Ajsel Budlla

The fellowship was honestly a life-changing experience. It literally exceeded my every expectation and was one of the best experiences of my whole life. I feel like I've learnt more this month than during all my school years. My favorite parts of the fellowship were getting to know all these amazing, inspiring mentors and having the opportunity to connect with them and also networking with like-minded students who are ready to change the world. I loved the whole experience and even though at first I thought I'd miss some of the optional events, I just couldn't. In fact, I couldn't wait to get to listen to the speakers and even though I am in a different time zone and had to stay up until 2 AM, I wasn't able to go to sleep knowing another wonderful session is going on. I really loved the fact that every Fireside Chat had deliverables we could do, and every mentor was so inspiring, I genuinely have filled a whole notebook with notes from their talks. Thank you so so so much!

Ajsel Budlla is a high school student from Albania with a deep-rooted love for STEM and passion for biomedical engineering. Her initial interest was sparked by her mother, a math professor, who introduced her to the world of numbers and inspired her to participate in math competitions. Ajsel went on to win the Kangaroo Math Olympiad in Albania and was chosen as one of the top four students to represent her country in the European Girls’ Math Olympiad.

Since then, Ajsel’s interests have expanded to include physics and biology, and she now dreams of combining her love for robotics and medicine through biomedical engineering. Inspired by her experience in the fellowship, Ajsel was recently invited to a research program to study biomedical engineering and neuroscience. Beyond academics, Ajsel founded "Hopeful Hearts," an initiative that supports refugee children through positivity and STEM education. Read on to discover more about Ajsel's journey in STEM and her commitment to making a positive impact!

Meet Ajsel

How did you initially become interested in STEM?

My initial spark really came from my mom, who’s a math professor at a university. When she would explain math concepts to my brother, I’d often eavesdrop, just fascinated by how numbers could do things I didn’t understand yet. I found myself wanting to understand that world. She noticed my interest and started involving me in math competitions from a young age. I remember my first big competition, the Math Kangaroo – it’s international, and I actually won! Since then, it’s been a journey of math competitions and Olympiads. Eventually, my interests grew to include physics and biology. Now, I’m so excited about combining all the sciences I love through engineering and medicine.

What academic subjects or fields of STEM are you most interested in?

Biomedical engineering is definitely my dream major! I’ve always loved robotics, but I’ve also always had this deep interest in medicine. When I discovered biomedical engineering, it just felt like the perfect fit for me. As I learned more, I came across bioinformatics and gene editing. The idea that we could use coding and robotics to alter genotypes and phenotypes just blew my mind! It’s amazing what we can do with technology in medicine, and that’s what got me hooked. To pursue this path, I’m taking biology, chemistry, and mathematics in the IB program, so I can build the foundation I need for my future studies.

What do you enjoy doing outside of academics?

Volunteering at a refugee camp is one of my greatest passions. I started an initiative called Hopeful Hearts to help uplift the kids there. Through this program, students from my school write postcards to the children, offering encouragement and keeping in touch. Alongside this, we run educational STEM programs to provide learning opportunities they might not otherwise have. We also spend time playing games with the kids, giving them a chance to connect with others their age. Every part of this experience is meaningful to us, and we approach it all with a lot of love.

Summer Experience

What was your favorite part about the fellowship?

My favorite part was definitely the network I built with the other fellows through coffee chats and ideathons. I’ve been part of other programs, but we never stayed in touch like this or shared such similar interests and values. From the start, the fellowship was very STEM-focused, and all the fellows were so hardworking and passionate about different fields of STEM. This helped us connect on a meaningful level and quickly bond.

I’ve actually kept in touch with quite a few fellows! We often talk about school projects, and whenever I find an interesting opportunity, I share it with them, saying, “Look at this; you’d be perfect for it!” It's amazing that I've kept contact with them; they're genuinely some of the best people I've ever met.

For the next question, what was your favorite Fireside Chat talk, speaker, or topic from the summer?

My favorite Fireside Chat speaker was Jiwoo. She’s a medical student at Harvard, and we had so many similar interests. She had every extracurricular you could think of, and her story was amazing and inspiring. Her journey was exactly how I imagined my own path could look and aspired to. I've sent her multiple emails, and she's responded. So I'm so happy about that.

I also really appreciated Anne’s talk. She shared the challenges she faced throughout high school and applying to different programs and opportunities. She motivated us to go after every opportunity, even if we don’t think we’re eligible for it. I think that’s an important lesson. In general, I also loved discovering new opportunities—competitions, fellowships, scholarships—that we could all apply to and grow from. That was invaluable.

Could you share a specific skill or piece of knowledge you gained that you’ll apply in the future? Or what do you think was the most valuable lesson or skill you learned?

The most valuable skill we learned was definitely time management. All of the talks emphasized time management in some way, which was helpful because everyone kept asking how the speakers balanced everything with school and their other activities. It was really useful to hear their tips on managing time effectively. I’ve started using calendars and applying those tips to manage my time better. Now I’ve selected the activities I truly want to pursue, and I’m so happy with my choices because I actually get to enjoy my time.

For future participants of the fellowship, what advice would you give them?

I would say, attend every single event, even the optional ones. At first, I thought I’d only go to the mandatory sessions because of the time zone difference, but everything was so incredible that I stayed up at night for all of them! Most of them were at 2 or 3 AM, usually around 2. It was worth it. I couldn’t miss it! You get so many useful tips and advice that will truly shape your future. I can honestly say it’s a life-changing experience. The network you build, the things you learn—it’s unlike anything else, and I’d encourage every student to apply.

Future Aspirations

Looking ahead, what are your goals for the next 5 to 10 years? Do you have a career path in mind?

I definitely want to pursue biomedical engineering for both my undergraduate and graduate studies. After that, I’m considering either going the pre-med route or diving deeper into biomedical engineering. I talked to a professor who said that once you start in biomedical engineering, you’ll fall in love with it so much that you won’t want to leave! I’m not sure if I’ll follow that advice, but I also have a strong interest in neuroscience and would love to go to medical school. That’s my ultimate goal at the moment.

Over the summer, my perspective also really broadened during the fellowship. I hadn’t considered the business side of things before, and the fellowship was a blend of so many fields, including business. One of the mentors was incredible, and she talked about her experience running different businesses. I actually asked her if she knew anyone who combines neurosurgery with business, and she said yes! I emailed her right after, and she responded with advice and even shared the contact of someone who does that. Now I’m also thinking about ways I could incorporate business into my major, and the world of entrepreneurship is so fascinating. I would love to explore that, too.

What have you been up to since the fellowship? Are there any new projects you’re excited about?

Yes! During the fellowship this summer, I was inspired to continue my research and participate in the Albanian Science and Engineering fair. I built PulsePal, an Arduino device that measures vital data and sends it directly to the doctor. I received a gold medal at the science fair for my work, was was really exciting!

Also, during the summer, one of the mentors, Siya, gave us a lot of tips on how to get started with research as a high school student. I actually reached out to a professor using the cold-emailing template she shared, and they replied! The professor invited me to a two-week research program at their university. I’m planning to study either biomedical engineering or neuroscience during the program, and I’m super excited to get started with research!