Leadership Team

Core Team Members

Brian Chen

Co-President

Brian is a senior at the Harker School. He is dedicated to promoting STEM education and research interest among underrepresented students: he founded the Opportunity X Virtual Summer Program during the COVID-19 pandemic and has led the Morrill Middle School program for the past four years. Brian has a deep interest in earth science and has spent the last three years on earthquake research. He is a California Science & Engineering Fair winner, a top presenter at the Sigma Xi Research Conference, and a Broadcom MASTERS Finalist. Brian serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Harker Eclectic Literature & Media Magazine and leads the Maker Club and Research Club at his high school. In his free time, Brian enjoys long bike rides, running, and cooking.

Sabrina Zhu

Co-President

Sabrina is a senior at The Harker School. She is interested in both medicine and computer science, and she is passionate about fostering a more diverse and inclusive community within the STEM fields. Sabrina currently leads the ACE Esperanza program. Besides volunteering at Opportunity X, Sabrina plays with her dog, watches movies, and serves as an editor for her school’s newspaper.

Renee Ng

Chief Operating Officer

Renee is a junior at El Cerrito High School, and is interested in environmental sciences and pharmaceutical sciences. She participated in GGSF for engineering, and enjoys working with the youth of her community through different STEM programs and events. Outside of science, her hobbies include photography, dragon boating, and painting. She created and runs several East Bay programs.

Kelly Wang

Vice President of Publicity

Kelly is a junior at American High School. She is interested in the chemistry area of science and also enjoys computer programming. Some of her hobbies include art (digital and traditional) and reading books. She volunteered at the Itliong-Vera Cruz school program before, but is currently helping lead the Delaine Eastin program.

Melody Yin

Vice President of Events

Melody is a sophomore at The Harker School. She is interested in STEM, especially bioinformatics, the intersection of computer science and biology. Along with this, she has participated in the Synopsys Science Fair multiple times. Melody is passionate about using her background in science to connect with the community, and she currently co-leads the Morrill program. Outside of research, she enjoys spending her time drawing and playing water polo.

Ashley Ruan

Vice President of Volunteering

Ashley is a senior at the Harker school. She is interested in all things STEM but particularly enjoys biochemistry. Combining her intellectual and artistic interests, she enjoys creating cartoons and animations about science topics. Her other hobbies include figure skating, baking, and designing new products for her shop. Ashley leads the program at River Glen as well as the one at CSI, which she established in 2021.

Stephen Xia

Director of Curriculum

Stephen is a senior at The Harker School. His interests in STEM include math and physics, and his research projects have ranged from studying nanomaterials to astrophysics. He has participated in several science fairs, including Regeneron ISEF. Stephen leads the program at Morrill and has helped at the Opportunity X summer camps. In his free time, he can be found playing piano, card games, and chess.

Dami Kim

Director of Branches

Dami is a junior at Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland. She has a strong passion for robotics and engineering and is heavily involved in her school’s FRC team and a community robotics team as a leader. Through her experiences of community service and teamwork, Dami hopes to bring a brighter future to the STEM field. In her free time, Dami enjoys painting and exploring music on Spotify.

Sophia Zhu

Director of Publicity

Sophia is a sophomore at The Harker School. She is most interested in engineering and computer science, though she also enjoys physics. She is part of her school's Robotics Club, and outside of school, she aspires to share her passion for STEM with the wider community through teaching about STEM-related topics. In her free time, Sophia likes to draw and listen to music. Sophia currently leads the KIPP Heritage school program.

Sudeepthi Ravipati

Director of Outreach

Sudeepthi is a junior from Saint Francis High School. She is interested in medicine, neuroscience, and biotechnology. She currently leads the Ave Crux Opportunity X chapter and co-led the summer workshop collaboration with the Dr. SRK School in India, creating the first ever international Opportunity X program. She hopes to contribute towards a more inclusive STEM field. She has earned two black belts in karate and loves playing guitar. Some of her hobbies include art, listening to music, and cooking.

Claire Luo

Director of Technology

Claire is a junior at The Harker School who enjoys computer science and math. She is passionate about exposing more kids to various fields of STEM, especially encouraging them to pursue such fields in the future. Outside of STEM, she is interested in photography, graphic design, and (sometimes) baking. Claire leads the River Glen school program and is also involved with the Campbell School of Innovation program.

Eric Hong

Director of Fundraising

Eric is a junior at Holmdel High School. He is passionate about biology and kinesiology and has traveled to Taiwan to learn more about the works of human biology. On his trips, Eric has also studied the effects of combining technological and herbal techniques to boost the human immune system. Outside of science, Eric does cross country and track, but he loves to play badminton and table tennis. Eric runs Ping Pong Fellowship at his local church and has a Ping Pong Club at school.

State Branch Directors

Chris Maung

Co-Director of Florida Branch

Chris is a sophomore at Canterbury School. He loves math and science, and he hopes to major in either neuroscience or biology in college and later become an anesthesiologist. He is on the varsity golf team, and he is one of the best junior golf players in the area. He co-founded his school's Red Cross club and is currently the club's vice president. Chris actually immigrated to the United States from Myanmar, where he was born, and he learned English whilst having the dream of becoming a doctor. He is also first chair flutist at his school and has even won medals for his flute solos. Chris loves helping and educating others, so he is currently also starting a passion project that helps minorities who feel disempowered to regain their confidence.

Mehereen Chowdhury

Co-Director of Florida Branch

Mehereen is currently a sophomore at Canterbury School Fort Myers. She loves learning about Neuroscience, Psychology, and Internal Medicine. She has participated in multiple STEM events such as Science Olympiad, Science Fair, and Invention fair. In her free time, she loves listening to music, volunteering, and traveling.

Sonal Alla

Director of Texas Branch

Sonal is a senior at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. She has participated in multiple science fairs and won the US Navy SEAL and Marine Corps award at the Austin Energy Science Festival in 2018. She is interested in pursuing a career in health sciences and has taken classes in genetics, neurobiology, cancer-biology and bioinformatics. She is passionate about research and conducts neuroscience research at the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, this summer she assisted with research at Rice University where she studied neurodegenerative diseases. In her spare time, Sonal mentors refugee children and leads her non-profit, Refugee Support Alliance, which provides resources, support, and relief to refugees. She is also an alumni of the Lonestar Leadership Academy and serves as a mentor for younger students. She also loves dancing and baking.

Grace Lee

Director of Virginia Branch

Grace is a junior at Deep Run High School in Virginia. She is passionate about science and technology, and she likes to work with kids. Outside school, she likes playing viola and hanging out with her friends. She has two brothers, who can sometimes be annoying, but she usually plays board games with them in her free time. She is trying to pursue science as her career!

Caroline Fang

Director of North Carolina Branch

Caroline is a junior at Green Hope High School. She is interested in medicine and environmental science and is passionate about exposing and inspiring more students to be in STEM. Outside of her studies, Caroline also enjoys reading, listening to music, and playing violin.