Engineering America Teaching a Penguin How to Fly

Siya Purohit is a nineteen year old student at the University of Texas at Austin where she is studying electrical and computer engineering and economics. Born in India, Siya lived in Illinois, California and Texas before returning to India to attend an international boarding school for three years. There, she served as the chief editor of several student publications. Siya finished high school in Texas where she won three state awards for her work in "The Black Cow," Westlake Academy's student newspaper. She continued writing in college as a general reporter for "The Daily Texan." Siya's interest in economic development and technology led her to found "Mitigating the Digital Divide," in high school. The student organization aims to alleviate the digital divide in developing countries by providing underprivileged students access to technology. The group has collected computers to refurbish and install in villages near New Delhi. She also serves as the global coordinator for Sue's Shoes, an organization that provides shoes for children in rural India.