Rashana Shanella

Bridging the best from the East and West

Hear from Rashana

Background & Core Interests

Education • Empathy • Empowerment • Design •

Entertainment • Engagement • Experiences •

Entrepreneurship • Enterprise • Growth •

Career Journey

Program Manager, educator, and researcher; fashioned from experiences spanning several industries, technologies, and growth stages.

From EdTech to E-Commerce, Autonomous Vehicles to Virtual Reality Headsets, this tenure equips Rashana with a deep-rooted focus on the human experience.

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Impact & Outreach

Teaching children STEM and robotics concepts through a play-based model across 10+ elementary schools.

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Education, Entrepreneurship, and Empowerment

In partnership with the Foundation of Goodness, and Girls with Impact Organization, Rashana Shanella shares a purpose project she developed to improve literacy rates in rural communities across Sri Lanka. Through this forum, she uses the spirit of entrepreneurship and education to empower marginalized communities.

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Model Portfolio

"Being the representation she wanted to see."

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Podcasts

Recent conversations, interviews, and guest appearances.

A few recent episodes are featured below, with the full archive one click away.

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Episode 07 April 11, 2026

Building the World's First Water Bottle with Cutlery

Featuring Steffek Rainey

In Episode 7, we meet Steffek Rainey, a Master’s Candidate in Design Engineering (MDE) at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Steffek shares his journey into design, his decision to pursue the MDE program, and what he’s building with Evera Bottle to address the plastic pollution crisis.

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Episode 06 March 26, 2026

Jeopardy! Champion to Congress Campaign Trail

Featuring Tyler Vandenberg

In Episode 6, we meet Tyler Vandenberg, a Master of Public Policy Candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Prior to grad school, Tyler was in the U.S. Marine Corps for seven years, and is a 2x Jeopardy Champion. Now, as he wraps up his final year at HKS, Tyler is campaigning for Congressman in California's Sixth District. Tyler shares his journey pursuing a career rooted in service, impact, and leadership.

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Episode 05 March 7, 2026

From Kerala to Kennedy School

Featuring Nidhi Nair

In Episode 5, we meet Nidhi Nair, a Master of Public Policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and Schwarzman Scholar with a background in Economics and Statistics. Nidhi shares her journey from growing up in Kerala to navigating global education opportunities, reflecting on the moments that shaped her path and how she learned to seize opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.

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