About Me

"Hi Im andrew"

About Me.

Andrew S. Dai is a student at Princeton Day School (Class of 2026) whose passions bridge computer science, engineering, and community impact. A national and international champion in robotics, he led Team USA to first place in the 2024 RoboCup Rescue Simulation and has since earned honors such as USACO Silver and NJ Governor’s Scholar Nominee in Engineering. His research spans AI and data science applications, including work at the Icahn School of Medicine using machine learning to analyze dermatological images and at Princeton University studying high-frequency ETF data. Andrew is also a speaker and youth mentor for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, where he helps advocate for patients and families while creating digital communities for peer support. Beyond academics and research, he founded the Inspiring Coding Initiative to teach programming to underserved youth in Trenton and Princeton, and serves as captain of his school’s varsity squash team

Download CV

My Jouney of Alopecia Areta

I’ve had eczema (atopic dermatitis) since I was little, along with severe food allergies. My experience with alopecia areata (AA) began in the fall of 2022, during my freshman year of high school, I noticed my hair gradually falling out, layer by layer. The hair loss continued throughout the year.

How Alopecia Areata Has Affected My Life:

Losing my hair so suddenly and unpredictably was very frightening at first, especially at the idea that this could have broader autoimmune effects and NO CURE
At one point I completely lost all my hair and eyebrows
I wore a hat in school. More prone to sunburns; Without eyebrows, sweat would drip directly into my eyes, which affected my ability to play sports
My family was very worried about me. We were very fortunate to find Dr. Benjamin Ungar at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, who introduce to us a new drug treatment Dupixent, and grateful that it is covered by our insurance

My Reflection…

NO ONE SHOULD DO THIS ALONE;
More information sharing among patients and their families and education of the diseases:(NAAF is a wonderful community which offer an excellent platform)
Broader access to medication and insurance coverage
More resource to drive research to find a cure and accessible treatments for AA