Executive Board
Stephanie Hu (she/her)
Founder and Executive DirectorStephanie Hu is the Founder and Executive Director of Dear Asian Youth. Based in Southern California, she founded Dear Asian Youth in April of 2020 in hopes of creating a virtual community for Asian youth across the globe. Her identity as a Chinese-American has pushed her to passionately uplift marginalized voices into intersectional activism. Outside of her work in diversity and inclusion, she enjoys writing poetry, binge watching Studio Ghibli movies, and going on spontaneous day trips with her friends.
Sunna Mai
Assistant DirectorSunna is a high school junior living in Orange County, California. As a Vietnamese-American, she hopes to use Dear Asian Youth as a platform to further connect with Asian youth across the world and empower them to use their voice for change. Outside of Dear Asian Youth, she enjoys working with her other organization, Project Just Keep On Swimming, crocheting, and binging kdrama. If she’s not at home, you will most likely find her at the local boba shop.
Mya Sato
Social Media Co-DirectorMya is a half-Taiwanese, half-Japanese American, currently studying at NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Besides working for Dear Asian Youth as the Co-Director of Social Media, Mya also enjoys reading, writing, watching films, and studying at libraries and coffeeshops. As a first-generation immigrant on stolen land, she tries her hardest to invest back into her communities and continue to learn about allyship, advocacy, and equity.
Namrata Kella
Social Media Co-DirectorNamrata is an Indian-American from Alpharetta, Georgia, and she serves as the Dear Asian Youth Social Media Co-Director. She is also an International Affairs major and Spanish minor at the University of Georgia, and is a part of the class of 2022. When Namrata is not working, she enjoys cooking with her friends, reading, thrifting, and doing crossword puzzles.
Claire Ong
Project Co-DirectorClaire is a junior in high school who lives in Washington state. Having struggled with her Chinese-Vietnamese-American identity growing up, she joined DAY as a means of healing, and find it to be her place of sanctuary. There’s nothing she loves more than innovating with her projects team, except maybe K-pop. Outside of DAY, she is devoted to self-growth and self-fulfillment through the organization and practice of civic engagement.
Nikhitha Balijepalli
Chapter DirectorNikhitha, a high school junior from Clarksburg in MD, is the Chapter Director of Dear Asian Youth. Through DAY, she loves being able to create new opportunities for Asian youth to become leaders in their schools and communities, as well as contributing to creating a space promoting acceptance and inclusion for the pan-Asian community. Outside of DAY, Nikhitha is a youth advocate and political organizer, and is incredibly passionate about taking action to bring tangible and progressive change on the state and national level, as well as taking action on current legislative issues, and is currently serving as the MD State Director for Generation Ratify and the Vice President of MoCo Students for Change.
Lillian Han
Editor in ChiefLillian Han is the Editor-in-Chief for Dear Asian Youth, where she leads a talented group of writers, editors, and layout designers. As a second generation Chinese American, Lillian seeks to empower others to embrace their heritage and share their unique stories! She is passionate about social justice, neuroscience, and economics. Outside of DAY, you can find her shooting recurve archery, competing in her school’s STEM club, strolling down the streets of downtown Seattle, or stressing over her next physics test.
Roshni Chagan
Diversity and Inclusion DirectorRoshni is an International Affairs student from Snellville, Georgia. As an Indian-American-Muslim, Roshni is passionate about how she can utilize her academic background to fuel her intersectional advocacy. As the Director of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, Roshni works with extremely talented and dedicated individuals to ensure that DAY maintains diversity and inclusivity in all initiatives. Outside of DAY, Roshni enjoys reading, playing Super Smash Bros, and learning how to create digital art.
Dylan Lee (he/him)
Co-Director of Finance and ModeratorDylan Lee was born and raised in Houston, TX, but currently resides in NYC as he studies to complete his B.S. in Political Science-Statistics at Columbia University. As a member of the Finance Department at Dear Asian Youth, he wishes to elevate DAY’s platform to the next level as a non-profit organization and help DAY claim their stake in the global arena as a voice for the millions of unheard Asian youth across the planet. When Dylan isn’t making grand and dramatic claims about what he does, he enjoys eating, road tripping, and debating various viewpoints on life.
Sunal Fernando (they/he)
Co-Director of DAY Prism and Lead ModeratorSunal Fernando was born and raised in a British-South Asian household in London, United Kingdom. They’re currently studying Creative Media and Videography and their dream goal/job is to produce the Eurovision Song Contest. He founded DAY Prism, Dear Asian Youth’s newest department dedicated to LGBTQIA+ activism and currently leads it alongside David Cho (he/him). Outside of Dear Asian Youth, they love listening to dance music and having a solo disco at home. They also enjoy visiting the many museums and galleries of London, giving him a chance to discover the rich artistry of the world!
David Cho
Prism DirectorDavid Cho, a student living in Thousand Oaks, California, serves as a Co-Director of DAY Prism for Dear Asian Youth. Through DAY, David strives to create a platform of equity and representation, amplify marginalized voices, and empower Asian youth. In his free time, you can find David doing the NYT daily mini crossword, listening to music or an NPR podcast, hanging out with friends, or feeding his debilitating caffeine addiction.
Parveen Mundi
Project Co-DirectorParveen, a college freshman in Chicago IL, is a Projects Co-Director and the Northeast Chapters Regional Lead at Dear Asian Youth. With interests in public service and political science, Parveen truly believes in the power of civic engagement— and strives to combine her passions to better advocate for historically excluded communities. When she isn’t busy innovating with her wonderful Co-Director Claire, you can find her curled up with a good mystery book or spending time out and about in the Windy City!
Sahil Jaiswal
Finance and Fundraising DirectorSahil is a college freshman majoring in public policy and math at Virginia Commonwealth University. Using DAY’s rich platform, he strives to help uplift and connect underrepresented South Asian communities. Sahil is also passionate about government; he’s spent his fair share of time working on campaigns, and he’s also employed at a policy lab in New York. When he’s not working, you can catch him dropping his paychecks on boba.
Samyukta Karthik
Finance and Fundraising DirectorBorn in Tamil Nadu, India, and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Samyukta is a student at the University of Iowa completing a B.S. in Biology and Psychology. Through the work done by the finance and fundraising team, she hopes to empower marginalized voices and expand the impact that DAY can make as a non-profit organization. Aside from Dear Asian Youth, she enjoys working as a research assistant in public health and neuroscience, baking, bullet journaling, and hiking!