Meet the Co-Founders

ARCHIKA DOGRA

​Archika attends Interlake High School as a senior. Archika is passionate about the intersections of computing, social impact, and education. In her free time, she enjoys softball, indulging in long-reads, and developing  applications.

EVELYN CHEN

Evelyn is a senior at Newport High School. She participates in speech and debate and theatre at school. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching football. Evelyn is super excited to expand and evolved EduSTEM to better achieve it's mission!

MAYA SRIKANTH

​Maya  is a senior at Newport High School. At Newport, she loves to participate in its Robotics club and is a captain of the Debate team. In her free time, Maya especially enjoys reading and taking long walks. Maya's favorite subjects to learn at school are English and Math. 

REGIONAL CHAPTER DIRECTORS

24 locations. 7 countries. 1 mission. 

Bangkok, Thailand 

Regional Director: Oi Snirualnad 
Oi is a senior at Kent School in Connecticut. She participates in soccer, crew, and the FRC robotics team. As the vice president of her school's Entrepreneurship Club, she enjoys bringing people with creative ideas together, picking stock positions by analyzing world events, and delving into business strategies' effects in the market world. With a passion for spending time with children, pets, and creating chemical substances, she often discovers herself turning scientific theories into practical activities to inspire students at a local school with the Inventor's Club. Some ways that Oi finds herself alleviating stress in her free time includes the cello, drawing, and meditation. 

San Mateo, California

Regional Director: Ilana Nguyen
Ilana believes that anyone could have fun in STEM with just a little inspiration! A resident of San Mateo, California, her favorite extra-curricular is competing with her robotics team from Stanford Online High School in the FIRST Tech Challenge. The thrill of seeing an idea turn into a reality by applying math and engineering helps fuel her excitement about robotics. Her favorite school subject is math and she is into all kinds of technology, from programming to hardware. In her spare time, you can find Ilana playing basketball, baking, doing art, running long distances and volunteering at her church. ​

Durango, Mexico

Regional Director: Ana Tabares
 Ana Tabares Is a student of 9th grade, where she participates in the robotics' VEX club, as well as in the math olympiad. In her spare time she likes to listen to music an investigate about new themes. Ana hopes through the protect STEM with her experience, involve more children and young people to the science, and wake an interest for the STEM starting with the Durango chapter of the EduSTEM Initiative, introducing them to this field as a promoter of science communicating with more young people joining their knowledge. She wants to support the young minds of her community to reach their maximum potential through support and hard work, since there are no limits as believed and thought that, if you can imagine it, you can create it and accomplish.

Durango, Mexico

Regional Director: Liliana Gonzalez
Liliana is a 8th grader from Durango, Mexico. In her free time, she enjoys reading and playing video games. She joined The EduSTEM Initiative to bring people of the community closer to the science and technology, since she was introduced to the sciences by her family and ended up finding a significant taste for them.

Istanbul, Turkey

Regional Director: Aybuke Derya Ekiz
Aybuke is a senior at Robert College of Istanbul in Turkey. She loves math and science and wants other people to be a part of the STEM community as well. With her school and her FRC robotics team, she participates in projects that aim to make small children interested in science and technology. Apart from her interest for STEM, she loves listening to music, reading and writing as well. She plays cello in her school orchestra and writes short stories in her spare time. 

San Diego, California

Regional Director: Peter Hong
Peter Hong is a rising junior at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, California. When he is not pursuing his academic interests, he enjoys day trading, conducting research on economics and scientific computing, writing/editing articles, and following basketball teams in his free time. He loves to work with younger students and hopes to foster a sense of creativity and drive in them. Through his work with the EduSTEM Initiative, he hopes to truly pioneer change in the STEM field by promoting the lack of diversity in STEM prevalent in America and inspire younger students to aspire to work in a STEM oriented career..

