Care for community at the center of neuroscience grad’s leadership

Paresh Kolluru didn't come to Tulane intending to be a student leader, but his care for his community made him one, anyway. Kolluru, a Tulane 34 recipient and Lafayette native who is graduating with a major in neuroscience from the School of Science and Engineering and a minor in philosophy from the School of Liberal Arts, moved into Wall Residential Hall his first year with another Louisianian and an international student as his roommates. They were all in a new environment, away from home for the first time, and they all wanted to find a community.

"I was seeing this in my own dorm room, how they felt like they were missing home, and how they needed to have some sort of connection. And I think that really expanded to feeling a responsibility, almost, to make it feel like a home," he said.

To achieve that, Kolluru successfully ran for president of his residential hall. Once elected, he began organizing events to meet the needs and desires of all first-year students in the hall, working with campus partners like the Office of International Students and Scholars and student-run organizations. He also began getting more involved in other ways on campus and eventually rose to leadership roles as a delegate in Tulane Undergraduate Assembly, president of the Tulane chapter of Phi Delta Epsilon, president of the South Asian Association and treasurer of Tulane Research Network.

It wasn't easy going, however. When he initially applied to Phi Delta Epsilon, an association for pre-medical students, he was rejected by a highly selective application process that often accepted less than 10 percent of applicants. He reapplied the next year and became president of the Tulane chapter by his senior year. That experience helped him support other students when they applied; he was living proof that they, too, could be successful after setbacks.

"Being able to be open and honest about failure has been equally as important as sharing and promoting success," he said. "I think those have really gone hand in hand for me."

It also prepared Kolluru for the medical school application process as he pursues his dream of becoming a physician. In the fall, he will be attending LSU Health New Orleans Medical School.

Several family relatives have had medical issues, so he saw firsthand the importance of healthcare and of a supportive community.

"The medical field has surrounded me my whole life," said Kolluru. "In the Indian community, a big thing is, whenever someone's sick or going through something, you bring food to the door. And we'd done that for a lot of families before, whenever they were going through medical things. But it wasn't really until I opened the door from the other side that I understood that care," he said.

Part of the reason he wants to pursue medicine, Kolluru said, is to provide that care and service to his community, and to others who may not have easy access to medical care.