Rising College Sophomore Looking to Stand Out

[lentar]

I am a rising sophomore pursuing a dual degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and CS from a T20 STEM school. I am not yet sure what I want to do with my life but as I have enjoyed being a retail investor and am a massive nerd for optimization and applied math I am looking at applying for quant dev internships for next summer to get a taste and see how I like it. I am currently reading Stochastic Calculus for Finance I and II to gain more background on derivative asset pricing etc and brushing up on leetcode to stay sharp. While I am very active with student groups and academic departments (IEEE rep, CS TA, hackathons...), I am wondering how best to stand out as an applicant. I am considering pursuing research in signal processing/ML starting this fall but not sure this is enough to differentiate me, especially since apps are due so early it will likely be before I can have any work I contribute to published. Are there any programs, certifications, personal projects, or other ways to stand out I could reasonably do to best prepare myself?