Young Jains of America - The Executive Board

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Co-Chair

Sejal Dhruva

Jai Jinendra! My name is Sejal Dhruva and I am excited to be one of the Co-Chairs for the YJA Executive Board this year! This is my second year on the YJA Board and I know this will be the best year yet.

A little about me: while I was born in Wisconsin, I was raised in California and am a California girl through and through. I graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelors in Behavioral Psychology and Political Science. I'm currently a full time contracts negotiator at salesforce.com, inc. located in San Francisco, CA. When I’m not working, I’m at the gym, out with friends, doing yoga, obsessively cheering for the San Francisco 49ers or San Jose Sharks or singing whatever song is stuck in my head. My family and my friends are everything to me. I believe that laughter is the best part of life so I challenge you to make me laugh more than I can make you laugh!

Get to know me! You can find me on Facebook, Twitter (@SejalDhruva) or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or me and my co-chair at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Ideas and suggestions are always welcome – let’s make this 2012-2013 year one of the best one’s yet!

Co-Chair

Sheenika Shah

Jai Jinendra! My name is Sheenika Shah and I am one of this year’s Co-Chairs for the YJA Executive Board! I am extremely excited to be leading a group of amazing, dedicated and awesome individuals this year and we have some exciting things in the pipeline for you!

A little bit about me: I earned my undergraduate degree in International Relations and Business Administration from the University of San Diego and graduated law school from California Western School of Law. As a non-practicing attorney, I have found my niche in legal marketing as the Business Development Website Coordinator for a national law firm combining my love of law, technology and marketing. In my free time, I love to try new vegan restaurants, travel to visit friends, dance and explore all apps and websites related to social media!

Feel free to reach out to me with your ideas, suggestions or questions! You can find me on Facebook, Twitter (@sheenikashah) or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or me and my co-chair at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Together let’s make this 2012-2013 year the best one yet!

Director of Education

Priyal Gandhi

Jai Jinendra! I'm Priyal Gandhi, your 2012-2013 Director of Education. I absolutely love YJA and am so honored to be a part of it this year! I am currently a high school senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in northern Virginia - but in my life, I've also lived in Kansas and India. I am a total yearbook nerd and love my position as editor-in-chief, especially because I get to go to fun conventions around the country. I am also somewhat of an amateur artist, music (and musical) lover, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream fanatic, and always ready to dance - anything from garba to Persian style! At the temple, I've graduated from the JAINA pathshala curriculum and now help teach 5-7 year olds. Learning about how to make Jainism applicable in our daily lives is important to me - as is community service. I've done all sorts of volunteering from assisting at nursing homes to teaching slum children English in India, and I can't wait to give back to my community even more with the great projects YJA will plan!

Get to know me - I want to hear about your interests and ideas or any questions you have about Jainism. Feel free to email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Hope to hear from you soon!

Director of Events

Bonita Parikh

Jai Jinendra! My name is Bonita Parikh and I'm stoked to be ya'lls Director of Events for the YJA Executive Board this year! Last year I was South RC, and I loved it so much I decided to go for round two. And I'm sure this time will be better than the first :)

A bit about me: I was born and raised in Houston, Texas and I'm a Southern girl at heart. I just graduated from Texas A&M University, and now working as a Data Analyst for HP. I absolutely love dancing, running, jamming out to anything Bollywood or Drake, and eating endless tubs of ice-cream. I laugh so much that my stomach hurts on a daily basis, so if you ever need a good joke- you know where to go.

Get to know me! Contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or find me on Facebook!

Director of Finance

For finance questions, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Director of Fundraising

Kunal Dagli

Hi there! I'm Kunal and I will be your Director of Fundraising for this year! I'm excited to be working with an amazing board to come up with fun and innovative fundraising ideas!

I'm from Morganville, NJ and graduated from NYU with a major in Math and Economics. I'm currently splitting my time working as a quant developer and studying Computer Science at Columbia, aiming to become the next Sergey Brin. I spend my free time reading, coding, learning new things, photography, working out, supporting animal friendly causes, veganism, hanging out with friends and family, and watching my SF 49ers and NY Mets.

Feel free to shoot me an email ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or tweet me (@ilanuki) if you have any questions, cool ideas or suggestions!

Director of IT

Arpit Mehta

Jai Jinendra folks! My name is Arpit Mehta and I am the Director of Information Technology this year. I currently live in Miami, FL and my hometown is Bhilwara, Rajasthan (India). I did my Masters in Bioinformatics from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP) and I’m currently working as a Bioinformatics Scientist at the Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami.

I am an adventure lover, and I've done all kind of adrenaline-type activities including sky diving, bungee jumping, desert dirt biking, and roller-coasters! I have a keen interest in reading Jain text and connecting it with scientific logic. Being in this position i would like to provide as much help and support to the youth interested in Jainism.I look forward to hear from you any questions, comments or ideas you have about Jainism and its tenets. I'll do my best to address them. Feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Director of Project Development

Salonee Shah

Hi YJAers! My name is Salonee and I am your Director of Project Development (PD) for the 2012-2013 board! I absolutely love the YJA organization, I have made some of the best friends I have through this amazing group of people. I am currently a Teach for America teacher, teaching technology in a small town called Durant, Mississippi. Yes, I am pretty sure I am in the only Jain in Mississippi....

My job this year as your Director of PD will be to work with your regional coordinators to create some awesome regional opportunities to get engaged with the YJA organization! We all know everyone has non-convention year withdrawals :) I love extreme action adventure sports, traveling, meeting need people, dancing, and chocolate. If there are any questions you have for me, or if you simply just want to chat about my exciting life in rural Mississippi, shoot me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. :)

Director of Public Relations

Avni Maru

Jai Jinendra! My name is Avni Maru and I’m excited to be the Director of Public Relations for this upcoming year. I had an absolute blast at this past YJA 2012 convention and am looking forward to working with everyone to make this an awesome year! I have some great ideas to help keep our YJA community well connected, but I’d love to hear from all of you too!