Monrovia, Liberia

Regional Director: Archie Forpoh
Archie Forpoh is the founder of the Young Scientists for Innovation in Science and Technology (YOSISAT), a Liberian STEM education nonprofit organization that specializes in STEM programs for young Scientists that presents Science in a visual and interactive manner and also sparks their imaginative curiosity in promoting STEM in Liberia. At his early age, he has keen interest in performing science experiments. He started his organization to reach young people and get them excited about Science, Technology, Mathematics and Innovation. 
He utilised his passion for STEM and decided to developed activities which his peers and high schools students seem it necessary to have passion for STEM activities. EduSTEM is partnering with Archie in developing STEM activities through STEM curriculum and resources for schools and communities kids in Liberia. He hopes that through the support of EduSTEM he can inspire students in Liberia to join the diverse field of STEM.

Boston, Massachusetts 

Regional Director: Ayush Noori 
​Ayush Noori is an 12th grader at Phillips Exeter Academy. Ayush has witnessed firsthand how STEM education enables youth to create positive change in the world, and hopes to share this empowerment with others. An active neuroscience researcher and biologist, he is currently exploring the cellular mechanisms of neurodegenerative proteopathies. Through his work with EduSTEM, he hopes to promote diversity and thus fuel innovation in the next generation of scientists.

Lynwood, Washington

Regional Director: Soowan Park
Soowan studied at Meadowdale Highschool in Washington. She has always had strong passion toward STEM and has been involved in many other STEM field programs including Girls Who Code,  Robotics and Invention club. She enjoys getting together with people who code every week and work toward a specific goal, and she has fun the most in making websites especially as a UX user experience designer. For Soowan, best part of coding is being able to turn what she had in mind into reality, which is the most rewarding and exciting thingshe has ever felt in her whole life. Her favorite class in school is math and science, especially physics. In her spare time, she loves playing tennis, swimming, making websites, being in band as a flute player, volunteering in Korean Women Association and Elementary schools with kids, and especially studying for psychology.  She has always been passionate about working with kids and she is looking forward to sharing everything she has learned with them. She is thrilled to make a difference and is devoted to do anything for kids to have fun with STEM especially because she wants them to explore and feel what it's like to know they can do whatever they want in this field. She is excited to help them experience that feeling! She can't wait to help with diversity in technology field and see kids' smiles! 

New York, New York

Regional Director: Amelie Buc
Amelie Buc is a senior at the Trinity School in New York City and loves both computer science- particularly the merging field of artificial intelligence- and the humanities. Amelie also debates and is an active member of several STEM-based organizations, including Girls Who Code. Amelie hopes to use her efforts with EduSTEM to help ultimately make the STEM field one that is diverse and all-encompassing of society's needs and differences. 

Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Regional Director: Joseph Anyanwu
Joseph Anyanwu is from Nigeria, residing at Part Harcourt Rivers State Nigeria. He is a Higher Diploma Certificate holder in business administration from Ken Sarowiwa Polytechnic, along with being certified on computer operations, leadership skills, business and social entrepreneurship. He is a strong believer in success through hard work and dedication, finding importance in moral values and respect for other. He has always been an achiever; be it academics or professional life or sports or any other field in his life. He values being understanding, trustworthy, intelligent and kind-hearted. Joseph coaches, thinks, mentors, inspires, motivates, and loves making differences and creating long last legacy for humanitarian gesture around the world. He is excited to create an impact in his country as an EduSTEM Regional Director!

Louisville, Kentucky

Regional Director: Anne Liang
​Anne Liang is a junior at duPont Manual High School in Louisville, KY and is involved in many STEM related activities, including her school's Science National Honors Society. In her free time, Anne enjoys conducting research on the oral microbiome and playing the violin. Through EduSTEM, Anne hopes to increase the amount of STEM related opportunities available in her community for underprivileged youth.

