TEDx talk · 2025
A Comforting Dilemma
I was selected by audition to speak at TEDxMIS Pune Youth, under the theme Beyond the Comfort Zone. I chose the topic, did the research and wrote the talk myself.
- 150+ in the audience
- 1 of 8 chosen at audition
IB Diploma · Mahindra International School, Pune
Hi, I'm Aditi Gangwar.
I'm a student researcher, published author and animal advocate. I'm interested in how people make decisions, which has led me to psychology, economics and behavioural economics.
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01 About
Curious about people, and protective of animals.
I'm in my final year of the IB Diploma at Mahindra International School in Pune. In Grade 10, after an environmentalist visited our school, I gave a speech on animal rights. The response was strong enough that I proposed Meatless Mondays, and the school adopted it that semester. It still runs today.
That campaign raised a question I haven't been able to put down. If people know about animal suffering, why does so little change? My Extended Essay examines it through moral disengagement, the mental moves people use to quiet guilt. It's also why I want to study psychology, economics or behavioural economics at university, in the US or the UK.
I like following a question wherever it goes. That has taken me from Descartes' Meditations to behavioural finance to Model UN committee rooms. When I'm not researching, I'm usually on a volleyball court or feeding the dogs in my neighbourhood.
How people describe me
LeaderCaringCatalyst for change
IB Diploma subjects
EconomicsHL
PsychologyHL
Mathematics: AIHL
English LiteratureSL
Spanish ab initioSL
ChemistrySL
02 Research
Research is how I think.
I love humanities research: picking a question that bothers me and following it through psychology, philosophy and economics until I understand it. Here are my two major projects. One asks why people act against their own values. The other asks why a perfect God would create beings who make mistakes.
Moral Disengagement and the Adolescent Meat Paradox
To what extent does moral disengagement explain adolescents' acceptance of industrial meat consumption despite awareness of animal suffering?
The paradox
84%
of Europeans said farmed-animal welfare should be better protected (European Commission, 2023)
yet
363 Mt
of meat produced worldwide in 2022, more than three times the early-1970s level (FAO)
People don't keep eating meat because they don't know about animal suffering. They know, and their behaviour doesn't change. My essay looks at the psychology behind that gap.
Three lenses
- Moral disengagementBandura: mental moves that switch off guilt before it starts
- Cognitive dissonanceFestinger: the discomfort that appears when those moves fail
- Motivated reasoningKunda: reading new information in a way that protects old habits
I propose these may work in sequence, and treat that as a tentative model.
Mechanisms I examined
- Moral justification: the "4 Ns"
- Euphemistic labelling
- Diffusion of responsibility
- Denial of animal minds
- Blame and distorted consequences
The 4 Ns are the beliefs that eating meat is natural, normal, necessary and nice.
What I found
Moral disengagement explains a large part of how teenagers stop feeling guilty about eating meat. It doesn't explain why they keep eating it. Family shopping, school food and peer norms probably matter more, so campaigns that only raise awareness are unlikely to change behaviour on their own.
What's next
Test these mechanisms with real adolescent samples, and measure what people actually eat, not just what they say.
René Descartes and the Problem of Human Freedom
If God is perfect and cannot deceive us, why do we make mistakes?
Descartes' answer
In the Fourth Meditation, our intellect is limited but our will is not. Mistakes happen when the will judges things the intellect hasn't clearly understood.
My thought experiment
Us
Human A
Limited intellect, unlimited will. Can judge beyond what it understands, so it can make mistakes.
The alternative
Human B
Limited intellect, will that only follows clear ideas. Can never make a mistake. Is it still free?
Where the argument holds, and where it breaks
Descartes can claim
- Error is an absence of clarity, not something God creates.
- God doesn't directly cause our mistakes.
- Each mistake comes from how we use our will.
He can't also claim
- That freedom doesn't need the gap between will and intellect, while God's own freedom depends on being able to do otherwise.
- That God is fully good for choosing a design where error is built in, when an error-free Human B was possible.
- That we carry all the responsibility, and God none.
My verdict
Descartes explains how error happens and why God isn't its direct cause. He never explains why error-prone freedom was the only kind of freedom worth creating.
In conversation with
- Descartes
- Andrew Latham
- David Rosenthal
- Spinoza
- Leibniz
03 Writing
Writing and authorship
I've been writing for as long as I can remember. My first book collected the poems I wrote growing up. My second, which I'm writing now, turns small everyday moments into reflective essays.
Tap the book to close it
Poetry · published at 15
Through the Mind's Eyes
My first book is a collection of around 50 poems and a few short stories, published through Zorba Books. I gave all exhibition proceeds to the Girija Welfare Center, produced Braille editions, and donated copies to The Poona School and Home for the Blind.
- ₹10,000 donated
- Praised by the Governor of Jharkhand
- Braille edition
Tap the book to close it
Reflective essays · in progress
Moments That Changed Nothing
My second book is a collection of about 25 short reflective essays, each around 8 to 10 pages. Every essay starts from something small: a passing thought, an ordinary conversation, a moment that seemed to change nothing at the time. From there it follows the bigger questions those moments hide, about identity, memory, choice and how we make sense of ourselves.
