Ashwin Pillai

Bio

Ashwin (he/him) is a senior from Santa Clara, CA double majoring in Philosophy and Political Science, minoring in Music, and pursuing a coterminal master’s degree in Philosophy. On campus, he is an intern at the Stanford Center for Racial Justice, an undergraduate fellow at the Stanford Constitutional Law Center, a Structured Liberal Education tutor and community connection, a Political Science department peer advisor, and an avid member of Stanford Mixed Company A Cappella. He is currently working on an honors thesis in the Ethics in Society program inspired by research he did while working for the fair housing project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. His academic interests are primarily in political theory and in thinking about the role of the judiciary in a democratic society, and he hopes to attend law school in the future. In his free time, he loves going on long bike rides, listening to Supreme Court podcasts, and singing with his friends.

Honors & Awards

• David M. Kennedy Thesis Prize for Single Best Honors Thesis in the Humanities and Arts, Stanford University (2023)
• John Mothershead Award for Outstanding Work in Moral or Political Philosophy, Stanford University Department of Philosophy (2023)
• Robert M. Golden Medal for Excellence in the Humanities and Creative Arts, Stanford University (2023)
• Hume Honors Fellowship, Stanford Humanities Center (2022-2023)
• Summer Fellowship, Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School (2021)
• Cardinal Quarter Public Interest Law Fellowship, Haas Center for Public Service (2021)
• Boothe Prize ILE Finalist, Stanford University Program in Writing and Rhetoric (2021)