OSEANS has expanded! We have a new site for high school students!
You are currently on the OSEANS main site. To go to the High School Outreach Program site, please click here.
COVID-19 Update
Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, all meetings will take place remotely. Please send an email to [email protected] to schedule meetings, or if you have any questions or concerns.
The OSEANS Team
About
OSEANS is an independent, non-affiliated voluntary organization that seeks to aid students in achieving their higher education and career goals in the US.
We provide information, tips and tricks towards understanding and clearing standardized exams required for STEM graduate/professional school applications, and assist in review of personal statements and CVs.
We also provide students with the information and skill sets required to establish academic networks, and also help to facilitate these network establishments.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to empower students and help them build the confidence they need to achieve their goals. Wherever we are, we wish to serve students in their higher education endeavors. Every student deserves to know they are valued.
SERVICES WE PROVIDE
1) Academic advising
2) Standardized exam preparation
3) Application material review: CV, resume, and written statements
4) Interview training
5) Initiating networks with students and faculty members
For international students, we also guide them through the Visa application process, and other logistics that would need to be addressed in a general perspective.
Supervisory Board
Founder/Board Member
Abhinav R. Mohan, Ph.D.
Abhinav holds a Ph.D. in Integrative Life Sciences / Pharmaceutics from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. Currently, he is an ORISE Postdoctoral Fellow at the US Food and Drug Administration. He founded OSEANS around his passion for helping students in STEM build confidence and become successful individuals. He has a demonstrated track record as a Teaching Assistant at both the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University in multiple departments, and hopes to help students realize their dreams.
Education
Ph.D., Integrative Life Sciences/Pharmaceutics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, 2017-2021
M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, 2014-2016
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Virginia, 2010-2014
Awards and Honors
Reviews
Interim President
Mrinalini "Mini" Gururaj
Mrinalini "Mini" Gururaj graduated from Columbia University with a master’s in biotechnology. She has helped co-author 2 academic papers - “Computational drug discovery for alternative herbal remedies for tuberculosis” and “Signs of 2009 Influenza pandemic in NY Presbyterian Electronic Health Records.” She also worked with recombinant protein production in mammalian cells. Upon completion of her Master’s thesis she took a break to help her family and is now currently working towards her coaching certification. She hopes to further her career in helping students with STEM coaching.
Education
M.S., Biotechnology, Columbia University, 2009-2011
Executive Committee
President
Nimishraj Panse
Nimishraj is currently a Ph.D. student at the Virginia Commonwealth University- School of Pharmacy. Being an international student himself, he is well versed with all the problems and extra scrutiny faced by fellow International students who aspire to pursue their academic career in the United States. “I believe that the single biggest reason for the success of mankind as a species is the fact that humans are social beings and throughout history have helped fellow humans achieve their goals and thus have made great strides through mutual help”, says Nimishraj. He wishes to use this platform to implement his belief and guide international and domestic students throughout the college selection and application process, thus helping them in getting admitted into their selected institutes.
Education
Ph.D., Pharmaceutics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, 2019-Present
B.Pharm., AISSMS College of Pharmacy, University of Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India, 2015-2019
Executive Vice President
Vishnu Marella
Vishnu Marella is currently a senior at Chantilly High School committed to Virginia Commonwealth University to pursue a B.S. degree in Bioinformatics. He is excited to be able to help anyone who needs it. Coming from India and studying in the US for the past 7 years, he has the necessary information to put himself in the perfect position to help people reach their goals. He is also very friendly and will use his experiences to help others reach their dreams.
Education
B.S., Bioinformatics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2021-Present
Chantilly High School, Chantilly, Virginia, Class of 2021
Director of High School Operations
Anupama Subramanian
Anupama Subramanian is currently a junior attending Westwood High School in Austin, Texas. She has lived in 5 different states and has gone to 6 different schools in the past 8 years, allowing her to gain unique insight on the various approaches different states have towards academics. She enjoys helping other students, and hopes to help them achieve their career goals. Essentially, she wishes to create an environment where students are able to build confidence and make their dreams a reality.
