About me
I'm planning to study religious studies and Judaic studies, with a focus on ethics and bioethics.
I like questions that don't close neatly. In AP Chemistry, I loved learning that the models we'd been taught were only a starting point. In Jewish text study, some arguments end in teiku: the question stays open, on the record. Those two habits meet in bioethics, where CRISPR and AI are forcing very old questions about what we owe each other.
Outside of class, I teach Hebrew, host a podcast, and spend every summer at Camp Newman. I've never taken a free block. I once learned derivatives over the summer for fun, I won my 9th grade mental math competition, and I'm currently in a T-shirt bet with my chemistry teacher over whether my senior schedule will burn me out.
Puzzle: Sudoku
Team: Warriors
Food: Burritos
Languages: English, Spanish, Hebrew
What I'm working on
Courage Museum National Youth Advisory Council
I was selected for the Spring 2026 cohort of the National Youth Advisory Council for the Courage Museum, a new museum in San Francisco's Presidio created by Futures Without Violence. With students from across the country, I helped develop educational programming to reduce polarization among teens, and I advised on the museum's Empathy Mirrors exhibits.
On May 22, 2026, I introduced an Empathy Mirrors storyteller to 300 people at Friday night Shabbat services at Congregation Emanu-El.
Uncharted Ethics (podcast)
I created, produce, and host Uncharted Ethics, a podcast about where bioethics meets artificial intelligence: algorithms in hospitals, AI in diagnosis, and what it means to be human when machines help make the calls.
Guests have included Robert Blum, President and CEO of Cytokinetics; Michael Pappas, Executive Director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council; and the Rt. Rev. Austin Rios, Episcopal Bishop of California.
Bioethics Club
I co-founded my school's Bioethics Club and serve as president. I secured our faculty advisors and lead student debates on CRISPR gene editing, reproductive technology, somatic enhancement, and medical ethics.
Related research: for Modern Jewish History, I wrote a paper on how Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism approach Tay-Sachs carrier screening.
Honors
Mensch Award, 2026
Presented by the Mensch International Foundation and the JFCS Holocaust Center at "Remembering October 7," Congregation Sherith Israel, San Francisco, October 11, 2026. The award honors people working against hate and stereotyping.
"Asa always arrived with thoughtful questions. Real questions. The kind of questions that make a teacher pause and think."
— Ariana Estoque, Director of Youth & Family Education, Congregation Emanu-El, presenting the award
AP Scholar with Distinction
Selected for
Courage Museum National Youth Advisory Council, Spring 2026 cohort
Diller Teen Fellows, 2025-2026 cohort. An international Jewish teen leadership fellowship. I co-led services at statewide youth Shabbatons and took part in community service projects.
Where I show up
Congregation Emanu-El, grades 9 to 12
Paid teen teacher and Hebrew tutor for b'nai mitzvah students. I provide one-on-one classroom support for neurodivergent students and co-led a High Holy Day service for more than 2,000 people.
URJ Camp Newman, every summer
Counselor-in-Training and Avodah Fellow. I mentor campers, did Avodah service work, and facilitate values programs and prayer services.
RAC California, grades 10 to 12
Lobbied in Sacramento on civil rights and organized phone and auction drives that raised $23K for HIAS and relief.
School leadership, Jewish Community High School of the Bay
After a hate incident at school, I drafted the student handbook's anti-racism policy. I was a delegate to the national Student Diversity Leadership Conference and lead open house panels and tours as Head Guide.
Rhoda Goldman Plaza, grades 9 and 10
Weekly visits with memory-care and assisted-living residents, listening to and recording their stories.
Through the Bioethics Club, I explore the intersection of science and society, fostering empathy and intellectual curiosity in every conversation. I believe that true leadership is found in the 'all in' spirit of community.
Get in touch
Have a question or want to hear more about any of this? Send me a message.
asa.a.bauer@gmail.com