2023 NJLP Fellows

ALISHA DESAI

Hometown: Moorestown

Internship Placement: 8th Legislative District - Senator Jean Stanfield, Assemblymen Michael Torrissi and Brandon Umba

Alisha Desai currently attends Moorestown High School in Moorestown, New Jersey and will be entering her senior year. She holds leadership positions in her school's Interact Club and Mock Trial Team. She also serves as the grade's Class Historian for the Student Council. She is very passionate about the topics of politics and economics, which led her to cofound her school's own Economic and World Newsletter. The newsletter was created with the goal of offering her fellow peers an outlet to write about news that interests them and to give peers an easy way to stay informed about seemingly complicated topics. 

To that same sentiment, Alisha's career aspirations include working in a job that is at the intersection of economics and political science. Alisha also enjoys playing golf or watching movies in her free time. She is excited to be a fellow for NJ Lead as it will allow her to build her network and gain professional experience! 

ROHAN JOIS

Hometown: West Windsor

Internship Placement: Office of Senator Vin Gopal

Rohan Jois is currently a rising senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South. He was born in Edison, New Jersey and, apart from the three years he spent in India, he has lived in New Jersey his entire life. At his school, Rohan is involved in the Debate, Model Congress, and Philosophy clubs while also being a member of his school's swim team. Outside of school, Rohan has had two articles published on the subject of tribal sovereign immunity and judicial review.

Rohan is passionate about both politics and law and aspires to be involved in both fields in his adult life. In his spare time, Rohan enjoys reading, swimming, and playing and listening to music.

JESSICA JAIN

Hometown: Ridgewood

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblyman Chris DePhillips

Yessica Jain is a rising senior at the Bergen County Academies. She loves economics, politics, writing, and above all learning. She is the author of The Prisons of Magic, a fantasy novel about the war that spawns over the potential release of magic. She has been published in literary magazines including the Paper Crane Journal and Juven Press, is the editor of her school newspaper, and maintains a weekly blog at yessicajain.com. She is also the founder and president of Shadow Your Future (shadowyourfuture.org), a nonprofit that organizes shadowing and meeting opportunities for high schoolers interested in exploring future career options. She loves learning about different cultures and speaks four languages: English, Hindi, Spanish, and Mandarin

In college, she hopes to double major in economics and international affairs. She plans to pursue a career in business, but she recognizes business and politics are deeply intertwined, which is why she joined NJLP as a fellow.

KAVYA KATKURI

Hometown: West Windsor

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblyman Sterley Stanley

Kavya, a rising senior at West Windsor Plainsboro High School South, is an advocate and active member of her school community. As a representative on the student council, she effectively addresses important issues and collaborates with administrators to improve school life. Kavya also holds the position of Chief of Curriculum in the Business Club, guiding members to success in prestigious conferences. Furthermore, she serves as the Senior News Editor for her high school's newspaper, where she utilizes her writing, editing, and graphic design skills to share important stories with the student body.

Outside of school, Kavya co-hosts and co-founded the "Unraveling the World Podcast," collaborating with influencers to raise awareness about stigmatized issues and shed light on overlooked topics through weekly episodes.

During her free time, Kavya enjoys baking new recipes, going on bike rides with friends, and indulging in Netflix show marathons.

MAHEE PATEL

Hometown: Woodbridge

Internship Placement: Offices of Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn and Gerry Scharfenberger

Mahee Patel is a rising senior at John F Kennedy Memorial High School. She has started her school’s first Youth in Government Club to get high schoolers involved in local government. She is also an officer of both the Student Council and the Autism Awareness Club.  She is involved in the national English honor society and national honor society. She actively participates in her school’s model united nations team. She is a proud player on her school’s varsity volleyball team. On her weekends she tutors young Ukrainians in English through a global nonprofit. She helps out at her family’s local business in her free time. She is always found with her head in a book. She has always had a strong passion for law and political science and has been part of various political organizations where she has worked with many elected officials through campaigns.

In the future, she hopes to work as a congressional representative and obtain a law degree.