Lucknow, India 

Regional Director: Subhan Raj
Subhan Raj is a +2 student at Lucknow Christian College, he is Self- Passionate about programming and Science Communication. His major interest is in the fields of Computer Applications & Astrophysics. As an active Science Communicator, he has made contributions through documentaries on various Space Missions of NASA and ESA, viz. Cassini- Huygens, ‘Cassini: The Mission Died for Saving Life’ and Voyager, ‘Voyager: Distant Messenger of Mankind’, and on Environmental Issues, viz ‘Micro Message’. ‘Cassini: The Mission Died for Saving Life’ was an entry for National Science Film Festival 2019 held at Chandigarh. One of his major research project is ‘Production of Electricity from Sea Water’ which is under the patent process at The Council of Science & Technology, Uttar Pradesh (Body under The Government of Uttar Pradesh). Adding to it, he is also doing the CS50 (Computer Science 50) Course, Harvard University. In the field of Astronomy, he is an active member of State Astronomical Club ‘Uttar Pradesh Amature Astronomers Club’ taking active parts in all the club activities. In leisure time he enjoys doing Photography, learning something new & reading good books.

Chicago, Illinois 

Regional Director: Tenzin Kunsang
Tenzin is a junior at Jones College Prep in Chicago, Illinois. At her highschool, she participates in UNICEF club, Science Olympiad, and cross country/track & field. Outside of school, she is part of the Tibetan Youth Council, Tibetan Alliance of Chicago, and is co-founder of Minorities in Medicine, a program that exposes minority students with various facets of the medical field. Her passion for science and her leadership role in UNICEF club-a club that raises awareness about children’s rights-inspires her to attenuate the disparities around the world, starting with the Chicago Chapter of the EduStem Initiative. She hopes to use her experience as a female and minority in STEM to engage others who come from similar backgrounds.

Chicago, Illinois 

Regional Director: Dominika Panek
Dominika is a senior at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, Illinois. She was involved with her school’s STEM program for two years and participated in science fairs for a few years. She really enjoys the field of behavioral and psychological sciences and hopes to study them more in the future. Outside of school, Dominika is very involved with her Polish community. She’s involved with Polish scouts, Youth Group, and a Polish folk dance group. During the summer, Dominika volunteers to be a camp counselor at Polish scouts summer camp and enjoys working with younger kids. She wishes to combine her passions for science and educating others, to inspire young kids in pursuing STEM careers.

Lincolnshire, Illinois 

Regional Director: Sneha Mohan
​Sneha Mohan is a junior at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. At school, she in involved in a variety of extracurriculars including being co-captain of her nationally ranked Science Olympiad team, director of Diversity Council, and a member of many other clubs such as Green Team, Peer Tutors, and FBLA. She is also a student athlete and plays badminton both inside and outside of school. Sneha loves all things math and science related and hopes to share her passion and increase diversity in STEM through the EduSTEM program. She is interested in having a career in engineering and aims to use her experience as a female in STEM to connect with others and end gender and racial disparity in the field.

Houston, Texas 

Regional Director: Aryana Suhartono
​Aryana Suhartono is a senior at Seven Lakes High School in Texas. She loves working with children and hopes to give more opportunities for the youth in Houston to become involved in STEM. With an interest in chemistry and biology, she hopes to pursue a career in either engineering or medicine. Aryana is also very involved in her school's band, where she plays the flute and is a drum major for her band. She hopes to bring underprivileged youth to the world of STEM through her efforts in EduSTEM.

Stamford, Connecticut 

Regional Director: Adena Russel
​Adena is a senior at the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering in Stamford, CT. Outside of academics, she participates in crew, student government, is a leader of the Science National Honor Society, president of Medical Mentorship, and is involved in other STEM-related activities. She has always had a passion for STEM and is most interested in computer science and the biological sciences. As the co-founder of a virtual tutoring service, she found that many students lacked in-depth exposure to STEM. Through EduSTEM, Adena hopes to increase the exposure of STEM to underprivileged or minority youth in her community of Stamford. ​

Nixa, Missouri

Regional Director: Meghana Nakkanti
Meghana Nakkanti is a sophomore at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri. She has a huge passion for neuroscience, biology, music, and humanities. Meghana is also an active debater and researcher. She is an active member of several STEM and medicine based organizations, such as the Proximity Foundation and Medical Explorers. Meghana hopes to use her efforts with EduSTEM to help educate and empower those who are normally not exposed to STEM fields. She wants to ensure that the STEM field is reflective of the demographics it supports.

