MANKATO — Mankato’s Simran Kaur chose to attend Minnetonka High School in part because of its research class where she developed a science fair project that went on to win big.
The decision paid off, as she was recently notified she’d been accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts — her dream school.
“It’s the best school in the world for what I want to study,” the 17-year-old said. “I have full faith in its educational facilities and the faculty and their ability to give me the skills I need to thrive.”
Her career goal is to become an Artificial Intelligence specialist and develop new approaches to fight climate change. MIT is the top college to attend to position her for future success, she said.
Kaur was last featured in The Free Press in May, when she placed second in her category at the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair, which was held in Columbus, Ohio.
The fair is the world’s largest pre-college science competition. Thousands of students from all around the world showcased their research there.
Kaur competed in the Behavioral and Social Sciences category along with 70 other contenders. Her project focused on AI-based approaches to assistive technology for people with autism-spectrum disorder. Her older sister Amrita has autism.
Kaur said her science fair success definitely helped her land a coveted spot at MIT.
“I already had great academics and good grades,” she said. “But the science fair is what sets me apart from the crowd. I’m able to handle the standard of work they expect from their students.”
She will start at MIT in the fall and is projected to graduate in May 2030. She plans to major in AI and decision making.
Her Minnetonka math teacher said he was “not surprised” by Kaur’s MIT admission.
“Simran is a highly motivated and highly intelligent student who also has advanced interpersonal relationship skills,” said Bryan Dammann, who has known her for four years. “She has always had a plan for her future and has always challenged herself academically with rigorous coursework and meaningful real-world experience. On top of this, she also has a heart for helping and serving others.”
Kaur was a stand-out early in her academic life, skipping the sixth grade. In addition to succeeding at the International Science & Engineering Fair, she is an artist for her school newspaper, plays bass guitar in her school’s jazz ensemble, and participates in a group of South Asian women of color. Outside school, she lifts weights and does martial arts.
She has a 4.0 GPA at Minnetonka High School and applied to an array of impressive universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Princeton. She hasn’t heard back from all of her college applications, but said she knew her future was set when she was accepted at MIT.
She let out a “primal shriek” when she got the news, adding she was “absolutely floored. I was on a call with my mom, dad and sister. I told everyone who would care. I was pretty relieved I didn’t have to apply to any more schools. I was so sick of college essays.”
MIT is an ideal fit for Kaur, Dammann said.
“MIT is a merit-based technology and engineering school that takes the best of the best,” he said. “Simran meets this criteria, and her work academically along with her extra work with Minnetonka Research has prepared her well for this opportunity.”
Kaur attended an MIT information session in the Twin Cities two years ago. She crushed harder on the school when she visited in January 2024 for an Intro to Deep Learning course.
“It’s a great campus,” she said. “I loved how close to the city it was, and the buildings were really cool and unique.”