Meet our interns! Nanodropper began as a student project at the University of Washington, so the cofounding team knows first-hand how innovative and impactful student ideas can be. The team has made it a priority to provide opportunities for students from a variety of stages in their educational journeys, and add fresh perspectives and creativity to the product and company. The Nanodropper team is thrilled to be working with some incredible students, from an MBA student to a rising high school freshman!

Sahana

Sahana is a third-year student pursuing a major in Industrial & Systems Engineering and minor in Data Science at the University of Washington. She is passionate about creating data driven solutions to combat healthcare and economic inequity.

Sahana was born and raised in the greater Seattle area and early on developed an interest in biology, chemistry and math. In her first year of college she learned that she was much more interested in healthcare systems and access to healthcare than approaching healthcare from a physiological perspective, and decided to make it the focus of her college career.

She first heard about Nanodropper when CCO Mackenzie Andrews spoke at a Society of Women Engineers (SWE) meeting in April 2019.

“I was blown away by how such a ‘simple’ innovation had systemic benefits in health and economic outcomes, and prioritized patient care above all else. I was so inspired that I included Nanodropper in my personal statement to apply for my major, as a reason for why I wanted to focus on healthcare systems as an engineer.”

After reaching out to Mackenzie in November 2020 to ask for career advice and learn more about the healthcare startup space, Sahana was offered the opportunity to work with Nanodropper as an intern on the VentureWell project. VentureWell is a program for early stage entrepreneurs with a social or environmental impact. Since then, she has provided valuable contributions attending entrepreneurship workshops and working with the Nanodropper team on deliverables needed to secure grant funding. Sahana will be continuing her internship to help Nanodropper develop an economic impact model, showing how adoption of the Nanodropper Adaptor can save money and improve patient outcomes.

During her time at the University of Washington, Sahana has participated in several leadership opportunities including tutoring writing, planning engineering exploration events, and mentoring freshman engineering undeclared students. 

She is also a big admirer and supporter of the arts. She has developed and put on a showcase for artists of color, studied Bharatanatyam (South Indian classical dance) for 12 years, and has actively participated in theatre productions for three years. 

Omkar

Omkar is a student at the university of Washington with intentions to attend medical school and has an interest in global health. 

Omkar was born in Mumbai, India and lived in multiple countries before settling with his family in Houston, Texas. He chose to attend the University of Washington because of the incredible research and extracurricular opportunities.

He became interested in Nanodropper after hearing Mackenzie speak at a UW Neurobiology Club meeting. After reaching out a month later, he received an invitation to join the team as an intern.

“I accepted the position, because I not only wanted to gain more scientific exposure, but I was also interested in the entrepreneurial side of scientific companies.”

Omkar worked with Sahana on the VentureWell project.

Because he has been surrounded by multiple cultures (Indian and American) he is interested in getting involved with global health as a physician after college.

Omkar is a self-proclaimed “history-buff” and enjoys learning about different periods and events in world history in his free time as well as playing video games. 

Derek

Derek is a Seattle native and engineering whiz. He is an engineer for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and previously was a welding engineer for the Navy. Derek is a Seattle native but his adventurous spirit led him to Honolulu, Hawaii, for work for a few years right after college. After beginning his work career, he developed an interest in investing and finance, which motivated him to pursue his MBA.

While at Seattle University working on his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Derek met Nanodropper’s Chief Operating Officer Elias Baker and was interested in learning more about Nanodropper. He decided to get involved in the company as an intern and worked as the student lead on the VentureWell project. 

“I saw great potential in Nanodropper because my grandma has glaucoma and uses expensive medication on a daily basis.”

Derek enjoys learning about public transportation systems in the U.S. and other countries, and aspires to explore more of the transportation and/or technology sectors. He enjoys working on projects that positively benefit society and wants to maintain a growth mindset. 

In his free time, Derek likes to hike and cycle. Last year he completed the 19-mile-long Enchantments thru-hike and rode more than a thousand miles. 

Jake

Jake is a current sophomore at the University of Washington and is studying Finance, International Business, and Spanish and is part of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity. He plans to go into financial services with an international focus, and eventually transition into personal training.

Originally from Wenatchee, Washington, Jake developed a variety of interests before moving to Seattle for school. He found his passion for the outdoors and environmentalism through rock climbing, skiing, and trail running. With parents in healthcare, Jake also became interested in the healthcare field. 

Jake started working at the University of Washington Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship in January 2020, which is where he first heard about Nanodropper and was introduced to Mackenzie and the Nanodropper team. He was invited to join the team in spring 2020 as an intern working on social media research and an environmental impact report.

In the future, Jake is very interested in improving his foreign language skills and hopes to live and work internationally. He aspires to learn Japanese and Arabic.

Jake is a part of the University of Washington lacrosse team and recently began bodybuilding and powerlifting. He also enjoys anime and cooking. 

Eesha

Eesha is Nanodropper’s newest intern and a young superstar! She is a rising high school freshman in Bellevue, Washington. She is passionate about using computer science and graphic design to create user-friendly experiences. She hopes to one day take a step toward revolutionizing the medical field using technology.

Throughout middle school, Eesha has developed an interest in biology, media technology, engineering, and computer science. She has participated in various science and robotics competitions that inspired her to pursue a future in biotechnology.

Throughout quarantine, she has honed her Adobe skills and spent time studying biology, computer science, and graphic design.

In the spring of 2021, Eesha attended a talk at her school where Mackenzie spoke about Nanodropper and biotechnology. After hearing the talk, Eesha was inspired to study biology and explore entrepreneurship. Eesha reached out to Mackenzie and asked about internship opportunities to gain experience during her transition to high school. She will join on as a summer intern.

Looking forward, Eesha aspires to graduate college with a degree in biotechnology and pursue entrepreneurship. She hopes to use her skills to make a positive impact on the world in the biotechnology field.

Aside from exploring the world of computer science, learning physics and biology, and playing around with various software programs, Eesha likes to visit museums, play various card games, and perform magic tricks in her free time.