that are initiated and led by students. We supplement and complement the excellent academics of Caltech by providing a variety of co-curricular events and activities for all campus members. Our programs fall within our 5 pillars: Leadership, Service, Adventure, Civic Engagement, and Perspective. GET INVOLVED Pillars Leadership Students play a key role in initiating and organizing every Caltech Y program and activity. The Caltech Y leadership activities give students meaningful opportunities to sit on a nonprofit board, program committees, manage budgets, and plan programs from start to finish. Service A range of on-campus and off-campus community service projects fits each student's schedule and interest. This includes tutoring for the Caltech Y Rise Program, Reading Partners, serving meals at Union Station Homeless Shelter or Alternative Spring Break service trips. Civic Engagement Students learn to be effective citizen scientists and to address diverse issues that face us today - on campus, and in our local, national or global communities. Adventure Outdoor trips to many exciting venues each year service student adventures - from novice to seasoned. Day trips and multi-day trips afford students the opportunity to escape the daily rigours of Caltech. Students learn about themselves and explore the boundaries of their comfort zones within the ease of a trip guided by other students. perspective Caltech Y programs broaden student views through cultural exchanges and service opportunities, students see that they can have an impact on the world beyond their own vocations, and they learn how to affect change locally, nationally, and internationally. Meet the staff Land Acknowledgement The Caltech Y resides on the ancestral homeland of the Tongva (Gabrielino) people, the original stewards of this land. In offering this land acknowledgement, we make no attempt to undo centuries of systemic colonization and genocide faced by Indigenous peoples on this land. Today, the Tongva people continue to maintain their deep connection to these lands through their culture, ceremonies, and care for the environment. As guests on this land, we acknowledge our role in helping students grow into responsible citizens of the world, central to which is striving to seek justice for Indigenous peoples, spreading knowledge about the land we are on and the stewards of it, as well as bringing awareness to the stolen land and forced removal that has happened here.

< Back Greg Fletcher Program Director Prior to coming to the Caltech Y, Greg worked in Residence Life at UCLA and Cal Poly Pomona, and in Student Life on board the SS Universe Explorer for Semester At Sea. Greg is a native of Niagara Falls, Canada, and holds a Masters of Education with an emphasis in Student Affairs from Azusa Pacific University.

Governance Chair < Back Debbie Dison Hall Governance Chair Debbie is a Caltech alum (BS ’74), retired lawyer, and former partner at Allen Matkins’ Los Angeles office. She is a life member of the SURF (Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship) Board where she served as the Board chair from 2013 to 2015. Debbie was also a board member with the YMCA of the Foothills, President of the Caltech Alumni Association, and served on the Caltech Y’s board of directors from 2009-2014. While she was on the Y board, she served as Governance Committee Chair for several years. Debbie currently volunteers as a judge for the local court system. Executive Committee, Governance Committee Previous Committee Affiliation: Next

Student Leaders ExComm Outdoors SASS LEAP Rise Advisory The Student Executive Committee (ExComm) is the central programming team for the Caltech Y. Composed of both undergraduate and graduate students, the ExComm plans and implements programs. Members of the ExComm also serve on the Caltech Y Board of Directors, which oversee all aspects of the Y operations and development. Membership in the Caltech Y ExComm is limited; however, participation in meetings and events is not. Many students are actively involved in leadership through the Caltech Y without being members of the ExComm. For more information, contact us or visit the About Us section to find someone you know from the current Caltech Y ExComm Roster. Luke Zhou Undergraduate President Rachel Tham Graduate VP External Anwesha Das Undergraduate ExComm Robert Joseph Graduate VP Internal Arabella Camunez Undergraduate Cabinet Jena Alsup Undergraduate ExComm Subham Sahoo Undergraduate VP Internal Leo Zhang Undergraduate Cabinet Shrujana Kunnam Undergraduate ExComm Robert (Otis) Otieno Undergraduate VP External Sulekha Kishore Undergraduate Cabinet The Y-Outdoors Committee consists of enthusiasts interested in planning outdoor adventures for students at Caltech. The committee meets twice a month to organize and plan trips and is open to any student interested in coordinating or helping with outdoor adventures. Jimmy Ragan Graduate Rithvik Ramesh Graduate Arabella Camunez Undergraduate Tim Proudkii Graduate Sub Sahoo Undergraduate Elina Sedonaris Graduate Satvik Kumar Graduate Eitan Rapaport Alum/Staff The Caltech Y Student Activism Speaker Series (SASS) Committee consists of graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in bringing distinguished speakers to campus who challenge the community through the exchange of thought-provoking ideas. The SASS Committee is open to anyone interested in inviting speakers and coordinating events. Madison Howard Graduate Sulekha Kishore Undergraduate ChiChi Ifebi Undergraduate CeCe Abramson Undergraduate Paul Bean Graduate Manisha Kapasiawala Graduate Ashlyn Roice Undergraduate The Lab Equipment Access Program, or the LEAP project, aims to address the social issue that many public high schools lack resources like lab equipment, which are critical to students' hands-on science education . This is particularly a pressing problem for Title I schools in rural areas that serve students from disadvantaged backgrounds. To help address this issue, Peiwei, Frank, Jingjing and Suchitra co-founded the LEAP project in early 2022 to help public school teachers get lab equipment they need from labs at Caltech. After the initial success, we have now expanded the program to also support community colleges in Central Valley. By lifting the constraints posed by limited resources like lab equipment, the LEAP project hopes to make a lasting impact that will enable students from underserved communities to make that leap they've been wanting to make towards their own goals, whatever those goals might be. For more information visit https://leap.caltech.edu/ Leader details coming soon! Details coming soon!

Secretary < Back Katie Clark Secretary Katie is currently the Executive Assistant to the Associate Vice President for Development at Caltech. She previously supported Drs. David Baltimore and Alice Huang. Katie is actively involved with the Caltech Women’s Club and served as president for several years. In addition, she has volunteered with Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles and the S. Pasadena High School Booster Club. She earned a BA from Duke University and an MA in French Literature from UC Berkeley. Executive Committee, Advancement Committee Previous Committee Affiliation: Next

< Back Maria Johnson Kriechbaum Data Management Coordinator Maria joined the Caltech Y in May 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from UCLA. Prior to joining the Caltech Y, Maria volunteered extensively with the Caltech Women’s Club (CWC), including managing the Furniture Pool & Toy Library and serving on the CWC board.

< Back Doug Rees Doug has been on the Caltech faculty since 1989 and is currently the Roscoe Gilkey Dickinson Professor of Chemistry and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He served as Dean of Graduate Studies from 2015 to 2020. His research interests in molecular structure reflect the influence of his academic lineage where his advisor, advisor's advisor and advisor's advisor's advisor all received their graduate degrees in chemistry at Caltech. Communications & Marketing Committee Previous Committee Affiliation: Next

Advancement Chair < Back Susan Murakami Advancement Chair Susan (BS ’75) is a Caltech alum, majored in Biology and was a member of Fleming House. She went on to get her M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School, was formerly a Pathologist at Huntington Memorial Hospital. She is a member of Caltech Associates, serves on the SURF Board, and Gnome Board in addition to the Y Board. Executive Committee, Advancement Committee Previous Committee Affiliation: Next