SAYI 2021

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Leadership Team

Maya Shah (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Yale University from Mount Olive, New Jersey. She is currently studying applied mathematics but is interested in exploring psychology. Maya participated as a first-year liaison from SAS in last year’s SAYI conference and was able to help with planning and executing the conference. She is excited to work as co-director with Saket and hopes to make the experiences from the conference long-lasting and impactful. She hopes that participants find it more interactive and that the conference creates friendships across colleges.

Saket Malhotra (he/him/his) is a sophomore at Yale University from Chandler, Arizona, studying Ethnicity, Race, and Migration. He is excited to co-direct SAYI 2021 with Maya! He hopes to make this next conference educational and impactful for all of our attendees. One of his goals is to emphasize the “initiative” part of South Asian Youth Initiative. He wants to make SAYI a space where students will gain the skills and inspiration to start new and unique projects, and have a strong impact on their communities!

Iman Iftikhar (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Yale from Lahore, Pakistan, studying History and Cognitive Science. As the Programming Director for the South Asian Youth Initiative 2021, Iman is looking forward to bringing inspiring South Asian academics, entrepreneurs, activists and writers to the conference, to share their wisdom with SAYI’s participants. Whilst retaining all the exciting aspects of the programming from last year’s conference, Iman is thrilled to expand programming to represent the diversity of the South Asian diaspora and to bring in more representative voices that make up our vibrant community!

Nandini Erodula (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Yale University from Hamden, Connecticut, planning to major in Cognitive Science. She loves to promote and celebrate South Asian culture, especially when she is dancing with the Yale Jashan Bhangra Team and the Yale Kalaa. Nandini is the Communications Director for SAYI 2021, and she is excited to expand the annual conference and to help grow the intercollegiate, South Asian community. Nandini hopes that students will have valuable experiences and gain insight from this year’s conference!

Prastik Mohanraj (he/him/his) is a sophomore at Yale University, hailing from the New Haven, CT area and intending to study Biomedical Engineering and Political Science. He loves spending time with his friends and family, exploring new languages, and binge-watching shows whenever he gets the chance. Prastik is thrilled to be working with SAYI as the Operations Director and offering an impact on our inter-collegiate South Asian community!

Surtaz Khan (he/him/his) is a sophomore at Yale University studying Computer Science and Economics, with additional coursework in Data Science and bad jokes. From Seattle, he’s an avid cyberpunk science-fiction writer and halfway decent tennis hobbyist in his free time, and he’s currently working on a health-tech startup to improve the medical diagnosis space. For SAYI 2021, Surtaz is excited to help create an environment that connects, intrigues, and involves students from across the country in a way that’s memorable and fun!

Vanya Shivashankar (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Yale University from Overland Park, Kansas, planning to major in Cognitive Science. On campus, she is a part of Community Health Educators, volunteers at Connecticut Hospice, and loves dancing with her teammates on Yale Rangeela. She also served as a first year liason for the South Asian Society this past year. Vanya is excited to be Social Director for SAYI 2021, and to see students all across the country come together to form connections, grow as individuals, and unify together as a community!

Finance Team

Ananya Mallik (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill from Atlanta, Georgia studying Business Adminstration and Comparative Literature. On campus she works at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, is a Senior Fellow at the Parr Center for Ethics, and is a student consultant at TAMID working with Israeli startups. Ananya is excited to see how SAYI grows and wants to see South Asian youth come together and embrace their multifaceted identities and unify as a collective community.

Bhavna Mamnani (she/her/hers) is a junior at Trinity College from Newark, Delaware, studying Economics and French. In addition to her passion for writing, she’s an expert in long naps, creating vegan recipes, and binge-watching shows no one has ever heard of. For SAYI 2021, Bhavna is looking forward to fostering connections with students around the country and building a sense of community among the South Asian diaspora!

Heeba Nazeer (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Wellesley College studying Economics and Computer Science. Originally from Louisville, Heeba enjoys playing/watching soccer, eastern poetry, and philosophy. She is deeply excited to discuss widespread issues such as colorism, underlying racism, mental health stigmas, and other pressing topics with a body of students such as those in SAYI. She is glad to be a part of such a strong, active, and inspiring group of South Asians across the country.

Ishan Patel (he/him/his) is a sophomore at Yale University, studying in Economics and Statistics & Data Science. Growing up in Washington DC, he organized South Asian events and conferences for high schoolers. Ishan is excited to help foster an intercollegiate South Asian community through SAYI!

Mohammad Jassem Nauman (he/him/his) is a senior at the University of Rochester from Islamabad, Pakistan, majoring in Accounting and Finance. He enjoys promoting the rich culture and heritage of South Asia, and has been involved with ADITI, the South Asian club at UR, from his very first semester. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and is an avid film enthusiast. He is particularly excited to engage with students from other institutions at SAYI in order to foster links across campuses that will allow for future collaborations.

Programming Team

Barkat Sikder (he/him/his) is a junior at Swarthmore College from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He studies Computer Science and Philosophy and is interested in the relationship between cognition and social institutions. In his free time, he enjoys running, cooking, and spicy memes. Barkat is excited to be the Campus Ambassador for Swarthmore in the Organizing Team for SAYI 2021, which he hopes will be space for tremendous growth for community members.

Cimrun Srivastava (she/her/hers) is a sophomore from Murfreesboro, Tennessee and studies International Politics with a focus on the Middle East and South Asia at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. She is passionate about justice and is involved with advocacy on campus through the ACLU and Georgetown University Student Association. She is most excited to increase the diversity in the schools involved with SAYI and hopes to reach South Asians from underrepresented areas.

