Hundreds of posters already fill the room as Mihir Gupta (‘26) sets up his own. He worries about presenting his research at a conference as a high school student. However, his fears fade away as he engages with other researchers through attending presentations, answering questions and looking at others’ projects. 

In his research, Mihir aims to harness AI to make a positive impact on people’s lives. For example, a recent project of his allowed farmers to improve their production by more accurately identifying plant diseases. Publishing and presenting his research has given him the opportunity to get feedback on his work and connect with fellow researchers. 

“It was really surprising how welcoming these conferences were,” Mihir said. “People that were maybe 10, 20 years older than me would come up to my poster and ask me a few questions after reading the poster. It didn’t feel like they had any intention of trying to say ‘you’re a high schooler, why is your work important?’ or anything like that. It was a really welcoming environment.”

Mihir discovered his interest in computer science through block coding and Lego robotics when he was in third grade. He participated in FIRST Lego League competitions as part of the Harker team in elementary school. In seventh grade, he began learning Python and participating in coding competitions. In high school, Mihir discovered his passion for research and working with AI. 

“It’s really interesting to see how the AI model can replicate human level reasoning,” Mihir said. “Given any input that you want, it’s able to respond like a human for a certain task. It’s kind of magical, like it’s a black box that returns magic back to you.”

Discovering his interest in math, computer science and physics early on, Mihir focused on taking advanced classes in those subjects throughout high school. Physics teacher and computer science department chair Eric Nelson, who taught Mihir in AP Physics C, Mechanics and Electrophysics and Advanced Topics in Computer Science, immediately noticed Mihir’s attention to detail when it came to technical writing. He also commends Mihir’s ability to learn from his mistakes and engagement during class.

“Mihir comes across as polite, courteous, respectful and reserved, but he’s also paying attention,” Dr. Nelson said. “He’s one of the students who would catch my algebraic errors during lectures, which meant that he was actually paying attention and following the reasoning and logic of what we were doing. And he was also willing to say something about it.” 

Mihir’s dedication shows up in academics through his genuine enthusiasm, noted by both peers and teachers. He recalls when he took Precalculus over the summer after frosh year in hopes of taking Calculus in his sophomore year and more advanced math courses in the future. On top of the challenge of the class, he also felt pressure to do well in order to qualify for the higher level classes he wanted to take. Although this was a risk, it’s one he’s glad he took.

“When I was starting high school, I would have never thought I would have been able to do half the things that I’ve done,” Mihir said. “If I were to tell someone a tip I would say, ‘Take a risk that you think could pay off.’ I don’t know if I can earn a good grade in the math classes that I’m currently taking, but regardless, I know the material I’m learning is going to be useful, so taking that risk is more valuable to me than just letting it go.”

Close friend Ram Batchu (‘26) has known Mihir since elementary school, but the two grew closer through shared classes in high school. Ram appreciates the humor and lighthearted energy Mihir brings to their friend group. 

“He’s very considerate,” Ram said. “Even though he’s trying to be comedic and make jokes, deep down I know he cares about everyone in our friend group. I know that if anyone’s ever in trouble, he would help them to the best of his ability.”

Close friend Krish Arora (‘26) recalls playing basketball with Mihir in lower school, and the two later bonded over going to the gym together in high school. Krish notes Mihir’s enthusiasm for his research and academics. 

“He’s really passionate and diligent about things he likes,” Krish said. “He’s not afraid to speak and voice his own opinions about subjects he’s interested in, whether that be academic or even outside of academics.” 

Reflecting on his experience in high school, Mihir acknowledges the risks, hard work and resilience that have shaped his experience. 

“My dad, whenever I wasn’t able to solve a problem, would say ‘You can’t look at the solution, you have to keep on trying until you get the solution,’ Mihir said. “That’s guided me through high school. For math problems, I don’t like looking at the solution very often because I think it ruins the problem. You can never solve that problem again. That’s something I live by: try and solve everything.”