Nikil Swamy

High school senior, Danville, California

Nikil Swamy

I'm a CNA and a volunteer who wants to study neuroscience and go into medicine, with a lot of questions about how people get through hard things.

Nikil Swamy smiling and holding a puppy outdoors, wearing blue scrubs.
Danville, 2026

What I'm doing

Curious about how people get to where they are.

Nikil and classmates in blue scrubs watching a clinical exam at an EsSalud clinic in Peru.

Learning to care for people

CNA training taught me that showing up matters more than knowing what to say.

Nikil smiling and holding a puppy outdoors, wearing blue scrubs.

Hands-on with animals

Volunteering at the East Bay SPCA, from walking dogs to helping train new volunteers.

About

I want to go into medicine, and I can't stop asking how people get through hard things.

I'm a senior at Tilden Preparatory School in Danville. I got my CNA license, volunteer with the East Bay SPCA, and tutor math and science. This summer I spent two weeks in Cusco, Peru, shadowing doctors and nurses at a public hospital.

I'm most interested in neuroscience and medicine. I started Before They Were because I wanted to hear what people were dealing with before they got where they are.

  • NowSenior in high school, Danville
  • TrainingCNA license
  • VolunteeringEast Bay SPCA, where I help train new volunteers
  • InterestsNeuroscience, golf, staying active
  • GoalStudy neuroscience and go into medicine

Peru

Work in Cusco, Peru

Time with International Medical Aid in Cusco, spanning clinic work and visits to local schools.

  • Nikil in blue scrubs holding a certificate from International Medical Aid in front of a branded backdrop.
    Certificate from International Medical Aid
  • Nikil using an ultrasound probe during a clinic visit in Peru.
    Clinic work
  • Nikil leaning in with a group of students at a school in Peru, working closely with their hands.
    A hands-on session with students
  • Nikil passing a microphone to a student during an outdoor school assembly in Peru.
    Speaking with students at an assembly
  • Nikil in a school courtyard in Peru, surrounded by students during a community event.
    Community event at a school
  • Nikil and classmates in blue scrubs watching a clinical exam at an EsSalud clinic in Peru.
    Clinical training at an EsSalud clinic

Contact

Get in touch

Have a story, a question, or an idea? I would like to hear it.