Irvine, California 

Regional Director: Mia Del Rosario
Mia Del Rosario is a junior at Northwood High School in Irvine, CA and is involved in many STEM related activities, including her schools CubeSat program and their Girls Who Code club.  Her passion at the moment is learning all about biomedical computing, and hopes to pursue this in the future! She advocates in supporting young minds on reaching their full potential through support and hard work, as herself wouldn’t be where she was without it. When she isn’t working on a computer she is cheering for her school with their Marching Band, playing trombone, and groovin’ in Jazz Band. In a field with few representation of women of color, she hopes that through the support of EduSTEM she can inspire young girls in southern California to join the diverse field of STEM.

Moses Lake, Washington

Regional Director: Karissma Pineda 
​Karissma is a sophmore at Moses Lake High School in Washington State. Math and Science have always fascinated Karissma. It breaks her to know that her small town does not have much STEM exposure, and is willing to take the lead in bringing that opportunity to her community. Apart from her interest in STEM, Karissma is an advocate for human rights, and is in a podcast which discusses the different diversities in communities, as well as an ambassador To the Bone, which their main focus is to encourage women to free themselves through the power of authenticity and storytelling. Karissma is a self-taught musician, and enjoys writing poetry in her spare time.

Alexandria, Virginia

​Regional Partner: Joshua Nguyen 
Josh Nguyen is a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. As a cofounder of STEM Mayhem, Josh hopes to inspire elementary school students to find their passions in science and engineering fields by conducting experiments and construction challenges. He loves working with younger students to foster creativity and a thirst for knowledge. Outside of STEM Mayhem, Josh is an officer of the Red Cross Youth Task Force at his school and an activities coordinator for the French Honor Society. He hopes to pursue a career in medicine where he can continue to study biology and help other people.

Alexandria, Virginia

Regional Partner: Zoe Gomez-So
Zoë Gomez-So is a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. Zoë is a cofounder of STEM Mayhem, a president of Women in Science and Technology (WISE), and an activities coordinator of her school’s French Honor Society. Zoë is passionate about making STEM resources available to everyone, and works to increase diversity at her high school. Additionally, she hopes to pursue a career that involves the intersection of chemical engineering, molecular gastronomy, and robotics.

Trumbull, Connecticut

Regional Partner: Srishti Pithadia
Srishti Pithadia is a self-taught software developer, and social entrepreneur from Trumbull, CT. She is especially passionate about working at the intersection of technological innovation and social good, and hopes to use code as a tool to improve the world. As the founder and CEO of TechnoTeens, Srishti aims to use her nonprofit as a vehicle to achieve this goal, invoking positive change throughout the nation by fostering opportunities for younger kids to learn about CS and by actively fighting to end the gender disparity in STEM fields. Outside of her technological pursuits though, Srishti is also a devoted advocate of environmental preservation, active in various conservation efforts through her local zoo; a certified EMT; a musical theatre aficionado; and a cross country runner. At her core, though, Srishti is a driven changemaker with code as her strongest tool in making a difference.

Durango, Mexico

Regional Partner Facilitator: Maria Jose Aviña Gonzalez
Maria Jose Aviña lives in Durango city, Mexico. She is a math teacher at Facultad de Ciencias Exactas which is part of Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango. Her latest works are related to inclusive mathematics education. She helps in the developing of didactic tools for teach mathematics to minorities. She works with teachers and students trying to make math a common an inclusive language for everyone.

EduSTEM is partnering with Maria in developing youth-led programming through STEM curriculum and resources for indigenous language populations near Durango, along with bilingual materials for Spanish speaking youths in the United States.