KANIKA ASAVARI VAISH is a writer, director, actor, and stand-up comedian from New York who spent her middle and high school years in Mumbai, India. She attended Wellesley College, where she directed Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph. She has acted in various Shakespeare productions, but her favorite role to date is Rocky in her school’s shadow cast production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Fresh Lime Soda Productions,  a contemporary theater ensemble aimed at amplifying new works and fostering community among South Asian artists and performers. She writes about impressionable youth, nostalgia, modern love, intergenerational dynamics, and her Indian heritage, and she is passionate about creating work for queer, trans, and disabled artists and audiences of color. She can’t believe this is real life and is psyched to be a part of the class of 2022. kanikavaish.com