YB Members Biography

		My name is Tanvi Soans, and I am the president of YB 2011-2012. This is my third and final year on IAWW YB. I'm 17 years old and a Junior at Skyline High School. My favorite activities are reading, singing (loud and obnoxiously), dancing, and hanging out with my friends. I spend a lot of my time at school helping out with ASB where I currently hold the position of class president. Music that I like includes the "Cuppy Cake" song, Skrillex, and anything from the '(500) days of Summer' soundtrack. My favorite books include the Hunger Games Series and anything by Jodi Picoult. I'm obsessed with little kids and babies, and think they are absolutely adorable.
		Hi! My name is Sneha Krishnan and I am the Vice President of YB 2011-2012. I am a junior at forest ridge high school. Apart from spending ridiculous amounts of time on schoolwork, I love to dance, sing, play lacrosse, play the violin, and exercise. I have been on YB for a year, and I really look forward to my second year at camp!
		Hi, they call me Varun "Swag" Chandorkar, but you can call me the CFO, or treasurer if you want to be colloquial about it. I am entrusted with keeping the financials of Youth Board in check. A Mock Trial A-Team attorney, I create solutions before the problem starts, and because of my ultimate frisbee skills, if there was a target on the top of the Space Needle, and the government ordered me to knock it off with a dinner plate, but I was in China, I'd still hit it with pinpoint accuracy and save America (or India, just replace the Space Needle with one of the pointy skyscrapers in Mumbai). In all seriousness, I'm an Indian guy searching through the toy chest of life unaware of what bounties await. I love the Clippers, Seahawks, Sockeye (especially Sockeye), and the pre-lockout Raiders. I also am crazy smart, and if you need help with pre-Leopold Congolese history, hit me up on Twitter. Please. I need more followers @VCTaylorMade. That is all.
		My name is Kanika Verma, and I am the Secretary of YB 2011-2012. I am 16 years old and a Junior at Interlake High School. I love to dance, sing, ski and debate. In my spare time, I like to hang out with friends, listen to music, sleep, read, and watch TV shows like Grey's Anatomy. Some of my favorite foods are chaat, noodles, and pretty much anything with chocolate. My favorite movie is Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and I love Harry Potter.
		Hi! My name is Pranav Harikrishnan, and I am a part of YB 2011-2012. I am a Freshman at the Overlake School. My favorite activities are playing ping pong, skiing, following basketball, hanging out with friends, and getting the all too frequent dose of studying. I can entertain myself for hours with just a basketball. My favorite song is Wings by Macklemore. This is my first year on the board, and part of my responsibility is ensuring that the website is updated. I am looking forward to a great year, and of course, a fantastic Camp Bharat.
		Hello my name is Aakash Maniyar. I am currently 16 years old and go to International Community School as a junior. My favorite activities are robotics, basketball and playing videogames. My favorite videogames are the Call of Duty Series and the Madden games. I hope that this year as a IAWW YB Member I will learn a lot and have fun.
		My name is Aditya Uppala, and I am a part of YB 2011-2012. I am a freshmen at Overlake in Redmond. My favorite activities are basketball, karate, and tennis. I also like to ski and watch sports and movies. My favorite tv show is "Stargate Atlantis" and my favorite color is blue. I am really excited about YB and look forward to a great year and camp.
		My name is Akarsh Vaidyanathan. I am fifteen years old, and a member of YB 2011-2012. I am a sophomore at the Overlake School. My favorite activities include playing Ultimate Frisbee, playing the trombone and singing. I love relaxing, watching football, and hanging out with friends. I also enjoy singing. I lived in India for five years and came back when I was ten. My favorite subject is Physics.
		My name is Amar Kalkura, and i am part of YB 2011-2012. I am 17 years old, and a junior at Bothell high school. My favorite activites includies cross country, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and I love to hang out with friends. My favorite movie is the Batman Trilogy, Transformers, and Avatar.
		Hey there fellow Indians! I'm Amulya Deva but I'm also known as Amoomoo. Like everyone else on this page I'm a member of YB 2011-2012 and this is my first year on the board. I'm a Freshman at Interlake High School and I like to procrastinate by dancing, baking, waste hours upon hours on Youtube, sleeping, see friends, and eating all the samples at Costco. I'm so appreciative to be apart of YB because I love being Indian and I look forward to hanging out with other awesome Indians to help change the community. I hope to meet you all at Camp!
		Hey! My name is Archana Somasegar, and this is my first year on the youth board. I am a sophomore at Lakeside Highschool. I love to play soccer, dance when no ones watching, sing when no one is listening, and eat fatty foods! I am super excited to be on the board this year, and I have no doubts about what we can accomplish together for the community, especially come camp time!
