Lakshitha first met Nerdy Girl Success® as a high school senior. Today she is a University of Houston student, the 2025 Nerdy Girl of the Year, and a member of our Rising Leaders Board. In this spotlight, she shares how one opportunity turned into a commitment to give back.
Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Lakshitha, and I’m a student at the University of Houston studying Human Development and Family Sciences on a pre-med/pre-OT track, with a minor in Population Health. Outside of school, my favorite hobby is trying new things. I love traveling and meeting new people so I can learn from their experiences.
How did you first get involved with Nerdy Girl Success?
NGS offered me a scholarship during my senior year at Spring High School (Spring ISD), thanks to my CTE teacher, Ms. Smith, who encouraged me to apply. Through that process, Ms. Christina Meade and Ms. Sherri Osterlund introduced me to the CliftonStrengths assessment and later awarded me the Nerdy Girl of the Year 2025 title and scholarship, which helped me start at UH that fall.
I joined because I wanted to give back to an organization that showed up for me out of nowhere, and because it aligned so well with my nonprofit work and my HDFS degree. I now serve as a Rising Leaders Board member.
What does Nerdy Girl Success mean to you?
NGS has shaped my confidence, goals, education, and personal growth in so many ways, from expanding my LinkedIn network to being featured as a nonprofit alumna at their Women in Alliance lunch. I’ve been attending NGS events and can’t wait to keep growing with the organization, especially through mentoring young women in their high school programs.
What advice would you give to other girls thinking about joining NGS?
If it’s not today, it’s never. Take the chance whenever a door opens. Step through it, even if you’re not sure where it leads. Every experience teaches you something, and the learning doesn’t stop after high school. I’m still learning every day at UH.
Bonus: Lunch with a scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, or leader?
I’d love to have lunch with Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-American woman in space. She came from a small town in India and built her path into aerospace engineering and NASA from scratch. That kind of against-the-odds determination is something I really admire and hope to carry into my own career.
Ready to step through your own open door? Explore our FREE leadership and career programs for young women, and meet another member of the NGS community in our Volunteer Spotlight on Casey Armstead.