Fariha Zaman Nuha (she/her/hers) is a senior at the University of Rochester from Queens, New York, majoring in Computational Biology. She loves to promote and celebrate the rich culture of South Asia and her Bangladeshi background with her involvement with ADITI, the South Asian Organization at UR, and with Rochester Rangoli, a Bollywood dance group at UR. She is very excited to take up her role as the President of ADITI and spread the cultural awareness on campus and all across the city of Rochester. She is also very excited to engage with the South Asian community from across the country, form a connection, and share experiences with them to work towards a cultural unity.

Hamaad Mehal( he/him/his) is a sophomore at Harvard University from Fayetteville, Arkansas studying Social Studies with a focus on South Asian Studies. Hamaad is on the boards of both Harvard's Pakistani Students Association and its South Asian Association and is involved in South Asian political discourse on campus. He spends his free time keeping up with football, hanging out with family, and playing basketball. Hamaad is excited to see the diversity of the South Asian community on display and hopes to help create an inclusive environment at SAYI.

Hema Patel (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Yale from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is currently studying Environmental Studies and is thinking of branching into the History of Science, Health, and Medicine. She likes walking her dog and eating anything her Dadhi cooks. Hema is excited to participate in the organizational side of SAYI this year under the leadership of her peers, and she can't wait to meet other South Asian students!

Jarin Tasnim (she/her/hers) is a senior at Stony Brook University from Queens, New York. She is currently studying Health Sciences. As the president of SBU Bengalis Unite, she hopes to have an impact on the experiences of the South Asia community on campus. Jarin wants to use SAYI as a platform to have meaningful conversations about the South Asia diaspora, in school and beyond.

Kaavya Goel (she/her/hers) is a junior at Smith College from Mumbai, India majoring in Quantitative Economics and Psychology. She is deeply interested in economic policy in developing countries and in her free time loves dancing with her teammates on Smith College Masti. She attended SAYI as a sophomore last spring and enjoyed the conversations which she took part in. They stimulated her to question her ingrained beliefs about South Asian culture and society. Kaavya looks forward to interacting with other students and helping to organize SAYI 2021!

Kal (she/her/hers) Ganeshan is a junior at Columbia University majoring in Operations Research and Analytics. Originally from New Jersey, Kal enjoys playing volleyball, reading mystery novels, and eating at restaurants all over NYC. As co-president of the SAPNA project at Columbia, Kal is excited to be a part of the SAYI organizing team and promote discussion around culture, identity, and issues faced by the South Asian diaspora.

Pallavi Sreedhar (she/her/hers) is a senior at Columbia University majoring in History. She has been involved with planning the conference for two years now and has loved getting to meet South Asian students from all across the country. In her free time, Pallavi enjoys running, hiking, and traveling. She's super excited to work on SAYI again this year and can't wait to see everyone at the conference!

Suraj Zaveri (he/him/his) is a sophomore at Brown University, concentrating in Applied Mathematics and potentially Computer Science. Originally from New Orleans, Suraj is an avid fan of meditation, swimming, and sports debate. As part of the programming team for SAYI 2021, Suraj hopes to continue the fruitful discussions and friendships that he began at SAYI 2020, with a special emphasis on establishing long-term connections between young South Asian professionals and SAYI attendees.

Varshini Odayar (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Harvard University from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is planning on studying Neuroscience and Government and is interested in the intersection of healthcare and law. In her free time, she loves biking and photojournalism. She serves as the Co-Academic-Political Chair of Harvard South Asian Association and is so excited to meet and connect with others in the South Asian community. As a member of the programming team for SAYI 2021, Varshini is very excited to create inclusive spaces for fostering important dialogue between students as well as between students and professors and community leaders!

Tushi Patel (she/her/hers) is a junior at Fairfield University from Southbridge, Massachusetts. She is majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience and International Studies, as well pursuing minors in Humanitarian Action and Peace & Justice Studies. She serves as the President of Fairfield’s South Asian Student Association, is a Senior Resident Assistant, and loves to work with others in establishing a kind, nurturing, and inclusive community, hoping to extend that love to the SAYI Organizing Team. Tushi is excited to connect with others within the South Asian community, expand the intercollegiate partnerships, and develop a space for dialogue and friendships to form.

Recruitment Team

Alex Philips is a senior at Brown University from Smithfield, Rhode Island. He is studying Health Economics and is writing a thesis on cost drivers in RI specialty care using the state's All-Payer Claims Database. He is the outreach chair for Brown's South Asian Students Association, coordinator of Brown's Healing Through Harmony, and captain of the ultimate frisbee team. During SAYI 2021, he hopes to build on last year's town hall by finding ways to encourage dialogue, coalition formation, and advocacy around a variety of important issues.

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Neha Sudhir is a sophomore at Barnard College, from Woodbridge, CT. She intends to study Molecular Neuroscience. She loves learning new languages and binge-watching (way too many) TV shows. Neha is excited to work with the organizing team for SAYI to bring together this inter-collegiate South Asian community!

Samia Jahangiri is a junior at Rutgers University - Newark, majoring in Graphic Design and Journalism. She is the SAYI 2021 Campus Liaison for Rutgers University, where she also serves on the Cultural/Identity Executive Board. She hopes that the coming conference is one that celebrates differences across the diaspora, and forges lasting bonds within our community. Being from New Jersey, one of the oldest areas South Asians have settled in in the United States, Samia understands the importance of community collaboration and the benefits it brings to individuals and their societies. She hopes that SAYI 2021 inspires the youth to take the knowledge they gain from this colloquium, and apply it to better their local communities.

SAYI 2021

295 Crown St

New Haven, CT

southasianyouthinitiative@gmail.com