Aanuska Tripathi is a third-year political science undergraduate whose work reflects a deep commitment to community, leadership, and public service. She channels that passion across campus as a leader in Model United Nations, a student government staffer, a career peer advisor, and a research assistant. Grounded in a desire to support others and create accessible spaces, Tripathi’s work highlights how undergraduate leadership can meaningfully improve both campus life and the broader community.
On a campus filled with ambitious students, Aanuska Tripathi, a third-year political science major from Moorpark, California, stands out not just for the number of roles she holds, but for her intentions behind them. She grounds her work in a deep passion for caring for the local community, and her persistent drive to help others feel seen, heard and supported.
Tripathi didn’t arrive at UC Santa Barbara planning to study politics. She originally applied as a biochemistry major, imagining a future in pharmacy. That trajectory changed after she attended Girls State, a week-long government simulation program during her senior year of high school. Immersed among driven, politically engaged young women, she felt something shift. She realized political science might be where she could do the most good. Today, Tripathi is drawn to both America’s history and its contemporary contradictions.
On campus, Tripathi serves as Chief of Staff for Model United Nations (MUN), where she leads both executive and general body meetings. MUN, she explains, is far more than debate and traveling to conferences in places like Montreal; it’s a space where students learn public speaking, research, and diplomacy while building community together. What began as an interesting opportunity quickly became a core part of her college experience – a place she now feels compelled to give back to as a leader and mentor.
She brings that same ethic of care to her role as Deputy Chief of Staff for UCSB’s External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA). There, Tripathi helps coordinate meetings, set agendas, and support initiatives that keep Isla Vista residents safe and informed, including Know Your Rights workshops and noise ordinance education around Deltopia.
Her commitment to students also shines through her job as a career peer advisor at Career Services. Sitting across from anxious undergraduates unsure about resumes, majors, or post-grad life, Tripathi focuses on asking the right questions and offering clarity rather than prescriptive answers. She walks into each conversation understanding that she doesn’t always have every solution – but knowing she can listen, guide, and connect students to resources.
In the Political Science Department, Tripathi also serves as a research assistant for Professor Alfredo Gonzalez, assisting on a project on the military naturalization of Filipino war veterans. The research is often tedious – digging through bills, congressional hearings, and archival documents – but she sees it as both an intellectual challenge and a way to give back to a professor who has supported her academic journey.
Beyond the classroom and community work, Tripathi protects her “sparkle” through gym sessions, beach walks, binge-watching shows, and playing violin with the campus orchestra when her schedule allows. Looking ahead, she plans to graduate early, take time to study for the LSAT, and pursue law school. Tripathi is drawn to practicing in immigration law or public defense to advocate for those without legal representation..
For Tripathi, the throughline in everything she does is simple but powerful: building relationships and helping others, especially those who may not always have someone in their corner. In her words, most people just need “someone to listen to them.”