SANIA SHAREEF

Hometown: Warren

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis

Sania is a rising junior at Watchung Hills Regional High School. She has always been interested in learning about public policy, law, and government, and hopes to further her knowledge through this program, clubs, and other projects. Alongside government, she enjoys statistics and math, as one who recently took AP Statistics in high school. She also loves writing stories or books, and am excited to be able to edit her school’s daily newspaper this upcoming school year. Outside of academics, she likes to read about the daily news in order to become more engaged in her community’s issues, and dancing. She has been dancing since the age of three and has been featured on several television commercials for it, including Universal Kids and Nickelodeon.

Sania loves collaborating with others to get a task done and I hope to continue using these skills while learning and developing in this program. 

RUBINA SINGH

Hometown: Scotch Plains

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblywoman Linda Carter

Rubina Singh is a rising senior at the Union County Magnet High School for Science, Mathematics, and Technology in Scotch Plains. Despite participating in an engineering-oriented curriculum, Rubina’s passion lies in civics and social studies. She channels her love for politics through leadership, advocacy, and public speaking. She is actively involved in student government, serving as both Class Council President and the Treasurer of the New Jersey Association of Student Councils. She served two terms on Congressman Tom Malinowski’s Youth Advisory Council, where she drafted bills pertaining to the climate crisis and global human rights awareness. She also presented a TEDx talk at her school about the lack of civics education in the nation, and this inspired her to start a district-wide Civics Club.

Rubina hopes to pursue public policy and economics in the future and will continue to advocate for a stronger civics education system. She is excited to start her political career as a fellow in the NJ Lead program. She hopes to connect with other passionate individuals and gain new policy interests.

JANHITHA VEERAMACHANENI

Hometown: Jersey City

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblyman Raj Mukherji

Janhitha is a rising junior at Infinity Institute. She is a student looking to positively impact society by exploring her interests and passions. Janhitha is the President and Founder of the Red Cross @ Infinity Institute, through which she helps students at her school advocate for the things they want. Beyond her leadership through the Red Cross @ Infinity Institute, Janhitha takes active leadership roles through the YMCA. She serves as the Vice President of her school’s Model United Nations Club and actively participates in the Youth and Government program. Janhitha serves as a Newark YMCA’s Youth Council member to advise on decisions that genuinely affect youth. She currently serves as the YMCA New Jersey State Youth Advocate. Janhitha firmly believes that youth drive the community, as she is working to help drive youth advocacy by collaborating with a group of youth to pass the Michigan Infrastructure Act into law. Through her love for the community and youth, she is helping lead the Alliance Against Bias Initiative through school districts to help students recognize everyday biases. She is an astute member of the Bergen County Debate Club.

Janhitha has big dreams of achieving things for herself and her community. She joined the New Jersey Leadership Program to create meaningful relationships and gain insight into politics. With the knowledge she amasses, she looks forward to applying them in all her endeavors. She is eager to continue fighting for the rights of people in her community while exploring new things to go above and beyond! She strongly believes an impactful change starts with one small step!

2022 NJLP Fellows

AARAV KUMAR

Hometown: Marlboro

Internship Placement: Office of Senator Vin Gopal

Aarav Kumar currently attends Biotechnology High School in Freehold and will be entering his junior year. He holds positions in his school's Academic Team and the local chapter of Model UN. He is also very active in his school's business club and several organizations outside of school such as the multifaith program, Garden State MOSAIC. Additionally, he also serves as a PR/Outreach Lead at Finatic, a financial education organization.

His career aspirations include working in the financial industry out of college and later moving into a job at the intersection of finance and public policy. In college, he hopes to pursue a double major in finance and political science. Aarav also enjoys watching and breaking down movies in his free time and runs his own movie blog which he posts to weekly. He particularly enjoys sci-fi movies and movies directed by Christopher Nolan. Aarav applied to the NJ Leadership Program because he wanted to get political experience at the local level and wanted to learn how policy is implemented at this level.

HUMNAH POONAWALA

Hometown: Edison

Internship Placement: Offices of Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn & Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger

Humnah Poonawalla currently attends John P Stevens High School and will be entering her senior year. She is active in the executive board of her school’s FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) chapter and has advocated for causes she is passionate about in her local TedX Club. In her free time, Humnah loves to play basketball or go to the movies. Humnah aspires to pursue a career in public policy along with corporate law. 