Education
Westwood High School, Austin Texas, Class of 2023
Liaisons
Medical Student Liaison
Collin Weintraub
Collin is a current medical student at the VCU School of Medicine. Collin developed a passion for teaching as a Teaching Assistant for General Chemistry at the University of Illinois, and continued that passion as a tutor in medical school for USMLE Step 1. With personal experience in performing research, creating a student organization for medical students, and contributing as a textbook author, Collin is able to discuss how students will be able to become involved with a variety of opportunities to build their professional skill set in the medical field.
Education
M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, 2018-Present
B.S., Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014-2018
Nursing Student Liaison
Van Dinh
Van is a nursing student at the VCU School of Nursing. She is always willing to help her peers with studying for the labs and lectures, or by giving general words of advice, whenever they may need it. She continues to do so with being a basic human anatomy preceptor to assist those taking the class. She hopes to help those who are pursuing similar career paths through this organization and use her experience to help them get closer to their
dreams, wherever they may be.
Education
B.S.N., Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, 2019-Present
Resources
Professional and Academic Development Presentations
Resource #1: The Standardized Tests
Resource #2: Supplemental and Extracurricular Activities
Resource #3: Personal Statements, Cover Letters, CVs and Resumes
Resource #4: Writing Emails to Faculty
Resource #5: Networking
Resource #6: Know your Value
Resume/CV Templates
Resource #1: Resume Template 1
Resource #2:Resume Template 2
Resource #3: CV Template
Resources for International Students
Resource #1: International Graduate Student Checklist
Exam Preparation Resources
Resource #1: GRE Exam
Resource #2: TOEFL/IELTS Tests
We are a new organization. We are itching to help many students soon!
Testimonials
Congratulations to Van Dinh! Successful applicant to the VCU School of Nursing!
Congratulations to Emily LeSueur! Successful applicant to the VCU CERT (Medical School Post-Baccalaureate) Program!
Thanks to Abhi, I was able to finish and perfect my application to the VCU CERT Program. And I got in!
~ Emily LeSueur
Congratulations to Shreya Mathela! Successful applicant to the Ph.D. program in Chemistry at Penn State University!
The OSEANS team is extremely helpful and supportive. I had an amazing experience and would highly recommend them.
~ Shreya Mathela
Congratulations to Vishnu Marella! Successful applicant to the B. S. program in Bioinformatics at the Virginia Commonwealth University!
Great resource for everyone!
~ Vishnu Marella
Congratulations to Harshita Posani! Successful applicant to the M.S. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities!
Currently helping: 1 student
Successfully helped: 5 students
Contact
Have any questions? Need a consultation? Interested in joining? Contact us! Add Abhinav on LinkedIn (button below)!
News and Updates
News
July 25, 2021: Welcome, Mrinalini (Mini) Gururaj - Interim President! Mini will take on the administrative roles of the President of OSEANS.
July 12, 2021: OSEANS officially launches the High School Outreach Program (OSEANS-HOP)! Congratulations once again to Vishnu Marella and Anu Subramanian! 100% of the credit goes to the two of them for successfully putting together the site, available here
July 09, 2021: Congratulations to Nimish Panse for being promoted to President of OSEANS, Vishnu Marella for being promoted to Executive Vice President, and Anu Subramanian for being promoted to Director of High School Operations!
February 15, 2021: Welcome, Vishnu Marella - Director of High School Operations, and Anupama (Anu) Subramanian - High School Student Liaison! Vishnu and Anupama will help kick off the High School Outreach Program (OSEANS-HOP)! Exciting times for OSEANS!
January 02, 2021: OSEANS celebrates one year of helping students!
July 29, 2020: Welcome, Van Dinh! Nursing Student Liaison!
May 23, 2020: Welcome, Nimishraj Panse - Vice President!
April 10, 2020: Welcome, Collin Weintraub - Medical Student Liaison!
January 02, 2020: The start of a new journey. OSEANS starts up operations in Richmond, Virginia
Updates
July 2021: The High School Outreach Program begins!
February 2021: High School Outreach Program starting soon!
June, 2020: A new International Student section has been added to the resources!
COVID-19 Updates
Track COVID-19 in Virginia
Track COVID-19 in the United States
Track COVID-19 around the World