		My name is Mahak Sodhi, and I am a member of YB 2011-2012. I attend Issaquah High School and am a sophomore. I am a people person, and love to meet new people. I enjoy dancing, cooking, annoying Shruti Joshi, hanging out with family & friend, and above all sleeping. My favorite shows include Choti Bahu, Pretty Little Liars, and The Lying Game. My favorite Indian movies are DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. This is my first year on YB, and I’m really excited to work with IAWW and the rest of YB.
		My name is Neha Singh and I am a part of YB 2011-2012. I am 17 years old, and currently a Junior at Eastlake High School in Sammamish. I love spending time with my family and friends. Tennis is my favorite sport and I also enjoy dancing, traveling, and eating. My favorite types of movies are horror movies and my favorite artist is Drake! I love giving back and helping others whenever I can, and I’m looking forward to a great year on YB!
		My name Nikki Sharma, and I am a member of YB 2011-2012. I am 16 years old and sophomore at Redmond High School. At school, I am member of the dance/drill team, and my favorite subjects are World History and Spanish. I love martial arts, music, and dancing! My favorite TV shows are Scrubs, Gossip Girl, Friends, and How I Met Your Mother. I could watch “Blades of Glory,” “Mean Girls,” and “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” forever. Go Huskies!!!
		My name is Nivu Jejurikar and I’m really excited to be on YB this year! I’m 15 years old and am a sophomore at Forest Ridge High school. I love to sing, play piano, and play lacrosse. I love Harry Potter and have gone to Camp Bharat for as long as I can remember. I’m very excited to be on YB this year, and get to know my fellow counselors. This year will be my first, so I can’t wait to get started and help out our community.
		My name is Prachi and I'm excited to be a part of YB 2011-2012! I'm 15 years old, and I'm a sophomore at Lakeside High School. I enjoy playing tennis, watching Bollywood movies, and traveling. When I am not reading Harry Potter for the millionth time, I also love dancing, volunteering, and watching my favorite T.V. show, Modern Family. I'm looking forward to another amazing Camp Bharat experience, and can't wait to be a part of this group again!
		My name is Pranal Angolkar and I am a part of YB 2011-2012. I am a sophomore at University Prep in Seattle. I love to play basketball and golf. My favorite ice cream flavor is bubblegum from Baskin Robbins. I also like to watch a lot of movies and my favorite is "Air Force One". My favorite thing to do is to eat new foods because it is fun and delicious.
		My name is Rohan Bhat, and I am a member of the 2011-12 YB. I am a Junior at Kentridge High School, in Kent. I love to play tennis, snowboard and hang out with friends. Sports are a huge part of my life, and I play pretty much all sports, competitively and recreationally with friends. My favorite color is blue and my favorite movie is "Kung Fu Panda". In my spare time I play Xbox, watch movies, and go on Facebook.
		Hi! I'm Sahana Cidambi and I'm excited to be a part of YB 2011-2012! I am a sophomore at Redmond High School, and I love singing Carnatic music and dancing bharatanatyam. My favorite things in the world are chocolates and sunshine. I love watching Indian movies (3 Idiots, anyone?) and listening to random movie songs on repeat. Youtube is my life, and I relate too well to characters in the media!
		Hey! Im Serena Ahuja and I am a Sophomore at The Overlake School! I love to play volleyball and do Bharatnatyam dance. I am involved in my High School Kiva and Aware Club, and I love being part of my Upper School Chamber Choir! I love public speaking, and when I grow up I want to be a Dermatologist. In my free time, I enjoy being with my friends, sleeping, volunteering at the University of Washington Medical Center, and watching Bollywood Movies! My absolute favorite movie is Band Baaja Bharat and I love being around people and helping others! I am definitely an Indian that loves being Indian and from YB I hope that I can help make others feel this way!
		I am a sophomore at Eastlake High School. I love INDIA! I love to eat South Indian curry every meal including breakfast if possible. My interests include: skiing, playing tennis, long walks on the beach, watching the sunrise, shower singing to John Mayer, and dancing alone in my room to Indian techno. I also love watching movies with Hrithik Roshan and Surya. I hope to spread the jubilant culture of India around Washington even more than it already is. JAI HIND!
		Hi, I'm Sheila Murthy and I am a member of the 2011-2012 Youth Board. I'm a junior at Interlake High School currently completing my second year of the IB program. A few extra-curriculars I enjoy are robotics, my astrophysics research project and JSA, a debate organization. I also love to play piano, both learning and composing music. Traveling has been a favorite pastime of mine and I hope to study abroad for a little while in college! I look forward to a great year on YB and am excited to make camp a great experience for all!
		My name is Shelly Bensal, and I'm a sophomore at Lakeside. I enjoy singing along to the radio, reading mystery novels, trying new foods, and watching happy movies. Right now, I'm listening to AJ Rafael and Ed Sheeran. I’m left-handed, I like Pepsi more than Coke, and I wish I could play the guitar. This is my first year on YB, and I'm excited to work with such a great group of people.