Humnah is eager to be a fellow at NJLP in order to gain insight into the legislative process and follow a culture of persistent learning. While working alongside fellows that are as driven as her, she looks forward to building her network and gaining experience in the professional field. Most importantly, Humnah seeks to discover how to serve as an advocate for change and make a true impact on the larger society around her.

RIDA KADRI

Hometown: Iselin

Internship Placement: Offices of Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn & Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger

Rising senior Rida Kadri currently attends John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, residing in Woodbridge Township. She is an active and dedicated member of her school’s chapter of the Junior State of America, previously serving as the Underclassmen Representative and Director of Debate. Additionally, Rida is entering her fourth year of playing varsity tennis as captain. She is also active in student council, American Cancer Society, Key Club, Model UN, Heroes and Cool Kids, School Musical Crew, and her school’s mental health club, Wevolve. Rida finds a keen interest in journalism, being Editor-in-Chief of her school paper, The Torch, and has served two terms on Congressman Frank Pallone’s Youth Advisory Council as well. She also holds the JFK Choirs close to her heart and will be serving as president in the coming school year. 

In the future, Rida aspires to continue her education in Political Science. She applied to the New Jersey Leadership Program with the intention of gaining more knowledge and new perspectives on the complex nature of politics. Passionate about civic duty and political awareness, Rida wants to be more educated and active in her community, and being a fellow in an organization that values South Asian representation in government was the perfect opportunity for her. 

SAMIRAH HUSSAIN

Hometown: Princeton Junction

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblyman Daniel Benson

Samirah is a rising senior at West Windsor Plainsboro High School South. She is active in her school’s Model United Nations club and Mock Trial club, holding the position of president in both. She is also involved in South’s Muslim Student Association and the National Honors Society. She currently acts as CEO for the Youth Public Speaking Association, a student-run non-profit organization that provides free public speaking classes to the local community. On Saturdays, she assistant teaches fourth grade students in Quranic studies at the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton. 

Samirah is passionate about history, foreign languages, international affairs, and writing. In the long term, she hopes to study law. She wants to be able to advocate for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers struggling domestically and abroad. She has a deep fascination with Middle Eastern and Asian history and culture, and would become fluent in every language if it were possible. Samirah is elated to be part of a program with similar-minded students and hopes to gain a better understanding of policy and politics. She wants to understand how change gets made in a community, whether it’s through lawmakers or grass-roots organizations. 

In her free time, you can find Samirah writing in her journal, blasting Taylor Swift or Indie Rock, painting yet another mural on her wall, or watching her favorite Netflix shows for the fiftieth time. 

SHIZA KAMRAN

Hometown: Salem

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer

Shiza Kamran currency attends Ursuline Academy and will be entering her fourth year of high school next fall. She is the captain of her school’s Mock Trial Team and is the president of a club called Undefined, a student union. Shiza also holds various other leadership positions while volunteering as a tutor and local library organizer. 

She hopes to pursue a career in law after studying political science and international affairs. She applied to the NJ Leadership Program to gain more knowledge of the political world which she hopes to be a part of in the future. She is excited to meet other students who share similar interests and goals. Shiza is also eager to learn more ways she can help her community through listening to the speakers. 

SHRIYA DANI

Hometown: Ridgewood

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblyman Chris DePhillips

Shriya Dani is a rising senior at Ridgewood High School. She is a member of the Ridgewood Academy for Health Professions (RAHP), where she has had the chance to explore different aspects of healthcare. She has discovered a passion for helping others, and is now Co-founder and President of Konnekt Global, a registered 501c3 non-profit organization, striving to implement sustainable projects and make a positive impact on local and international communities. Shriya is also Founder and President of Helping Hands Ridgewood, a volunteer tutoring club that aids elementary students with their studies. With her service to these organizations, she has reached the gold level in the President’s Volunteer Service Awards twice. Shriya is strongly immersed in her culture through her involvement in Indian dance and music, and is a leader of her youth group at the Arya Samaj of NJ. Her love for her culture led her to Co-found Educate to Eradicate: AAPI Hate, through which she and her partners educate elementary students about the beautifully diverse cultures of Asia. Aside from these initiatives, Shriya is heavily involved in school clubs including DECA, Asian Fest, the school newspaper, and NHS. Her leadership positions in school clubs and her youth group have led Shriya to become a Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership ambassador.

