IYLC
Our Leaders
Samaya Shah - Executive Director
Samaya is a sophomore at the Pingry School in New Jersey, a creative writer and researcher in the field of English literature, and a budding social entrepreneur. She is a skilled community organizer, as well as an ideator. Samaya built the National Young Leaders Association (NYLA) and Entrées with Entrepreneurs to educate her generation on the new directions of business. Her major goal is to create access to big ideas and diverse, successful professionals in the business world. She wants to create for-profit and nonprofit pathways for ambitious students from all backgrounds and educations.
Aanya Shah - Founder
Aanya is a senior at The Pingry School in NJ and a young student fascinated by law and history. She is the founder of the International Young Leaders Council (IYLC) and Sustain a Child, a podcast and website meant to educate people about different non-profits around the world and the ways in which these organizations address child protection. Additionally, Aanya is a legal and International Relations researcher having researched a produced a 24-page thesis with the Pioneer Research Program, under the mentorship of NYU professor Maha Hosain Aziz. She also attended a rigorous program at the Oxford University where she produced an original paper titled, “China’s Economic Growth: The Effects and Consequences on the World.” Aanya was selected from a pool of almost 9,000 applicants to be a 2023 Yale Young Global Scholar. She holds a certificate on the Supreme Court and a U.S. Law from Columbia University and serves as an ambassador for the Harvard Undergraduate International Relations Scholars Program. ​
As an aspiring attorney and social sciences researcher, Aanya was evoked to create a platform and inspiration for other students. Having grown up and spent summers in her ancestral home Aanya saw two worlds: productive members of societies and those living on the streets. Throughout visits to India, she got to see the other world, the saddest world. She was determined to create a platform and an inspiration for students to come together to do something globally important for the children on the streets of India and around the world which is why she created
Krish Patel
Krish is a 18-year old senior from New Jersey, a board game developer for the disadvantaged, an advocate for nutrition and health for teens, and a medical researcher. He is the founder and director of TEENHEALTHNOW, an app that promotes a healthy lifestyle for teens through various types of physical activity, workout routines, nutritional interviews, and video recipes focused on a healthier diet. His inspiration is to help teenagers become healthier during the pandemic - a time of reportedly less physical activity. He is also the founder of Assess Your Success, a platform in which users can learn about the experiences, obstacles, and risks to which people at the top of their industries attribute their success. With a dream of a medical future, Krish participated in the Help Jamaica Medical Mission and is working to assist those in his generation to become the healthiest and most successful people they can become.
Anika Sinha
Anika is a 18-year-old senior from New Jersey who is an avid athlete, an enthusiast of wellness and self-care, and a creator of sustainable change that affects the present and future. Athletics play a large role in Anika’s life, and she spends most of her time outside of school training on the national level for fencing, as well as the varsity level for track and field and cross country. She is the co-founder, marketing manager, and financial manager of Kale USA— an online boutique that sells unique on-trend clothes. With a little over 22,000 followers on Instagram (@shopkaleusa), Kale USA uses its platform to inspire self-empowerment, and self-love for a diversity of young men and women. She is also the founder of the Social Entrepreneurship Club in her school which works to connect organizations for lasting change. Anika is also working on a podcast called The Motivating Stuff, where she interviews motivated individuals to learn more about their driving force, and then tries and gives feedback on their methods. She has also worked intensively with Lighthouse Relief, an organization that aids displaced refugees in Greece with a focus on the youth and disabled and hopes to continue finding innovative ways of helping others.
Daniel Ha
Daniel is a junior at The King’s Academy, Sunnyvale. As an avid student, Daniel currently pursues International Relations and Political Science and delves into foreign policy interests. He is fascinated by the diplomacy and tensions that have surfaced due to recent conflicts and shifts in government leadership. Last year he investigated the security implications of the South Korean presidency change and right now he has shifted his focus to European security concerns, particularly regarding new developments in NATO and Western Europe. Daniel has been playing piano for 9 years and has finished the Certificate of Merit Advanced Level (Level 10). Both inside and outside of school he has begun to hone his skills as a debater and heads out to competitions a few times a month. During his free time, he likes to do strength training and enjoys promoting his soap entrepreneurship where he donates 100% of all gross proceeds to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (LPCH).
Parsvi Shah
Parsvi is a 17-year-old senior at the Ranney School, NJ. Her passions have led her to this council and have given her an opportunity to use a new platform for good. A straight-A student, she is on both the class council and student council at her school. In addition, she was recently awarded the citizenship award at Ranney and developed her own club, Acting for a Cause. With her interest in acting, she directs her club to form performable skits with open donation boxes. All proceeds from her club are donated to the various organizations supported by IYLC. She understands that not everyone is given the same opportunities she is and so is honored to be able to offer her help to the prevalent causes of the world.
