Our Team
TASC is led by MIT students and staff who are passionate about education, science, and creating opportunities for talented students from tribal communities.
Leadership
Jack Carson
Director & Founder
Jack (MIT '28) is the founder and director of the TASC program, and will be leading the Chemistry & Energy track. He is a former Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Counselor and an alum of Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At MIT he is majoring in physics and electrical engineering, and researches at the MIT Computer Science and AI Laboratory. He has published scientific work in the International Conference on Machine Learning and Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Allie Zong
Associate Director
Allie (Harvard '28) is the associate director of TASC. She is originally from the Netherlands, where she represented her country in the International Mathematical Olympiad and twice in the International Biology Olympiad, distinguishing herself in the top 200 internationally in both fields. At Harvard, she studies applied mathematics and biology, and researches at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in the Zhang lab.
Braxton Martorano
Camp Administrator
Braxton (Harvard Divinity School '27) is the camp administrator for TASC 2026, keeping the program running smoothly and ensuring your week in Tulsa is as memorable as it is educational. He serves as a Graduate Assistant at the MIT PKG Center and brings a professional background in community and economic development. He currently works with Neighborhood Economics, a nonprofit that convenes leaders around innovative local economic solutions.
Track Instructors
Elijah Strom
Fundamentals of Reality (Physics)
Elijah (MIT '29) is a physics major from Phoenix, Arizona. He found his general interests back home, but discovered a true obsession for learning during his first year at MIT. He is excited to pass on his passion for physics, and for learning in general, to high school students.
Miranda Li
DNA Technology (Biology)
Miranda (MIT '29) is a rising sophomore studying Computer Science and Engineering with a double major in Mathematics. She loves all things science, and in her free time she enjoys reading comics and novels, drawing, and playing games with friends and family.
Yolanda Hu
AI Engineering
Yolanda (MIT '29) is originally from Sylvania, Ohio and competed in mathematics competitions throughout high school. She currently double majors in Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics at MIT, and has completed research at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
Outreach
Alyssa Theofanidis
PR Lead
Houston, Texas
“In just one week, TASC gave me an extraordinary new set of thinking skills and a comprehensive understanding of my track topic, AI. I developed confidence in my ability to think analytically and now have a clearer idea of what career path I might pursue in the future.”
Teaching Assistants
Logan Barnes
Teaching Assistant
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
“The extraordinary people I met at TASC encouraged me to put more effort into researching subjects I was interested in, and to put more effort into making it into a good college, if only to be around more people like them. The eagerness and energy everybody put into every activity and complex problem or idea really made TASC a once in a lifetime experience.”
Isabella Williams
Teaching Assistant
Owasso, Oklahoma
“Spending a week at TASC brought my ambition back to life. I had been planning my future around safe probabilities, but at TASC, I met teachers and peers alike who had defied the statistics I had let limit my worldview. Through being surrounded by such an intelligent and determined community, TASC lit a fire of ambition under me to pursue the dreams I once thought to be impossible.”
Adora Haque
Teaching Assistant
Norman, Oklahoma
“TASC gave me a bigger “possibility space” about what’s possible and who I can become. I was surrounded by approachable mentors who shared their passions. Conversations about our ambitions left me feeling like the aspirations I imagined are tangible. I enjoyed meeting Native peers, including my roommate from Huslia, Alaska. I love the community that TASC has created; we still keep in touch regularly, and I am excited to see it grow!”