Shriya hopes to continue her studies in STEM and business. She applied to NJ Lead to learn more about NJ's governing bodies and policy. She hopes to gain insight into navigating multiple views to ultimately make decisions that result in the most positive change in her community.

VEER GUDA

Hometown: Somerset

Internship Placement: Office of Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer

Veer Guda will be entering his senior year of high school at Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School. He is the captain of the debate team, the co-captain of the varsity volleyball team, a member of NHS, have a leadership position in the school's student council, and is a current active volunteer firefighter.

His career aspirations focus mostly on the fields of engineering and business, in order to be able to further his understanding of the mechanics of our world and how to improve them. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer & volleyball, reading, and cooking.

2021 NJLP Fellows

ROSHNI ANEJA | Congressman Frank Pallone

Hometown: Iselin

Roshni Aneja currently attends John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and will be entering her third year of high school. She is active in her school's Junior State of America, Marching Band, JV Tennis, Robotics Team, Wind Ensemble, and Academic Team. She has founded and is the chair of her local chapter of High School Democrats of America. She currently resides in her hometown of Iselin.

Her career aspirations include combining her interests in political and computer science to develop advocacy software that helps stimulate and influence change in public policy. She is also interested in baking, reading, and practicing her clarinet in her free time. Roshni decided to apply to be a New Jersey Leadership Program Summer Fellow because of her interest in learning about how social justice can be achieved through our intricate government. She also hopes to educate and activate her peers through the knowledge gained through this program.

VAISHNAVI BHALLA | Assemblyman Sterley Stanley

Hometown: Belle Mead

Vaishnavi Bhalla currently attends Princeton Day School and will be entering her third year of high school. She is active in Spokesman (the newspaper), Model Un, Mock Trial, a capella, Hindustani classical music, and holds a leadership position in the "Hear Our Voices" magazine for Asian-American high schoolers. She currently resides in Belle Mead, Montgomery.

Her career aspirations include a career in law. She is also interested in reading, singing, and binge watching Netflix. Vaishnavi decided to apply to be a New Jersey Leadership Program Summer Fellowship because she wanted to gain new skills to eventually induce change in her community. She also wanted to develop her knowledge on the local government and how policies are carried out.

PRIYANKA DAS | Princeton Public Affairs Group

Hometown: East Windsor

Priyanka Das currently attends Hightstown High School and will be starting her junior year next fall. She is part of Red Cross, Key Club, and is the lead snare and drumline captain for her Marching Band. She also takes great pride in Assistant Directing her school productions, and her local theater shows run by The Impact Project. She holds leadership positions as the Student Production Manager for Drama Club and also serves as the Director of Events for the HHS Student Council.

Priyanka's career aspirations include working for United States intelligence agencies to promote and protect national security. She hopes to pursue a double major in International Relations and Economics. She is also interested in advocacy, and learning the intricacies of foreign politics, particularly in Russia and the Middle East. Priyanka decided to apply to be a New Jersey Leadership Program Summer Fellow because she has come to recognize the lack of South Asian representation in NJ politics, and was so excited to have the opportunity to work alongside her peers to work towards tackling this issue, while also gaining strong legislative experience. She is extremely grateful to be part of this program and hopes to not only understand the nuances of government, but use the skills learned to continue serving her community.

LAASYA GADIYARAM | Senator Joe Lagana

Hometown: Princeton

Laasya Gadiyaram currently attends Princeton High School and will be entering her fourth year of high school. She is the captain of her school's Mock Trial team, Director of Expansion for the Mid Atlantic State of the Junior State of America as well as the Vice President of her school's JSA Chapter, Opinions Section Editor of her school's newspaper, the Tower, Director of Public Relations of her school's art and literature magazine, the Ivy, an active member of her school's student-run art gallery, the Numina Gallery, and a student in her school's research program. She is currently conducting a nation-wide political science experiment which studies the voter behavior of 500 American voters, and next year she plans to begin an art history independent study on Muslim and Hindu art. She currently resides in her hometown of Cranbury.