My first book was poetry. This one is closer to how I think now: reflective and analytical, and shaped by the philosophy and psychology I've been studying. The proposed cover shows a thinker with a room opening up inside his head, where a lone figure stands in a doorway of light. That's the feeling I want each essay to leave.
- ~25 essays
- Non-fiction, reflective
- Cover proposed
Writing now
04 Experience
Leadership, advocacy and work
₹1L+raised for humanitarian causes as Vice President
₹50Kraised for paraplegic rehabilitation at the talent show I directed
22%social media growth during my Metina internship
-
2025 – now
Animal advocacy & Meatless Mondays
Founder- Proposed and launched Meatless Mondays at school in Grade 10; it has run every week since.
- Gave a talk to staff at Metina, after which employees started their own initiative to eat less meat.
- Ran an awareness campaign in my residential community with talks and bulletin boards.
- Feed our community dogs daily and help get animals injured in road accidents to vets.
- Spent two weeks on an International Volunteer HQ marine conservation project in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
-
2025 – 26
Student Council, Mahindra International School
Vice President (elected)- Led school events and fundraisers, from bake sales to games, raising over ₹1,00,000.
- About ₹65,000 went to humanitarian relief in Sudan and ₹45,000 to families affected by farmer suicides in India.
- Organized awareness activities including poster competitions.
-
2025 – now
Metina Pharmaceuticals Europe ↗
Media & Communications Intern- Created social media posts and helped grow the company's following by 22%.
- Wrote client correspondence and website content, and supported client presentations for a young European company.
-
2024 – 25
Beyond the Spotlight
Director & Outreach Manager- Directed a student-run talent show for 250+ performers and guests, with judges from different arts fields.
- Raised about ₹50,000 for a paraplegic rehabilitation centre.
-
2 years
Peer tutoring
Academic Tutor- Tutored a younger IB student in English and Humanities, working on essay structure and exam practice. Her grades rose from 5 to 6 in English and 6 to 7 in Humanities.
05 Model UN
Model United Nations
MISMUN 2026 · Deputy Secretary-General
Hosting MISMUN
I was chosen as Deputy Secretary-General at the end of Grade 10 and spent the summer planning with the executive team. Our school hosted a three-day statewide conference in January 2026. I worked on academic planning, logistics, coordination and the delegate experience, and helped run the conference itself.
- 3 days
- 150+ participants
- 120+ delegates from across the state
Grade 11 · MUN club leader
Coaching 50+ students
I led our school's MUN club through Grade 11, running weekly sessions on rules of procedure, research, public speaking, diplomacy and strategy. Many of the students I coached went on to compete at outside MUNs and debate competitions.
As a delegate and chair
Recognition
- Best DelegateMISMUN2024
- Verbal MentionChennai MUN2024
- Co-chairMISMUN2024
06 Sports
Sports
Volleyball · my main sport
Varsity girls' volleyball captain, two years running
I've captained the high school girls' varsity team for two years, through DP1 and DP2. As captain, I organize practices, lead drills, keep the team motivated and give teammates feedback on what we need to work on. That included leading the team at the ISACI High School Volleyball Championship 2025–26.
- Captain, high school varsity girls
- 2 years, DP1 and DP2
- 2025–27
Volleyball club · Grades 9 to 11
Leading the volleyball club
For three years, from Grade 9 to Grade 11, I led our school's volleyball club. Each session I taught the fundamentals, from serving and passing to setting, ran drills, and helped players at every level build their skills.
The club brought together 20–25 middle and high school students. I also organized friendly inter-school matches with schools across Pune, so club members could play real games, not just practise.
- 3 years leading the club
- 20–25 players coached
- Friendlies with schools across Pune
Varsity football · Grade 10
Football
Played on the varsity football team in Grade 10, including at the ISACI High School Football Championship 2024–25.
Varsity basketball · Grades 9 and 11
Basketball
Played on the varsity basketball team in Grade 9 and again in Grade 11.
07 Achievements
Recognition
- TEDx speakerSelected by audition, TEDxMIS Pune Youth · Watch2025
- Varsity Volleyball Team Captain, 2 yearsMahindra International School girls' team, DP1 and DP2 · Sports2025–27
- Best DelegateMISMUN · Model UN2024
- Elected Student Council Vice PresidentMahindra International School2025
- Pioneer Academics research scholarPioneer Academics, accredited through Oberlin College2026
- Age 15
Courses
Behavioral Finance ↗
Duke University via Coursera · Certificate with 90% · 2025
Business & Entrepreneurship ↗
Oxford Summer Courses · Two weeks, including pitching my own business idea · 2024
08 Press
In the news
In February 2025, newspapers in Uttar Pradesh covered Through the Mind's Eyes after the Governor of Jharkhand read the book and wrote to congratulate me. Tap any clipping to read it.
09 Contact
Let's talk.
I'm always glad to hear about research, advocacy projects, or anything to do with how people make decisions.
aditirajeevgangwar@gmail.com
LinkedIn ↗