Laavanya Varadarajan Shanmugapriya

Resourceful student with a strong interest in the fields of economics and psychology. Self-directed and energetic with superior performance in both autonomous or collaborative environments. Committed to developing solutions to address sustainability challenges, early childhood and late adulthood issues, and economic inequality.

• Class Representative - Glasgow University SRC [October 2023 - Present]: Collected qualitative and quantitative student feedback on Economics 1A and Economics 1B courses using online questionnaires like Microsoft Forms. Mediated effective communication between staff and student bodies on an everyday basis. Attended both SSLC meetings to summarize action points and suggest solutions to student issues.
• Shop Assistant - Threehills Community Larder [October 2023 - Present]: Assisted shop manager with organisation of stock, compilation of weekly order lists and aiding elderly customers with shopping.
• Gardening Volunteer - Greater Pollok Services [October 2023 - Present]: Key contributor towards the restoration of the community garden at Cleeves Primary School. Regularly help with weeding, pruning, seeding and spring preparations in the greenhouse.
• Children's Group Leader - Woodcraft Folk [October 2023 - December 2023]: Organised weekly activity sessions for the Elfins (aged 6 - 9) to educate children about issues surrounding environmental sustainability and global current affairs in an engaging delivery style.
• Online Tutor - Building Blocks India [November 2021 - May 2023]: Tutored students in Grades 7 and Grade 8 at Azalea School Bangalore for Social Science subjects including History, Civics, Geography, Economics and Business Studies in biweekly hour-long online sessions. Addressed student questions surrounding topics taught at school and worked in collaboration with Grade Coordinator Ms. Mamtha and School Coordinator Ms. Nancy Priya to develop synchronous and asynchronous super-curricular activities. Voted 'Best Teacher' in 2022/23.

ASBS Summer School Scholarship - Sustainability Transformation, ESG Finance and Energy Management July 2024 at University of Bocconi

March 2023




Runners-up at Sustainability Challenge 2023-24 - University of Glasgow, Glasgow City Council and Mott MacDonald

December 2023 - February 2024




Bronze - SRC Volunteering Awards 2023-24 - University of Glasgow

February 2023




Outstanding Delegate at TISBMUN 2022 - The International School Bangalore

December 2022




Runners-up at IE University Junior Start-Up Challenge - IE University Spain and The Big Red Group

August 2022




The Bolar Education Trust Silver Medal 2021 - Innisfree House School

February 2022

• Sustainability: Member of the Glasgow University Environmental Sustainability Team [GUEST] - actively contribute towards sustainable gardening efforts and promotion of biodiversity at the Viewfield Lane Gardens. Member of Glasgow University Vegan Society - engage in weekly discussions about the environmental benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. Attended Cabinet Office Conversations with Mr. Stuart Payne - CEO of North Sea Transition Authority in October 2023. Gained first-hand knowledge on adapting sustainable transition policies to ensure agreement with national goals of economic growth and equity.
• Late Adulthood Care: Participated in the UofG Start-Up Factory 2024 held in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Society. Across 3 days, developed deep insights into the day-to-day struggles of elderly people living with dementia, and their carers. Presented a technological solution to enhance dementia patient's lives through reminiscence therapy. Received feedback on feasibility and potential from Evelyn McDonald - CEO of Scottish EDGE, and judges from the Alzheimer's Society Accelerator Program.
• Politics: Invited to attend First Minister Questions at The Scottish Parliament on 22 February, 2024. Witnessed engaging discussions about Scotland's 2024 Taxation Policy and government spending on green energy initiatives. Member on GU Women in Politics - interacted with Monica Lennon MSP on challenges she faced in raising awareness about period poverty and technical hurdles in drafting a legislation to ensure universal access to free period products across Scotland.
• Economic and Social Policy: Attended Former PM Gordon Brown's Book Launch with Nobel Laureate Michael Spence for Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World, learning about the importance of global cooperation in inclusive and sustainable economic growth. At Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' Honourary Graduation at Glasgow University, further developed insights into the importance of diplomacy and international cooperation in inclusive and accessible global healthcare frameworks.
• Leadership: Selected on full merit scholarship for the Governance, Public Policy and Leadership Fellowship 2.0 by Foundation for Community Consensus, leading Green Team NGO Dukistan Urban Development in advocating for SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities in city planning and job creation policy simulations. Also, led Team #TechHerWorld in New York Academy of Sciences Fall 2021 STEM Leadership challenge: coordinated a six member transnational team in launching a blog that advocates for female leadership in STEM. Developed time management, delegation and online communication skills. Blog: https://techherworld.wordpress.com/
• Technology and AI: Successfully completed Round 2 of Conrad Global Innovation Challenge 2021/22, leading Team 'Drogen' - a drone-based oxygen tank delivery solution for COVID-19 Medical Oxygen shortage issues in remote parts of Africa. Learnt about the ANIA Pathway to technological innovation in the NHS at a Special Lecture by Anna Dominiczak DBE. At Cabinet Office Conversations with Dr. Laura Gilbert CBE, Chief Data Scientist at 10DS, developed appreciation for the use of AI in financial modelling and policy evaluation from a bottom-up perspective.
• Event Organisation: As Head of Department (Outreach), led a team of volunteers in negotiating deals with 10+ prominent brands in the edtech sector, raising funds of value USD 1000+ for the TISB Hackathon 22/23. Communicated effectively with schools, participants and partners. Responsible for ensuring participants attending the hybrid event experiences unmatched hospitality by coordinating and assigning tasks to student volunteers across event domains. Additionally, volunteered in the finance team at student-led charity events like VIVUM 2023, Xavage 2023, developing logistical and organizational skills.
• Public Speaking: Actively participated in Model United Nations Competitions including Harvard Model UN 2021 (Delegate of Syrian Arab Republic in UNHRC), Birla Model UN 2021 (Delegate of Special Mention representing France in UNDP) and TISBMUN 2023 (Outstanding Delegate representing Saudi Arabia in IMF). Developed skills in areas of negotiation, diplomacy, international relations and collaboration. Actively involved in Glasgow University MUN Society's monthly debates.

• Academic Writing - Completed Academic Writing Skills Module at University of Glasgow. Awarded merit certificate at SRCC Economics Society Writing Mentorship 2022.
• Programming Language R - Basic proficiency in data wrangling and visualisation using R completed as part of course requirement for Year 1 Psychology.
• Programming Language HTML - Intermediate proficiency in website development using HTML, developed as part of course requirement for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at IGCSE. Skilled at using Adobe Dreamweaver software to build code.
• Microsoft Office - Advanced proficiency in data presentation, organisation and analysis using Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Access.
• Basic First Aid - Certified by LearningPlus

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) July 2022 - Overall Score 8.5 | Reading 9.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 8.5, Listening 9.0
• Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) January 2023 - Total Score 1430 | Reading and Writing 690, Math 740
• Thinking Skills Assessment Section 1 November 2022 - Overall 71.1| Problem Solving 66.2, Critical Thinking 77.2