Her career aspirations change basically every week, and can range from advising public policy, writing novels, curating art museums, to maybe even founding a nonprofit. She is also interested in reading anything by Sally Rooney, watching early-2000s sitcoms, and listening to country-turned-pop princesses (especially Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves!) Laasya decided to apply to be a New Jersey Leadership Program Summer Fellow because she is eager to learn about a new aspect of local government that she has never been exposed to. She believes that being an informed citizen is the most important role one can fill, and hopes to embody that idea to its fullest extent.

ANIKA GANESH | Assemblyman Raj Mukherji

Hometown: Edison

Anika Ganesh currently attends Rutgers Prep and will be entering her third year of high school. She is active in Pom Sqaud, theatre productions, dance, varsity softball, and Congressman Frank Pallone's Youth Advisory Council. She currently resides in her hometown of Edison.

Her career aspirations include attending a service academy and working as an intelligence officer. After leading Americans from all walks of life, she hopes to be better informed on the issues that pertain to a wide range of people, and use this knowledge to run a successful senatorial campaign. She is also interested in powerlifting and gymnastics. Anika decided to apply to be a New Jersey Leadership Program Summer Fellow because she wanted to take the first step towards a more diverse and just government as a youth, and hopefully inspire many more to come along. She believes that young people like her must get involved in any way they can, as they are the future of this nation.

ZOYA KHURRAM | Office of the Governor

Hometown: Princeton

Zoya Khurram currently attends South Brunswick High School and will be entering her first year of college. She is active in Model UN and Mock Trial, and holds leadership positions in Student Council as Board of Education Representative, Viking Volunteers as vice president, and Law Club as vice president. She currently resides in South Brunswick.

Her long-term career aspirations include becoming a part of the legislative process as either a policy advisor or an elected official. In the near future, she looks forward to starting her own business. She is interested in baking, playing basketball, and reading in her free time. She decided to apply to be a New Jersey Leadership Program Summer fellow because she wanted to gain first-hand experience working with the people who help run our country. Furthermore, she wanted to learn and grow alongside AAPI youth who are passionate about government.

DURVA PATEL | Senator Vin Gopal

Hometown: Iselin

Durva Patel currently attends John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and will be entering her fourth year of high school. She is active in her school's student council, key club, Junior Students of America chapter, American Cancer Society, and the Women Inspiring Strengths and Empowerment club. She is also involved in her local JAGGO chapter which works to empower women of all races and backgrounds. She holds leadership positions by volunteering as a tutor and helping kids learn how to read, she also works as one of the representatives for the WISE club in her school. She currently resides in Woodbridge.

Her career aspirations are to pursue law through law school and become an environmental lawyer. She hopes to give back to the environment and work towards policies that are just as helpful towards the earth as they may be to the people that are affected. She is also interested in reading, watching movies, and cooking in her free time. She decided to apply to be a New Jersey Leadership Program Summer Fellow because she wanted to be a part of something that would allow her to gain more experience in the inner workings of government and understand the complexities through firsthand experience. Durva also hopes to be able to work with the community through the program and become an active member working towards solving the issues that many face. Representation is important to her, and to be part of a program that emphasizes the involvement of minorities in politics is a key step in achieving future incorporation and acceptance.

ANNIKA VASAGIRI | Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson

Hometown: Belle Mead

Annika Vasagiri currently attends Montgomery High School and will be entering her fourth year of high school. She is active in her school’s Model UN, Youth and Government, Speech and Debate, and National Honor Society programs, and holds a leadership position as a Board Member in Model UN. She currently resides in her hometown of Belle Mead.

Her career aspirations include working at the Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer representing Americans abroad, or for a nonprofit centered around global development. She is also interested in grassroots activism, Netflix documentaries, and art from around the world. Annika decided to apply to be a New Jersey Leadership Program Summer Fellow because she wanted to gain a better understanding of how political offices operate and how political change is implemented on a daily basis. She is also excited about the opportunities the program offered to meet and learn from people who actually work in politics, as well as her own peers with interests in the field. She hopes that the knowledge she gains in this program will make her a better leader and teach her the skills she will need to advocate for change in the future.

2020 NJLP Fellows

2019 NJLP Fellows