“Push yourself and put yourself in uncomfortable situations. But don't be too hard on yourself.” - Pioneer alumnus Luccas 

This episode of Uncharted, the Pioneer Alumni Podcast, features Gayatri, who conducted research at Pioneer in 2019 in history, interviewing Luccas, who conducted research at Pioneer in 2014 in economics. Luccas graduated from Harvard College and pursued his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Having benefited from his unique Pioneer experience, Luccas successfully found his passion in economics and finance, delved into college research, and honed his professional skills through summer internships. Luccas shares his insights on building relationships in college and in the workplace and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and how that helped him graduate from Harvard College as a John Harvard Scholar and pursue his MBA at the Booth. Luccas sheds light on the importance of mentorship, advice on applying to business schools, his former work experience as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company, and his unique journey from private equity to consulting to real estate. If you are interested in economics, finance, business, research, pursuing MBA, or maintaining a healthy work-life balance in big firms, this episode is definitely for you!

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper. 

Uncharted was featured by FeedSpot as a top alumni podcast! You can see the list of selected alumni podcasts here: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/alumni_podcasts/ and in the “Top alumni podcasts” link in our bio on Instagram @Pioneer_Academics.

What does “fit” really mean in the college application process? How does research in high school prepare for further academic excellence and research opportunities in college? How should you approach mentorship in college and in the workplace? Pioneer alumnus Luccas conducted research in economics at Pioneer in 2014 and graduated from Harvard College. He worked at McKinsey and in private equity before pursuing his MBA at the University of Chicago.

In this episode of Uncharted, the Pioneer Alumni Podcast, Luccas reflects on his experiences applying to colleges, finding research opportunities and internships in college, preparing applications to graduate programs, his former work experience as a business analyst at Mckinsey & Company, and his journey starting a new private investments firm. Luccas also sheds light on the importance of mentorship, including his experience developing relationships with peers, professors, and colleagues. 

To hear more from Luccas and his advice on applying to graduate programs in general and in economics, finance, and business specifically, check out this post and listen to the short episode through the link in our bio.

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper. 

Uncharted was featured by FeedSpot as a top alumni podcast! You can see the list of selected alumni podcasts here: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/alumni_podcasts/ and in the “Top alumni podcasts” - see the link in our bio to learn more!

“Finding your community within the larger place you're at, I think, is something that helped me. I think once I found my group of people or my community at college is what helped me a lot.” - Pioneer alumnus Rahil 

This episode of Uncharted, the Pioneer Alumni Podcast, features Ishaan, who conducted research at Pioneer in 2020 in math, interviewing Rahil, who conducted research at Pioneer in 2016 in math. Rahil is a software engineer at Uplimit and a former engineer at Silicon Valley startups Snowflake and Neeva.  Originally from India, Rahil has successfully navigated adapting to US university culture, obtaining a job in the US, and adjusting to life and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rahil shares his insights on managing stress and having self drive, and how that helped him succeed in the college admission process and as a computer science and business-economics and management major at Caltech university. Rahil sheds light on the importance of community and belonging, advice on getting internships in general and in computer science specifically, and shares with us his experience in different projects in his field. If you are interested in machine learning, research, finding an internship, or the daily life of software engineers, this episode is definitely for you!

To hear more from Rahil and his advice on getting internships in general and in computer science specifically, listen to the reel here! For more valuable insight from Rahil, you can listen to the “long format” episode through the link in our bio. For key sharings, choose the “short format” episode. 

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper. 

Uncharted was featured by FeedSpot as a top alumni podcast! You can see the list of selected alumni podcasts here: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/alumni_podcasts/ and in the “Top alumni podcasts” link in our bio on Instagram @Pioneer_Academics.

In this episode of Uncharted, the Pioneer Alumni Podcast, Rahil reflects on his experiences applying to universities, adapting to campus culture as an international student, applying to full time jobs, and his experiences as a software engineer in Silicon Valley. Rahil also sheds light on the importance of community and belonging, specifically from his experience adapting to the US as an international student from India. 

To hear more from Rahil and his advice on getting internships in general and in computer science, check out this post and listen to the short episode through the link in our bio. 

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper. 

Uncharted was featured by FeedSpot as a top alumni podcast! You can see the list of selected alumni podcasts here: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/alumni_podcasts/ and in the “Top alumni podcasts” - see the link in our bio to learn more! 

“I really like that LSAT questions ask us to see through the worlds of the words of the complex sentences, and try to find the structure and the core arguments behind them. I feel like those are fun, and also a rewarding exercise to do.” 

Julie takes us in this episode through her rich journey of exploration and combining different interests. Learning to network, obtaining internships, managing her diverse academic disciplines, and handling work-life balance, Julie shares her tips and inspiration, and reflects on how she came to choose her major without having to let go of her hobbies or mental health.  

