YJA Convention 2012 07 Tampa FL Tenth 027618

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

Page 83

Charmi Vakhari, Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator & Security Commitee Co-Chair Jai Jinendra! My name is Charmi Vakharia, and I am from Monroe Township, New Jersey. I am a Molecular Biology Major at Rutgers University and will be a sophomore in the fall. A few things about me: I have a passion for bharatanatyam, love to sing, and play tennis as a hobby. I've had a great time as Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator and am so excited to meet all of you at the convention this year!
YJA Board / FCC
Dipti Dedhia, Northeast Regional Coordinator & Daytime Programming Co-Chair Jai Jinendra! My name is Dipti Dedhia and I'm super excited to be on the board and work on planning YJA this year. I was born in India, but have grown up in Connecticut. I went to UConn to study Chemistry before spending two years teaching through Americorps. I will one day revolutionize the way that Chemistry is taught! I recently started a Masters program at Brown in Urban Education Policy to work on changing education. I absolutely love the outdoors. I lived in a tent for two weeks in high school while hiking the Appalachian Trail, and I am a huge fan of good trails.
Hetali Lodaya, Southeast Regional Coordinator & Daytime Programming Co-Chair Jai Jinendra! I am going to be a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill (Go Heels!) in the fall, majoring in chemistry and public policy. My dream, after some combination of work and grad school, is to help bridge the communication gaps between those that work in the sciences and legislators, funders, and policymakers. I am heavily involved in social entrepreneurship and sustainable, community-based development work at UNC and love to see what's trending under #socent. I also dance with Bhangra Elite. I was lucky enough to move to Michigan (shout-out to all the JOY kids out there, and start pathshala when I was in 5th grade this really solidified my understanding of Jainism and gave me the start to helping others explore their faith. I love yellow, sci-fi novels, and Twitter (follow me! @HetaliLodaya) and hate socks and pessimism. I can't wait to meet you all!
Jigar Vora, Director of Information Technology & Registration Committee Co-Chair Jai Jinendra! I currently live in New York City and have been working for 3 years at IBM in their Circuit Design group. I was born in Bombay, India and moved to the suburbs of Mass. when I was 10. My undergrad and graduate degrees are in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. For fun, I enjoy playing tennis, volleyball, and watching/ listening to Bollywood/Bhangra/Hip Hop. I'm also a huge Boston sports fan. Go Patriots! | enjoy watching TV shows like Arrested Development, Modern Family, and Master Chef. Although I'm not very adept at cooking, I LOVE FOOD. If you ever want to thank me for my YJA work, just send me some Pav Bhaji, hahaha! Please feel free to contact me via facebook or email (jigar vora@yja.org).
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iJain: Evolution of a Mind