		Hey there! My name is Shivani Vyas and I'm a part of YB 2011-2012, and a junior at University Prep. In my spare time I enjoy watching "Iron Chef America," dancing, making fashion designs, singing in the shower and but most of all annoying my sister! My favorite show is Scrubs and my favorite movies are "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" and "Charlie's Angels"!
		My name is Shruti Joshi and I’m a part of the 2011-2012 YB, and I’m a sophomore at Newport High School. I love dance, Bollywood, and watching Modern Family. I’m always singing, hanging out with my friends, bothering Meku, and watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I’m excited to be a part of YB this year, and I can’t wait to see what this year brings!
		My name is Tanvi Gandham, and I'm ecstatic to be a part of the 2011-2012 YB team. I'm currently fifteen years old and attend Lakeside School. My favorite foods include palaak paneer, sushi, broccoli and cheddar soup, and chole batura. My favorite animal is the owl and I love traveling, eating good food, and watching scary movies. At school, my favorite subject is English, and my favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. My guilty pleasure is watching terribly long and old Indian movies alone late at night (ie. Teesri Manzil, Mera Saaya. I can usually be found smiling, with a camera in my hand.
		My name is Varun Bahl, and this is my second year on YB. I am 17, and am a junior at LakesideSchool. When I am not at school I am usually reading or conditioning. My idols are Malcolm X and Myron Rolle because of their ability to defy the odds and reach success. I like all types of rock music and the genre depends on what mood I am in. I like heavy metal when I work out but alternative when I am relaxing. My favorite sports are lacrosse and football and I would be nothing without them.
		Hi, my name is Varun Dhananjaya and I’m a member of the 2011-2012 Youth Board. I'm currently a sophomore and an IB candidate at Interlake High School. I'm a very outgoing person so you will normally find me talking to someone. My main passions are performing on stage and helping out in the community, but I am also really interested in business, programming, and engineering. I am a part of my school's Honor Society, drama department, orchestra, jazz choir, math club, and DECA chapter. I am very excited to be a part of this year's Youth Board and I can't wait to see what we accomplish!
		Hey everyone, my name is Vikram Reddy, and I am a part of YB 2011-2012. I am 15 years old, and a Sophomore at Redmond High School. My favorite activities include reading, biking, eating, playing basketball, and hanging out with friends. My favorite TV shows are probably "Family Guy" and "The League" I love basketball, although I am not very good at it. In my spare time, cook (mostly PBJ’s), sleep, play Madden, and watch TV.
		My name is Vinayak Sharma and I am one of the members of YB 2011-12. I’m 17 years old and a junior at Lakeside School. My favorite activities are swimming, running, biking, hanging out with friends, watching movies, and playing soccer. I’ve lived in Seattle all my life, and my favorite sports teams are the Seattle Sounders and the Washington Huskies.
		Some of you are probably looking at this picture saying, “Awww!” Why this picture? Because I remember what it was to be a kid and a teen! And I see many aspects of myself in the eyes of the youth I work with. Growing up, I often wanted to talk to a safe adult (outside my family) who might be able to provide some guidance. Which is primarily why I do this work. This is the third set of YB members I’ve worked with. It is a blast and a privilege. I hope what I have shared has been of some help to them. But, no exchange is complete without receiving something. And my YB give me a lot in return. They are amazing, bright, young people who teach me to take risks, be alive and open to life. For those who want to know my background – I have 2 degrees, in Microbiology and Psychology. Most of my work experience is in the field of mental and social health. I strongly believe that emotional well-being is the foundation of a joyful, productive life. I am passionate about providing people the support they need to be the best person they can be in their lives, especially kids and youth.
		Rakhi is a graduate student at The University of Washington. She has lived and gone to school in Punjab, Philadelphia, London, The Netherlands, Texas, and now Seattle. In her spare time she likes to run, watch movies, dance, hang out with friends and family, and bum around with her fiancee.
		Hey guys, I'm Rohita, Youth Program Advisor. Having lived as much in the US as in India by now, I'm a 1/2 n 1/2 :). When I am not working for the digital advertising division at Microsoft, I enjoy cooking, reading, singing, working out, hiking the beautiful northwest trails in summer and just hanging out with friends and enjoying a good laugh over a glass of wine. Am excited to engage with the smart and adorable Indo-American kids, or should I say young adults and am looking forward to having some good times.
		“Hey all! My name is Ronak Patel and I’m one of the Youth Program Advisors. I did my undergrad at UW and am currently doing my graduate work in Education at Seattle Pacific University. I love used bookstores, good football, coffee, anything Husky, NPR, and balsamic vinegar, among many other things. I firmly believe that to live life to its fullest you have to dream big and aim high.“
		My name is Lalita Uppala and I am the Director for the IAWW Youth Program for the year 2012. The IAWW Youth Program has a special place in my heart. I hope to provide the youth in the community a platform to explore their identities and connect with other communities in the Greater Seattle region.