Hello! I’m Sharad Parulekar and I’m from Palo Alto, California. For a significant part of my gap year I’ll be doing everything from home, since I’ll be recovering from ankle surgery. I plan on conducting research (virtually) with a local university professor at a surgical robotics lab. I will be helping them create tool-tracking software to guide surgeons through complex operations. Separately, I also plan on seriously improving my guitar and vocal skills so that I can start to go busking once my ankle heals. I’ve always been a huge pop music fan and I love to share my passion with people around me. I also hope to spend some more quality time with my grandma and re-learn marathi and hindi to connect with her on a deeper level. Once I’m able to get back on my two feet, I hope to take a roadtrip across the US with my dad, exploring the various different backgrounds that make up this country and meeting my relatives along the way!