My name is Srija Dasika and I am a dancing engineer. Yes, you read that correctly. I am an electrical engineer with an automotive background and I volunteer extensively with STEM organizations. I am also a professionally trained dancer. I trained for almost 14 years in a classical Indian art form known as Bharatanatyam. I gave my solo graduation performance, in front of over 200 people, in 2010, while also working as a full-time engineer. It was an extraordinary challenge and a very rewarding personal accomplishment that is dear to my heart. Whether it is work, community outreach, or dance, I am passionate about whatever I set out to do and enjoy immersing myself in those activities.

Bharatanatyam requires a great deal of physical and mental discipline. Planning the logistics for my graduation performance also required a surprising number of technical and management skills. I learned to interface and collaborate with many different teams of people to make my graduation performance a success. I was in charge of finding the venue, transporting costumes and musicians from India, scheduling photo shoots, designing programs, and, critically, tracking the budget for all of this. The engineer in me helped successfully problem-solve through these and other issues. At one point, my knees were in extreme pain and required physical therapy, but I persevered by maintaining focus and resumed my training. It was a very challenging time, but I learned to keep going and I made it happen!

I look forward to bringing my passion and perseverance to my McCombs Class!