Meet June Sirichusinwong, 2026 AdaMarie Fellow
Early-career paths are rarely straight lines. They’re shaped by curiosity, resilience, and the willingness to keep moving even when the next step isn’t obvious. June Sirichusinwong embodies that reality.
June is a 2026 AdaMarie Fellow whose journey spans chemistry, economics, sustainability, and artificial intelligence. From hands-on lab work to venture capital, consulting, and AI fellowships, her path reflects a deep curiosity about how science, business, and technology intersect, and how people adapt as opportunities shift.
Throughout her Fellowship, June will contribute to the AdaMarie community through workshops and shared learning spaces, bringing an early-career perspective grounded in exploration, persistence, and care for the whole person behind the resume.
In this Mirror, June reflects on navigating uncertainty after graduation, staying open to pivots, and building confidence through community and connection. Keep reading to learn more about her journey, what she’s exploring now, and the mindset guiding where she goes next.
Meet June Sirichusinwong!
Major & Minor – If you went to college!: Chemistry and Economics
Field of Work: Business, Sustainability and AI
Expertise In: Corporate Sustainability, Business Development and Artificial Intelligence Learning Models
Current Company: Handshake
Job Title: AI Fellowship
One-liner about what you’re working on: I'm working to help build AI Models to be adaptive to different user needs and improving their accuracy on tasks, and I'm also in the process of trying to get CPA-certified in the future!
Currently geeking out over: FootBall! It's been awhile since my hometown team, The Bears, have been doing really well in the season!!
STEM hero (alive or dead!): Amanda Nguyen, even despite having to overcome the personal trauma in her life she still stuck to her dreams of wanting to be an astronaut
Tell us about your professional journey – how did you get where you are now?
After taking a lab in high school, I decided I really wanted to major in chemistry because I liked working with my hands and having the opportunity to bring things to life. During college, I had a great opportunity to explore more pathways and intern at a venture capital fund focused on supporting health and environmental start-ups, and that's where I developed a strong interest in pursuing a major in Economics to understand how our economy works and how businesses operate.
Being able to also be part of a consulting study abroad project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I gained both corporate sustainability experience and consulting experience for businesses, which translated into joining the Climatebase Fellowship and Handshake AI Fellowship. Currently, I'm still exploring more interests, especially in the future, in accounting and continuing my work with Handshake!
We’re also curious to know your personal story and upbringing. What has made you “you”?
What really made me who I am today is my mom. She was a great role model and an example of someone who really found her own pathway in her family and pursued her dreams.
My mom is originally from a rural province in Thailand, and growing up everyone mostly chose to become a nurse or teacher in the area. For college, she decided to deviate from the norm and follow her own passion to major in computer science and statistics, which was really uncommon at the time, and eventually follow that dream by moving to the United States to continue doing that work. I think she has always been my biggest supporter in choosing to do things that make me happy and staying true to my character in every situation.
We know that real life isn’t a smooth and linear journey. What was your initiating moment that led you to your calling - can you tell us about that moment, what helped you moved forward, what you learned/discovered?
I think the biggest moment that changed my life was probably graduating last year in May of 2025, and still not having any success in landing a full-time role. I think it really led me to acknowledge the situation in the market and realize that moving forward with my next steps, it's necessary to try out things you never thought of before, like getting more involved in AI or pivoting back to learning Accounting at a community college.
I think there is nothing wrong with starting over and building a mindset that many things are outside your control and will make your path different from others'. The biggest thing that helped me move forward is doing a lot of coffee chats by reaching out on LinkedIn, or going to networking events to put yourself closer to opportunities and learn from other people in the fields you're already interested in, and having a supportive network, like a friend, to FaceTime when you're applying for jobs.
You’re a working person in a performance-driven industry. Where do you find balance?
I think I find balance by making sure I don't define my identity solely by my work, because I think a well-balanced routine of activities helps keep me well-rounded and active both mentally and physically. For example, I'm someone who really enjoys being active and doing new things, and I'll make sure to put time in the week not only to keep myself active by doing pilates or playing badminton, but make it a goal to learn a new skill, for example, cooking or learning how to be a content creator.
Let your geek flag fly! You choose one: if you were a part of the human body, outer space, or a scientific process, what would you be and why?
If I were apart of outerspace, one thing that I would want to be is a comet in order to explore different planets in a solar system in hopes of meeting a couple alien civilizations, and as I move through my orbit, leave behind glowy tail streaks in the sky.
We’d love to feature your work! How can we spread the word about what you’re doing? Some examples you might want to share:
A lot of my past work and my professional experiences can be found on my LinkedIn. Please feel free to connect and reach out with any questions!
I'm also actively involved with Ascend Midwest Chapter, a pan asian organization bringing professional experts together at their networking events, as well as, Climatebase, a sustainability fellowship helping to bring more awareness across different fields to individuals looking to expand or change their career paths
Do you have a favorite motivational quote or song?
“You are once fearful because you can’t see the past the shore, but it’s necessarily to voyage on to experience new opportunities.” - Professor K (UIUC Orgo II Professor)
Any final advice for early-career STEM professionals?:
It's important to really take care of yourself along the way because opportunities will come and go naturally, and there's no one in this world who can replace you.
June’s story is a reminder that early-career growth isn’t about having everything figured out—it’s about staying curious, seeking community, and continuing to move forward even when the path changes.
As a 2026 AdaMarie Fellow, June will contribute to workshops and shared learning spaces throughout the year, offering insight from her evolving journey across science, sustainability, and AI. Follow along to learn from her experiences and see where curiosity takes her next.
