My nickname is Diya, like the oil lamp used to show people the path in the darkness for centuries. I embarked on my inner journey once I became involved with several nonprofits in my community: Sankara Eye Foundation, Girl Up, Shooting Stars, and Special Olympics of Northern California. From conversing with students from an underprivileged background through SSF to assisting with unified fitness events to end the stigma behind disability, I truly understood how insignificant my worries were.Knowing that I was making a difference gave me a sense of fulfillment that could make me smile on the hardest days. As the CEO & founder of OSAT,President & founder of DV Girl Up, a Vice President of the Girl Up Northern California Coalition, an Entrepreneurship Director for Shooting Stars, the Vice President of DV Sankara Eye Foundation, and a Youth Activation Committee member for the Special Olympics of Northern California: I’ve been working towards the causes I’m passionate about while encouraging hundreds of high schoolers to create change. Through advocating for equity and inclusion, I have been able to understand my real self better. My headership experiences gave me the resilience to persist through adversity and remain optimistic at all times. On the highway of life, where most people are just thinking about getting to their destination, I enjoy the ride and take the time to absorb every detail. If I was too focused on getting to my destination, I couldn’t see the problems around me. People are often misjudged or unable to reach their full potential, like a city without lights. The darkness is due to a lack of opportunities or self-realization. That’s why I want to continue showing others the lights. I have just started living up to my name.

When I saw the learning gap widening and students falling behind in school due to the exacerbation of educational inequity that came with the pandemic. Well-known tutoring organizations were profiting from this situation by increasing their virtual class sizes and making the cost of one on one tutoring quite expensive.I did not want the learning of students to be disrupted because of the pandemic or an inability to pay for tuition. Consequently,I established One Step At A Time, a free virtual tutoring organization that has impacted over 500 students in my community. As the CEO & founder I grew the organization from scratch and encouraged my peers to join our cause through diligent management,marketing, and recruitment. Also,I conducted start-up incubators for high schoolers in my community to help raise around $20,000 for the secondary education of students from underserved communities in developing countries through Shooting Stars Foundation. As an entrepreneurship director, I have guided multiple cohorts with the development of their app & business ideas, facilitated workshops, and connected students with industry experts. With Special Olympics Of Northern, I’ve helped conduct fitness and social events to unify those with and without disabilities in my community. I worked with teen leaders across California high schools to plan programs to de-stigmatize the term “disability” in our communities and foster inclusion. Lastly, through my relentless dedication towards empowering girls, as Vice President of the GirlUp Northern California Coalition and President of DV Girl Up, I mentored club leaders from different cities at biweekly meetings and spearheaded programs ranging from leadership confrences to STEM camps and lobbying days.I worked to ensure that every girl had the courage to speak up and to stand up for herself, but more importantly for others.

When I was told I have ulcerative colitis, a chronic incurable inflammatory bowel disease, I was devastated. I would spend hours browsing the internet about my disease, treatment options, and side effects. There were no definitive answers to my endless inquiries:I didn’t know how long it would be until remission, let alone how my body would react to infusions and injections, anxiety crippled me. My journey of growth and inner peace began once I became involved with several nonprofits in my community. From conversing with students from underprivileged backgrounds through Shooting Stars Foundation, to assisting with unified fitness events to end the stigma behind mental disability, I truly understood how insignificant my day-to-day worries were. I learned that if one works wholeheartedly towards a noble cause, they would be able to conquer their mind and body. Through advocating for equity and inclusion, I understood myself better. I gained the resilience to persist through adversity and remain optimistic at all times. Furthermore, there were drastic improvements in my quality of life as my health issues have improved. On the highway of life, where most people are just thinking about getting to their destination, I enjoy the ride and take the time to absorb every detail. If I was too focused on getting to my destination, I couldn’t see the problems around me and bring attention to them. As the CEO & founder of OSAT,President & founder of DV Girl Up, a Vice President of the Girl Up Northern California Coalition, an Entrepreneurship Director for Shooting Stars, the Vice President of DV Sankara Eye Foundation, and a Youth Activation Committee member for the Special Olympics of Northern California: I’ve been working towards the causes I’m passionate about while encouraging hundreds of high schoolers to create change.

