DECA president and food policy advocate Samyuktha Vijayakumar Nair ‘26 has been honored as Rotary’s Senior of the Month for May.
Throughout high school, Nair has served as DECA president, a member of Maschio’s Food Advisory Committee, and a SOAR mentor, helping juniors and seniors navigate the college application process.
Since the 5th grade, Nair has been involved in food policy advocacy, presenting at national conferences for the American Dairy Association North East and the Food Research and Action Center on the importance of school lunch and breakfast for students. Through the USDA-sponsored Food, Agriculture, and Marine Ecosystems (FAME) Project, she co-wrote and co-directed a food science documentary along with researchers at Rutgers. Her role on the food advisory board for Maschio’s allowed her to advocate for healthier school meals.
“Talking to farmers, stakeholders, and advocates has shown me that this work truly goes beyond ourselves,” said Nair. “Food and nutrition are such critical parts of students’ lives, allowing them to function and have the energy to do the amazing things that they are bound to do.”
Nair thanks many mentors here at EHS in her journey: former chemistry teacher and current EHS Vice Principal Mr. Matthew Zapoticzny, counselor Ms. Kimberly Zavistoski, former math teacher Ms. Michele Downey, APUSH teacher Ms. Leanne Rubiano, and Calculus 3 teacher Ms. Jennifer Dodd Harris. She would also like to express gratitude towards Ms. Nicole Bevere, the Principal of Ben Franklin Elementary School, and Ms. Katherine Crowley, her 3rd-grade teacher at Ben Franklin Elementary who both served as advisors for her nonprofit, the Poetree Program.
After graduating, Nair plans to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Analytics and Information Technology (BAIT) at Rutgers Honors Business School with a minor in cognitive science. This summer, she will conduct research in human ecology and nutrition at her the farm of her mentor Dr. Nandini Menon. .
To underclassmen, Nair draws from her own experiences to offer advice.
“Hold onto faith even if things don’t look like they are working out externally, that is truly when so much magic happens,” she says. “Things work out in the most beautiful ways when you let them.”