I was born in India but grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky. I am currently working as a general dentist in Cincinnati, OH. When I’m not out saving the world one tooth at a time, you can find me dancing to Bollywood/raas/bhangra/anything with a good beat. I also enjoy listening to music, baking & cooking, playing tennis (yes, Andy Roddick’s retirement was emotional), singing loudly in the car and laughing. If you have any questions, ideas/suggestions or want to say hi, feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or find me on Facebook.

Director of Publications

Malhar Teli

Jai Jinendra! Malhar Teli, your Director of Publications, is on the case! I am a student of Northeastern University, studying Marketing. I am also a rather active community member of the Jain community. I also specialize in video, and image editing, and was a prominent member a non-profit, youth-run organization called Interfaith Youth Action, now known as Youth LEAD. I also love to view movies and listen to music and read fun novels like Ulysses and Moby Dick.

Interested in submitting an Article? Send it my way! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator

Prerak Adhuria

Jai Jinendra! My name is Prerak Adhuria, and I am your Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator for the upcoming year! I am from Philadelphia (yes, I have the Philly accent) and am currently finishing my prerequisites for pharmacy school this year from Penn State. I absolutely love Philly sports and also watching and playing basically any sport (seriously anything).

For the past few years, I have had the opportunity to volunteer for YJA through retreats and conventions. Meeting new youth and connecting with my peers has been the best experience I have attained. I hope to create a better experience for others, as well as become an active part of youth groups across the Mid-Atlantic region! If you have any questions, suggestions (very open to ideas!), or just would like to get to know me email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. !

Mid-West Regional Coordinator

Paras Vora

Jai Jinendra! My name is Paras Vora, and I am your 2012-2013 Mid-West Regional Coordinator. I have some great ideas I'd like to implement in order to connect all young Jains in the Mid-West region, and am looking forward to meeting you all at the events I'll be holding.

A little bit about me: I'm from Kentucky, and am currently a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. When I'm not busy, I love playing tennis, listening to new music, watching TV, reading, and hanging out with family/friends.

If you have any questions, concerns, ideas, or just want to talk, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also find me through Facebook and on Twitter (@paravorheim).

Northeast Regional Coordinator

Pooja Nagda

Jai Jinendra! My name is Pooja Nagda and I am thrilled to be the 2012-2013 Northeast Regional Coordinator. I was born and brought up in the suburbs of Boston. I am currently working at Pfizer as a Process Scientist. I love photography, architecture, traveling, the outdoors, dancing, listening to different genres of music and doing charity work. My favorite shows include Suits and Cake Boss. I would love to go skydiving, ride in a hot-air balloon, go scuba diving, parasailing and bunjee jumping.

I am looking forward to organizing new events for the year of 2012-2013, meeting everyone and hearing your ideas. If you’d like to incorporate new ideas into this year’s events, please feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

South Regional Coordinator

Trishla Parakh

Jai Jinendra! My name is Trishla Parakh and I am your South Regional Coordinator for 2012-2013. I am your average southern belle from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I am a big believer of “southern hospitality” and will try my personal best to portray that through the events I plan for my region. Additionally, I consider it an absolute honor and privilege to be a part of the YJA Executive Board this year, and to work with an incredibly talented group of people. I am currently a junior at Louisiana State University studying Petroleum Engineering. My passion in life is to travel the world. I love going on escapades whether it is in a new locale or one I’ve already visited. I can even have an adventure of my own while I wait for a connecting flight at an airport. I love discovering new places and always bring a souvenir back home with me to remind me of my exploits. I will incorporate this passion into planning events for the South Region and hopefully my fellow Jains will be able to experience some quests of their own. I can’t wait to meet new people this year! If you have any questions or would just like to get involved Facebook me or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Southeast Regional Coordinator

Akash Shah

Jai Jinendra! My name is Akash Shah, and I will be your Southeast Regional Coordinator for the upcoming year! I’m currently a freshman at the University of North Carolina double majoring in Public Health and Global Studies. I was born in Connecticut, but have been living in the North Carolina for the past seven years. I love watching sports, especially UNC, UConn, and Boston sports teams. In my free time, I enjoy playing basketball, listening to music, and spending time with my family. I also absolutely love food. I can’t wait to get to know all of ya’ll this upcoming year. Feel free to find me on Facebook, on Twitter (@akeeeshi), or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Give me a holler if you want to talk or hang out. Let’s make this year a memorable one!

West Regional Coordinator

Pankti Doshi

Jai Jinendra! My name is Pankti Doshi and I am your West Regional Coordinator for the 2012-2013 year. I am super excited to serve on this year’s YJA Executive Board, and I can’t wait to meet all of you through the events that we have planned in the West Coast. One of my main goals is to increase the strength and unity of the West, and build a strong community. In doing so, I am really looking forward to host many fun-filled events along with establishing strong relationships that last a lifetime.

A little bit more about me: I was born and raised in Nor-Cal, specifically San Jose, CA. I am currently a 20-year-old undergraduate junior studying at Santa Clara University pursuing a double major in Bioengineering and Mathematics (Feeling the brownness in me already?). A few of my biggest passions include: volunteering or providing service to those in need, dancing, swimming, doing Henna on people, learning new languages, and how can I forget, singing.

Contact me through Facebook, or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . I am more than excited to get to know each one of you and can’t wait to meet you all. YJA 2012-2013, here we come!