I get to chat with Somshukla (Rai) Chaudhuri about her journey as a participant in iGEM as an undergraduate student, which further inspired her to pursue grad school. Rai is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infection Diseases Department (Microbiology stream) at the Cummings School of Medicine. Throughout her graduate school career, Rai has been a community leader where she has served as the President for her DGA, organized retreats for her colleagues, CRO for the GSA, and led several other projects.