Dublin High Grad Drawn to UC Merced’s Growth and Potential
This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.
Incoming UC Merced student Shrihan Lakinana is bringing a growth mindset, a passion for engineering and a deep appreciation for community to the Bobcat experience.
Lakinana says his proudest achievements have come not from perfect grades, but from learning through challenges and using those lessons to become more driven, humble and resilient. That perspective is one of the reasons he is excited to join UC Merced, where he sees potential in the university’s rapid growth, welcoming culture and diverse student community.
As an electrical engineering major with a computer engineering emphasis, he looks forward to exploring career opportunities, getting involved across campus and meeting people from all walks of life
Where I come from: I attended Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif.
Why I am excited about coming to UC Merced: I have many reasons. For one, it is a UC, and being the newest UC, Merced feels like an amazing opportunity I had to take. I felt the amazing development through the new programs and its ever-expanding campus. There is so much potential for this college. I am also very excited to be a part of a new culture, one that is as welcoming as it is. I felt very inspired to join a campus with a strong culture and identity. I am excited to meet and get involved with the diversity of students attending with me. I cannot wait to get involved in clubs, especially ones involving engineering and some of my hobbies such as filmmaking and fashion.
My academic and personal goals: I hope to accomplish so much at UC Merced. I am excited to be involved with the engineering program and look forward to exploring the options that come out of the major. I am setting goals of succeeding in that major and getting involved in intern opportunities. However, I am going into UC Merced open-minded. I would love to explore the different career opportunities that Merced can offer, even if it does not have to do with electrical engineering. I hope graduate with a pathway that feels right for me. I hope to meet so many people. I want to get involved in the social life. I want to be exposed to the many kinds of people that this world has to offer. Coming from a high school with a large and diverse student population, I feel prepared and excited to meet new people. That is one of my biggest personal goals. It matters to be as much as self-progression.
If I could eat only one food for the rest of my life: I would want to eat biryani. My mom comes from Hyderabad, India, the capital of biryani, and the food has changed my life. It can be nutritious or tasty, depending on the chosen proteins, rice, masalas, flavors and cooking styles.. Every person, every city, has a different way of cooking it. It tastes amazing and I feel I can prepare it in different ways so I wouldn’t get too bored of it. Eating biryani is also emotionally life-changing for me. I feel like everyone could eat biryani, but nobody would feel the emotions I feel because of how infused biryani has become with my identity and way of life.
How I relax: Whenever I have free time, I always have the choice of relaxing or having fun. My absolute favorite way to relax is to lie down on my bed or on my couch and put on a movie. As a big superhero film guy, I always have the tough choice between watching a movie I’ve never watched or rewatching movies like “The Batman.” To have fun, I do things with my friends. I love to go out and get food or stay home and play video games. I also like to go to the gym.
If I could go anywhere in the world for a three-day weekend: I would go to India. This question is really tough because there are so many places I would want to go for different purposes. I love to travel, and my favorite places are tropical/beach areas, so it was tempting to say places like Hawaii, Bali and the Philippines. I also love to explore metropolitan areas to understand different ways of life and try amazing food, so I could have chosen destinations like New York and Los Angeles, but also places like Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo and Seoul. But ultimately, I realized I really value meeting family members.