Diya is a Cognitive Science major in the College of Arts and Sciences, originally from Mumbai, India. Her interest in the brain began with a simple, existential question: What makes a life meaningful, and how do we communicate that meaning to one another? This curiosity led her to explore positive psychology and the neuroplasticity of dialogue, understanding how repeated patterns of thoughts and conversations shape our perceptions, relationships, and ability to connect across difference.
Diya is also a Senior Opinion Columnist at The Daily Pennsylvanian, where she writes about campus culture, Penn Face, and the quiet emotional undercurrents of student life. She sees writing as a form of public conversation, one that helps unspoken voices feel heard and invites reflection on the stories we live by. Her goal is to bridge personal insight with collective dialogue and to make vulnerability feel less like a risk and more like a strength.
As an SNF Paideia Fellow, Diya hopes to study how we can design environments and language that make openness and connection feel more instinctive, both socially and neurologically. She is especially excited to explore how small shifts in how we speak and listen can reduce defensiveness, improve well-being, and help communities move toward shared understanding.