This episode of Uncharted features Aishwari, a Pioneer alumni who conducted research at Pioneer in 2020, interviewing Julie, who conducted research at Pioneer in 2018. Julie graduated with an economics-creative writing double major from Colby College in spring 2023 and is currently studying law as a J.D. candidate at Duke University. She has a strong love for music and refers to piano as her unofficial “third major”.  If you are interested in law, would like to learn about how to establish good relationships with professors or mentors, have different academic interests and hobbies you would like to balance during your undergraduate education, or are an international student looking for support and advice on how to thrive at a US university, this episode is definitely for you!

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper. 

Uncharted was featured by FeedSpot as a top alumni podcast! You can see the list of selected alumni podcasts here: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/alumni_podcasts/ and in the “Top alumni podcasts” link in our bio on Instagram @Pioneer_Academics. 

How important is networking in college life? Does working with professors matter? And what if you have many academic interests?  After graduating from Colby College with a dual degree in economics and creative writing, Julie, a 2018 Pioneer scholar, is currently a J.D. candidate studying law at Duke University. 

In this episode of Pioneer’s alumni podcast, Uncharted, Julie shares her advice and experiences from adjusting to a liberal arts college as an international student, learning to network, obtaining internships, managing her diverse academic disciplines and handling work-life balance.

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper. 

Uncharted was featured by FeedSpot as a top alumni podcast! You can see the list of selected alumni podcasts here: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/alumni_podcasts/ and in the “Top alumni podcasts” link in our bio on Instagram @Pioneer_Academics. 

(Longer, more detailed episode) This episode of Uncharted features Amehja, who conducted research in computer engineering at Pioneer in 2021, interviewing Joalda, who conducted research at Pioneer in astrophysics in 2017. Joalda shares her experiences working currently as an Aerospace Systems Engineer at Blue Origin to achieve permanent human presence on the Moon, interning at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), tips for choosing courses and undertaking undergraduate research, strategies for finding good mentors and utilizing college resources, and her reflections on the space industry - as well as advice for incoming freshmen to succeed in college academia and life.

Joalda also shares her experience on conducting research in astrophysics, applying to graduate programs, what it’s like to be in the space industry, and how to access any of the opportunities by remaining open-minded. If you are interested in astrophysics or the STEM research, how to establish good relationships with professors or mentors, or are considering applying to graduate programs, this episode is definitely for you! 

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper.

(Short highlights episode) Pioneer alumna Joalda takes us through her experiences as an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, sharing insights into choosing courses and obtaining research positions. As a STEM student with a great passion for creative writing, Joalda provides tips for academic success, shares her experience publishing her first book, and offers advice on the application process to graduate programs and career development. 

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper. 

Join us for the eighth and final episode of the first season of "Uncharted" - the Pioneer alumni Podcast. In this episode, we have the privilege of featuring Eric, a Pioneer alumnus (Class of '15) and a doctoral student in mathematics at the University of Washington. Our host, Aurora, herself a Pioneer alumna (Class of '20) and currently a student at UCLA, interviews Eric about his remarkable academic journey.

Eric takes us through his experiences as an undergraduate student at Washington and Lee University, sharing valuable insights into choosing courses and conducting research. As a STEM student, Eric provides tips for academic success and sheds light on the Ph.D. application process. He also offers reflections on his current life as a third-year doctoral student, delving into the world of mathematics at the University of Washington.

Whether you have a keen interest in mathematics and STEM research, seek guidance on building strong relationships with professors, aspire to conduct research as an undergraduate, or are contemplating applying to Ph.D. programs, this episode is a must-listen. Join us as we explore Eric's journey through academia and gain valuable knowledge and inspiration.

Join us for the seventh episode of "Uncharted" as we delve into the captivating journey of Amaris, a remarkable individual who defies conventions and paves her own way. In this enlightening conversation, Amaris, who conducted research at Pioneer in 2018 and pursued her undergraduate studies at Stanford, sits down with Angeline, who conducted research at Pioneer in 2020 and is also currently studying at Stanford.

Amaris opens up about her transformative experiences conducting research at Pioneer and how they have profoundly influenced her research pursuits at Stanford. Discover how she skillfully manages her time, juggling her regular academic load with multiple extracurricular interests, including working at not one but two labs, all while diligently avoiding burnout.

As a first-generation college student, Amaris's fervor for education equity shines through as she shares her current endeavors with Matriculate, an organization dedicated to providing vital support to low-income and first-generation students during their journey to competitive universities. Prepare to be inspired as she sheds light on her unwavering dedication to empowering marginalized communities through education.

About Uncharted: the Pioneer Academics Alumni Podcast

Uncharted: the Pioneer alumni podcast is hosted and produced by alumni of the Pioneer Research Program, a virtual research institute for outstanding high school students. Widely respected for its high standards in selectivity and academic rigor, it is the only fully-accredited and college-credit bearing online research program. In Pioneer, students work one-on-one with university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest ranging from physics to gender studies, culminating in a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper.