Karan Buddala of Hightstown High School
Karan Buddala is currently a senior at Hightstown High School who has exhibited tremendous potential as a student, tackling a challenging course load while also contributing to his school and community. Karan’s experience with education transcends beyond the classroom. As part of his AP US Government and Politics class, Karan helped advance the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act, which was the first bill drafted by a high school class that was signed into law. With this experience, he was not only exposed to politics, but worked directly in the legislative process of the country.
Over the summer of 2018, Karan also transcended his love for the sciences to an internship at LamontDoherty Earth Observatory where he studied Noctiluca scintillans, an invasive phytoplankton species in the Arabian Sea. His mission was to find out why the species was taking over the area so quickly and the implications it has on both the marine environment and people. He and his team attempted to go further trying to discover what allows the Noctiluca to grow so persistent so they could address the problems it was causing for the infrastructure of the people living along the coast.
Outside of his academics, Karan is a passionate social justice and women’s rights advocate. As president of the O’ Ambassadors club, he demonstrates exemplary dedication towards his school community