During the end of my sophomore year, I started experiencing abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, diarrhea, and bloody stools regularly. The doctor prescribed different treatments for the next several months, but they were ineffective and only aggravated my condition. The frequent loss of blood depleted iron and vitamin levels in my body. I became anemic, extremely fatigued, and lost 28 pounds of weight. I knew my body could not take much more. After over a year of anguish, I was finally diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. A lot of my time was spent in the bathroom or at the hospital for monthly intravenous infusions and appointments. Adjusting to life with an inflammatory bowel disease was an arduous process that took a toll on me initially. I was constantly stressed and overwhelmed trying to learn about the chronic illness that I had, treatment options, and side effects of treatment. I spent hours every day researching on the internet ,analyzing the largely varying experiences of people with the condition, when the doctor told me there was no cure. There were no definitive answers to my endless inquiries: I didn’t know how long it would be until remission, what medication would work for me, let alone how my body would react. This only added to my anxiety as I often found myself demotivated and restless, I soon came to realize that in my case the only uncertainty was certain. Unable to find the reassurance I desperately needed from people and the internet, I turned towards service.I saw the learning gap widening and students falling behind in school due to the exacerbation of educational inequity that came with the pandemic. Well-known tutoring organizations were profiting from this situation by increasing their virtual class sizes and making the cost of one on one tutoring quite expensive. Consequently, I established One Step At A Time (OSAT), a free 1-on-1 virtual tutoring organization that has impacted over 500 students. I grew the organization from scratch in my community through diligent marketing, planning, management, and recruitment so that everyone could have access to extra help if they needed it regardless of their background. As the CEO & founder of OSAT,President & founder of DV Girl Up, a Vice President of the Girl Up Northern California Coalition, an Entrepreneurship Director for Shooting Stars, the Vice President of DV Sankara Eye Foundation, and a Youth Activation Committee member for the Special Olympics of Northern California: I’ve been working towards the causes I’m passionate about while encouraging hundreds of high schoolers to create change. Through advocating for equity and inclusion, I have been able to understand my real self better. Just knowing that I was making a difference gave me a sense of fulfillment that made me smile on the hardest days and helped push past the physical pain.These two years have been tough, but they have prepared me for overcoming any challenge in the future. I have developed a rigorous work ethic, maintained my grades, and continued participating in my daily activities even on the days where I was physically or mentally drained. My struggle made me a stronger person, when put into an excruciating situation at a young age you have no choice but to grow up fast.

During the end of my sophomore year, I started experiencing abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stools regularly. The frequent loss of blood depleted iron and vitamin levels in my body.I became anemic, extremely fatigued, and lost 28 pounds of weight. After over a year of anguish, I was finally diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. A lot of my time was spent in the bathroom or going to the hospital,an hour away from our home,for monthly infusions or appointments. Adjusting to life with an inflammatory bowel disease was an arduous process that took a toll on me initially. I was constantly stressed and overwhelmed trying to learn about the chronic illness that I had, treatment options, and side effects of treatment. I spent hours every day researching on the internet, looking for a possible cure and analyzing the largely varying experiences of people with the condition. There were no definitive answers to my endless inquiries: I didn’t know how long it would be until remission, what medication would work for me, let alone how my body would react. This only added to my anxiety as I often found myself anxious and restless, I soon came to realize that in my case the only uncertainty was certain. Unable to find the reassurance I needed from people and the internet, I turned towards my culture. Practices like yoga, chanting mantras, and meditation brought my focus back to what was important and showed me the insignificance of my fears. They ushered me towards a healthier lifestyle that gave me the strength to overcome the daily fatigue. In the long run, I developed a rigorous work ethic, maintained my grades, and continued participating in my daily activities. Adversity has made me more conscientious and shaped me as a leader. For me every moment counts and I feel a sense of purpose through helping others, these beliefs only grew firmer during my flare-up and it urged me to act. I saw the learning gap widening and students falling behind in school due to the exacerbation of educational inequity that came with the pandemic. Well-known tutoring organizations were profiting from this situation by increasing their virtual class sizes and making the cost of one on one tutoring quite expensive. Consequently, I established One Step At A Time (OSAT), a free 1-on-1 virtual tutoring organization that has impacted over 500 students. I grew the organization from scratch in my community through diligent marketing, planning, management, and recruitment so that everyone could have access to extra help if they needed it regardless of their background. As the CEO & founder of OSAT,President & founder of DV Girl Up, a Vice President of the Girl Up Northern California Coalition, an Entrepreneurship Director for Shooting Stars, the Vice President of DV Sankara Eye Foundation, and a Youth Activation Committee member for the Special Olympics of Northern California: I’ve been working towards the causes I’m passionate about while encouraging hundreds of high schoolers to create change. Through advocating for equity and inclusion, I have been able to understand my real self better. Just knowing that I was making a difference gave me a sense of fulfillment that made me smile on the hardest days and helped push past the physical pain.These two years have been tough, but they have prepared me for tovercoming any challenge in the future. I have learned to always give my best, remain optimistic, and never compromise with my ambitions. The nickname of “trooper” given to me teachers has really grown on me because of my ability to bounce back every time I fall.