YJA Convention 2016 07 Los Angeles CA

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

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BOARD
PUJA SAVLA EXECUTIVE BOARD CO-CHAIR Puja is currently a Biology teacher at Animo Inglewood Charter High School (Fly High Eagles!!) and a Pathshala teacher at the Jain Center of Southern California. She is an avid LA sports fan, rooting for her USC Trojans, LA Lakers, and LA Kings. In her free time she spends time with family and friends and enjoys playing board games and taking bike rides down the Pacific Coast. She is excited to bring 2016 YJA Convention back to the West where things are the best! Feel free to contact Puja at Chairs.la@yja.org with any questions or ideas!
SUNNY DHAROD EXECUTIVE BOARD CO-CHAIR Sunny is from Lenexa, Kansas, and he recently graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Michigan. His hobbies and interests include Kansas City sports teams, long-distance running, and playing piano. Sunny is honored to have played a role in planning the convention, and he would like to give a shout out to his fellow Co-Chairs, Boardies, Midwest LRs, and the Kansas City Jain community for all their support!
AKASH SHAH CONVENTION CO-CHAIR Akash Shah is our board member with the most life experience. This is a nice way of calling him the oldest. He is native to Los Angeles and has worked to bring creative solutions to diverse industries. Whether it is his work as a brand strategist, an entrepreneur assisting in the launch of multiple products/businesses, his work in real estate development and reconstruction, or even as simple as his passion for choreography, Akash has always been about pushing the envelope. The past has given us a foundation, and it is now our job to build on it - this is an idea and philosophy that he is incredibly excited to bring to this year's convention committee.
AMIT SHAH CONVENTION CO-CHAIR Amit is born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. This will be his fourth time helping with the convention planning process, as well his final year. He is very excited that convention is back in California, as the first convention he ever attended was in California in 2004. This is his first time being in such a high position-being a Co-Chair. It has been a dream and an honor for him. He loves anything Bollywood, EDM, Chaat masala (especially on nachos), and of course anything British or British Desi! He hopes you are as excited as him, and he can't wait to see you join him on the Raas Garba floor!
DIYAANKA JHAVERI ADULT VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR Diyaanka Jhaveri, originally from Plano, Texas, is a rising sophomore studying International Relations at the University of Texas (Hook em). This is her second convention and first year serving on the board, and she can't wait to experience all the fun that YJA is. While she is not fighting dragons, she is busy reading Harry Potter for 30th time or trying to pretend she is Deepika Padukone. She is beyond excited to be a part of the Adult Volunteer Committee and is ready for a great 2016 Convention.
TINA LAPSIA ADULT VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR DIRECTOR OF EVENTS Tina was born in Mumbai, India but has lived in Connecticut her entire life. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut (Go Huskies!) with majors in Political Science and Economics, and has aspirations for law school. Tina is a die-hard Patriots fan and has an unhealthy obsession with Hrithik Roshan (seeing him about 50 feet away in India was one of the best moments of her life). In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, reading, trying out new foods, and political/legal dramas. This is Tina's second year on YJA board and fourth convention, and she hopes #YJA16 will be the best one yet!
URVASHI JAIN ADULT VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR Urvashi has grown up in sunny LA, and she has been attending patshala classes since she was eight. Since graduating from college in 2013, she has pursued her CPA license and volunteered at JCSC as a Religion and Hindi teacher and Toastmaster's coach. In her free time, she likes to read, watch movies, and crochet. She loves anything to do with music and food. She attended her first YJA event in college, and loved it because she got to make many new friends. She is excited to be more involved with YJA events now and is looking forward to working with people of all ages.
KAYURI SHAH DAYTIME PROGRAMMING Kayuri was born in Elizabethton, Tennessee, but has lived most of her life in Northern Virginia. She is a rising senior at Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in Biomedical Engineering, while working at a hospital. When she thinks no one's looking, she's probably dancing with her headphones in. She's part of a classical dance team, Thandavam. Her weakness is her major sweet tooth. Her hobbies include baking, reading sci-fi novels, and swimming. This is her second time on convention board and her fourth convention. #DaytimelsBetter Than Nighttime
2016 YJA CONVENTION LOS ANGELES, CA