SoCaltech: Elina Sendonaris

“I grew up in the car-heavy Bay Area, and I didn’t like it but didn’t know why. Then I lived in Boston without a car for five years, and it was fantastic. I enjoyed walking and taking the subway and biking. The experience opened my eyes and galvanized me.

“So, a while after I moved to Pasadena, when someone mentioned the Complete Streets Coalition (CSC), I went to a social mapmaking event. It felt welcoming. Everyone introduced themselves and asked who I was. They were drawing a bike map with highlighters, marking how safe each street was. I helped fill in streets in northern Pasadena, where I had lived. Since then, I’ve met with Caltech CSC members and talked with my friends about improvements we’d like to see around Caltech: an All Ages and Abilities greenway on Wilson Avenue, safer crosswalks, and reliable buses that run at late hours and feel safe.

“Caltech students both live and work here in Pasadena. We are a vulnerable population. We don’t make much money and many of us are immigrants, so I think it’s important for us to speak up and for our city to consider our safety.”

Graduate student Elina Sendonaris is a member of Caltech professor Alireza Marandi’s laboratory, where she advances research on quantum nonlinear photonic chips (light-based chips that may ultimately be faster than electronic ones).

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.