Tutor Spotlight: Sanjana Subramaniam
By Regina DeFrancisco
A profile on Sanjana Subramaniam, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Northwestern University and a dedicated tutor for the Northwestern Prison Education Program.
It was a fortuitous set of circumstances that brought Northwestern graduate student Sanjana Subramaniam to the Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP) and specifically to work with the women at Logan Correctional Center.
Tutor Sanjana Subramaniam at Logan Correctional Center. (photo credit: Monika Wnuk)
Sanjana joined NPEP in 2019 when the program was only offered at Stateville Correctional Center, a men’s prison. Unfortunately, this year was also the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted normal interactions outside school staff within the prison environment. These constraints did not deter NPEP founders like Sanjana from expanding the program to make the prestige of a Northwestern education accessible to the incarcerated women at Logan in 2020. She was drawn to this new opportunity and felt that, as a marginalized woman in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), other women, even those in prison, could relate to overcoming educational obstacles while finding a place of belonging within academics.
Sanjana is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. Her research focuses on the physics of a manufacturing process called electrospinning, an electrically driven 3D printing method that can precisely pattern sub-micron structures.
Her work will improve this process’s productivity and efficiency for biomedical, energy, and filtration applications. Not only is she an engineer, but she is also a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Diversity and Service Award, and the Ryan Fellowship. In addition, Sanjana is a phenomenal artist and is multilingual.
She is a Renaissance woman and an inspiring role model.
Thankfully, her genius has been extended to us as well. The ladies at Logan had never dreamed of the opportunity to earn our bachelor’s degree at one of the nation’s top institutions; many eagerly filled out applications for this life-changing chance.
We first met Sanjana during the interview process over Zoom and were struck by her non-judgmental, inviting, and humble personality. Then we met her at the in-person interviews and these qualities shined even brighter. Sanjana’s energy was inspirational, yet she was personable; her desire to get to know us and to meet our educational needs was evident.
Her role at NPEP is integral to our success. Sanjana established and continues to run a tutoring program, in which she partners two students on Northwestern’s Evanston/Chicago campus with each incarcerated NPEP student at Logan to provide individualized academic support and guidance. She also works with NPEP staff to set up the tutoring schedule, vet student tutors, and handle mounds of paperwork with ease. We can always count on Sanjana to go the extra mile for us.
Her dedication to NPEP is thoroughly displayed with every three-hour drive (both ways!) to visit Logan Correctional Center, which is in Lincoln, a town in southern Illinois. A few quarters ago, our cohort needed some extra attention for our chemistry class. Sanjana, who has an undergraduate degree in chemistry as well as engineering, drove down to Lincoln with two other volunteers, Madisen and Kat, and tutored us until 8 p.m. They slept at a nearby motel and came back the next day so that Sanjana could teach us some more. Our cohort passed that class and we could not have done it without Sanjana’s knowledge, loyalty, and patience.
Sanjana also makes frequent trips to Logan for ongoing forms of support. For example, she provided each of the 19 students at Logan guidance, feedback, and counsel on our Northwestern undergraduate applications. Her honest and expert critique ensures that we put forth the best work possible. Moreover, she never hesitates to run an impromptu tutoring session for any number of classes, including astronomy, statistics, or computational thinking. There is yet to be a class that Sanjana cannot tackle. Additionally, Sanjana provides re-entry support to our peers who are released from prison to continue their studies.
Given our circumstances, her achievements would seem unattainable for NPEP students, yet Sanjana makes us feel like we are her equals. She encourages and assures us that we absolutely have all that it takes to go as far as we desire. Still, my own words cannot do her justice.
Her true altruism, fire, and conviction are illuminated in the following interview. When I asked what interested her in NPEP and prison education, Sanjana replied with no hesitation:
“As a teenager, I read a quote from Fyodor Dostoyevsky that said that you can judge a society by how it treats its prisoners. As someone who didn’t know much about the topic, I looked more into the conditions in prisons and learned about mass incarceration in this country. It was then that I discovered prison education and the numerous benefits it holds for breaking down barriers and reducing recidivism. I am incredibly lucky to have the level of education I have, and I think that everyone should have the opportunity to learn and grow in this way. I see it as a personal responsibility to give back and help others in this way, especially since education is in such dire need.”
She further expressed that our cohort’s engagement and appreciation for education made her even more enthusiastic to work with us and solidified that her involvement with NPEP was a wise decision. Sanjana remarked how working with the NPEP students has helped her self-development immensely:
“This program has given me the opportunity to develop soft skills such as empathy, emotional intelligence, leadership, and self-awareness. In a scientific laboratory setting, these attributes can go underdeveloped. In my opinion, it is very important to be able to communicate effectively with people of all different skill sets and backgrounds to be a better scientist and human being. Overall, I think that my involvement with NPEP has taught me the value of building community and using my experiences to help others grow as well. I honestly could not have expected the amount of personal development and growth I have gained because of it.”
Sanjana humbly embodies the notion that when you give, you also receive, often in unexpected ways. When I inquired about what she valued the most from the NPEP experience, she insightfully responded:
“I value the amount of work it takes to make an impact. Just saying you care is not enough. It takes time and effort to affect change. While change can come from conversations and shifting ideas, it requires active engagement to create a more just world.”
This demonstrates the fire and conviction I spoke of earlier, while also distinctly illustrating why Sanjana Subramaniam is central to the success of NPEP’s Logan cohort.