Sunny Peng
Sunny is a freshman in college from Palo Alto, California, passionate about business, design, and languages. She is the publicity officer for her school's student executive council, overseeing various marketing projects and merchandise production, and is a mentor for her school's competitive business team. Outside of school, Sunny is a stationary-enthusiast and founded her own brand Dreamlikeco. Through her experience as an entrepreneur, she acquired skills in managing distribution channels, communicating with manufacturers, and marketing digitally. Another one of her hobbies is mastering foreign languages; Chinese, Cantonese, Spanish, Korean, and Italian are all languages under her belt. Sunny has undertaken various local translation projects, from district newsletters to children's books, in the hope of helping community members feel more comfortable and connected.
Malaq Ali
Malaq is a freshman at USC, a student of diplomacy and legal studies, and a dedicated social entrepreneur. She founded and directs SheBuildsEgypt, an interactive tech education organization teaching robotics and STEM to girls in Egypt. She also presents speakers on computer science, engineering, and robotics to bridge the STEM learning gap in the Middle East. Malaq was also selected for Harvard's Undergrad International Relations Scholar Program, led research for selected MENA groups, and directs fundraising for Egyptian hospitals through the IYLC.
Aaron Khan
Aaron is a freshman in college originally from New Jersey. He is a dedicated student and enjoys learning about science, which is why he applied and was selected into the Columbia Science Honors Program. Here, he is taught advanced topics of science by researchers at Columbia University. Aaron has used his knowledge in science and math to compete in competitions such as the National Science Bee and American Mathematics Competition. He has also been playing piano sicne the age of 6, and likes playing tennis and ice hockey which he has done for years. He is excited to work with the IYLC and be able to help people all around the world!
Hailey Bhatt
Hailey is a senior at Livingston High School, NJ, interested in helping people all around the world with both their physical and mental health. She spends her time volunteering/helping her community and playing sports including competitive dance and fencing. She planned events for her community like a local Yoga Day with the children at a summer camp, teaching them old Indian folk tales to connect with their culture. ​Hailey Bhatt is the Founder and Executive Director of Girlstawk, the newsletter that helps high school girls bond through their experiences, social, professional, and intellectual concerns, and interests. She has a passion for debate and public speaking. She is a dedicated community organizer and advocate, Hailey interned for Sewa International, raising funds for children in India. She has also volunteered at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. She researched with Lumiere Education and interned at The New Jersey representative, Mikie Sherill's office. She plans on continuing her studies in International Relations and Gender Studies in college.
Vedant Bharadwaj
Committed to the Cause
Vedant is a 15 year old sophomore living in Zurich, Switzerland. He loves playing football as well other sports like running, swimming, basketball, and American football. He enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with friends! He is now working alongside the OSCAR Foundation with the IYLC to raise money for underprivileged kids in India. Working for these children is extremely important to him because he has seen how kids operate in India and how their lifestyles tend to shape out. He finds it extremely alarming to see how their living environment is and he wants to take action to support them. As a fellow Indian himself, he would like to try and make a change to these children's lives.
Varun Donde
Varun is a 16 year old Junior who currently resides in Singapore, but has previously lived in Hong Kong and New Jersey. In school Varun is an avid stem student and has taken multiple AP’s in the discipline over his time as a high schooler. Some including AP Chemistry and AP Statistics. In Hong Kong, Varun was part of an organisation called Suits for Success with the aim of providing upcoming university students with formal attire to attend job interviews. Additionally, Varun enjoys soccer, chess and cricket, and has played competitively at a high standard in both Hong Kong and Singapore since Middle School. He is excited to be working with IYLC, helping underprivileged kids in India and hopes to make a change in the children’s lives!
Grazia Hottenrott
Grazia is a senior at Marymount in New York City. She is a multilingual devoted student of global languages and international relations. Grazia is dedicated to non-profit work in the food security sector and in supporting Ukrainian refugees.
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Cyrus Bajoghli
Cyrus is a junior at Langley High School in McLean, Virginia. His love for languages and global interests stems from having ancestral roots in Iran. Proficient in both Persian and Spanish, and currently learning French and Russian, he is interested in pursuing Global Languages and International Relations. Cyrus is also an avid tennis player – contributing to Langley boys’ state tennis championship– the first since 1994. He also enjoys participating in triathlons and has aspirations of completing an Ironman one day.
Suhani Shah
Suhani is a driven 15-year-old junior at Monroe Township High School who is passionate about the intersection of economics and technology. She is currently doing research with a Cambridge Professor exploring this interest. Additionally, she is building an app that will serve as a platform for students dealing with student debt issues to help manage their money better and is integrating a machine learning component. She is the head board member of her robotics club at school and has organized and hosted numerous competition at her high school connecting individuals from all of New Jersey. In her free time she enjoys playing field hockey at her high school.