Young Jains of America - The Executive Board

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Co-Chair

Pavak Shah

Jai Jinendra! My name’s Pavak and I’ll be serving as one of this year’s Co-Chairs.

I’m currently a PhD student at the UNC Chapel Hill / NC State University Joint Dept. of Biomedical Engineering and Cheif Engineer for Cell Microsystems Inc. I live in Carrboro, NC. I was born in Colorado, but have been in NC since 2001. When I’m not in the lab I love to cook, hike, kayak, travel (pretty much anything outdoors) and have become a bit of a shutterbug over the past few years.

The entire board is already buzzing about some awesome events and projects we'll be organizing for the year, including the upcoming 2012 YJA Convention! If you have any suggestions or want to get involved, feel free to email myself and my Co-Chair Ami at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. !

Co-Chair

Ami Maru

Jai Jinendra! I am excited to be one of the Co-Chairs for the YJA Executive Board this year! To those who know me well, I am often better known as Amimummymitho, A double M, Ams, or Amdog. I am currently in Buffalo, NY bringing smiles to the faces of kids in my Pediatric Dental Residency at University at Buffalo (SUNY) and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. As an avid tennis fan, I love traveling to different tournaments around the country. So far, I’ve been to theUS Open, but hope to attend all grand slams around the world at some point. My favorite time of the year is Navratri when I get to play garba and raas and dance the night away. I love baking and experimenting with vegetarian and vegan cooking. One of my favorite TV shows is Ace of Cakes. In fact, my secret dream is to one day open a bakery and a dental office side-by-side and call it “Sweet Tooth!” As we move on to the 2011-2012 year, I want to hear what YOU have to say and your ideas! Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or me and my co-chair at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with what you want to see in this upcoming year and YJA Convention 2012!

Director of Project Development

Aakash Shah

Hey Everyone! My name is Aakash Shah and I am your Director of Project Development for YJA 2011-2012. I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada but I've been going to school in Upstate NY for the past few years now. I graduated from the University of Western Ontario and am now studying at the University At Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. I first learned about YJA years ago, through my cousins and friends, and have been interested ever since. My goals this year involve improving regional communication and events. In addition, I hope to put together an amazing 15th anniversary YJA 2012 convention!

A little bit about me? I had a great time as last years Director of PR and met a lot of awesome people and hope to continue that trend. I love hitting up the gym, playing basketball, hockey, and volleyball. Skeeter, from the show Doug, is my doppleganger, and yes, being Canadian I do say, "Eh," a lot! If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Director of Events

Paras Doshi

Jai Jinendra, everyone! My name is Paras Doshi and I am your Director of Events for YJA 2011-2012. I am from New Jersey and I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. I am currently a Process Engineer, working for L’Oreal USA in New Jersey. I am looking forward to organizing national as well as regional events this year as well as helping out with the planning of the YJA Convention 2012. I absolutely love sports (playing and watching), dancing, working out at the gym, travelling, watching movies, riding roller coasters, and learn more about Jainism. One thing I really want to do is skydive. If you have ideas, suggestions, advice for events, or even want to just hangout or chat, please do not hesitate to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Director of Finance

Neil Shah

Jai Jinendra! My name is Neil Shah and I am the Director of Finance for the 2011-2012 YJA Executive Board. I was born and raised in the Motor City and am currently a sophomore in college at Oakland University in Rochester, MI. I look forward to working with a lot of new people and making this year very successful. In my free time I like to listen to music, box, play basketball, travel, and watch all different kinds of movies. Oh and I'm a huge Detroit sports fan, I love my Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, and yes, even the Lions. Feel free to contact me at anytime with suggestions and ideas whether it is about finance/fundraising or anything else you would like to talk about at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Director of Fundraising

Naman Jain

Director of Publications

Ruchita Parikh

Jai Jinendra,YA'LL! I'm Ruchita Parikh and I am your Director of Publications for this year! I will be publishing the ever so popular Young Minds, a magazine written by your very own YJA members. This year, the Young Minds theme will be "Pathshala." Growing up, I can't remember a single Sunday without Pathshala, and I'd love to share what I've learned with all of you. Also, look forward to Young Minds in a hard copy format at your local Jain Sangh, for your reading pleasure!

A little bit about me...I was born in Chicago, but raised in Houston. I'm currently a medical student at University of North Texas, and totally loving it! During my free time I like to experiment in the kitchen, hit the gym and pump some iron, bother my sister, go for thrill rides (skydive, snorkel, roller coasters with an 80ft drop), and drink bottomless cups of cha every morning and afternoon! If you have any ideas for me, would like to publish a recipe, an article, or would like to share your thoughts for Young Minds, please feel free to email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Director of IT

Jigar Vora

Jai Jinendra! My name is Jigar Vora and I am the Director of IT for YJA 2011-2012. 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! I 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!

Anyways, I'm very excited about working on the new YJA website as well as the 2012 YJA convention site. Please feel free to contact me via facebook or email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

Director of Public Relations

Vishal Mehta

Jai Jinendra! My name is Vishal Mehta and I am the Director of Public Relations for the 2011-2012YJA Executive Board. I hope to bring YJA to a lot of new people this year and draw in more North American Young Jains! I live in Ann Arbor, MI and I’m currently 18 years old and a Freshman at the University of Michigan, Go Blue! In my free time, I like to hang out with my friends, hit the gym, watch Jersey Shore and attend Michigan Football games. I love listening to music and finding new music as well as new artists. I served as the Midwest Regional Coordinator last year and I look forward to taking YJA to the next level this year! If you have any questions or just want to say hey, shoot me an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. !—Vishal Mehta Executive Board, Director of Public Relations, 2011-2012 Young Jains of America 734-668-0348 (home) 734-355-6896 (cell) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.yja.org

Director of Education

Arpit Mehta

Jai Jinendra Folks!! My name is Arpit Mehta and I am the Director of Education for the Year 2011-2012. I currently live in Miami, Fl and my hometown is Bhilwara, Rajasthan(INDIA). I did my Masters in Bioinformatics from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP) and working as a Bioinformatics Scientist at Miller school of Medicine, Uni of Miami.

I am an adventure lover, and I've done all kind of adrenalin activities like sky diving, bungee jumping, desert dirt biking, roller-coasters etc. 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 would be developing Jain resources section on yja.org website. 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 e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Northeast Regional Coordinator

Dipti Dedhia

Jai Jinendra! My name is Dipti Dedhia and I’m super excited to be this
year’s Northeast Regional Coordinator. I can’t wait to hear all your ideas
about what you want to see this coming year, I have some ideas of my own
that I’m working on, and we’ll have a great year!

I was born in India, but have grown up in Connecticut. I went to UConn to
study Chemistry and will one day revolutionize the way that Chemistry is
taught. This coming year, I will be a math/science teacher in Boston who
gets to blow things up and spark curiosity. I love to dance around and make
silly faces, I bake often for friends, but like it better when there are
other people around to eat all the goodies, and I 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 :).

I’d love to hear your ideas about what we should be doing this year, send me
a message on facebook or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator

Charmi Vakharia

Jai Jinendra! My name is Charmi Vakharia, and I am your Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator for the upcoming year! A little bit about me: I am from New Jersey and am currently a freshman at Rutgers University studying molecular biology and economics. I absolutely love to sing, dance and play tennis. Fun Fact: I am not 5 feet tall yet L .

I have been actively involved with Pathshala, youth activities, and other events at the Jain Center of New Jersey for a long time. I had an awesome time as Mid-Atlantic RC last year and am looking forward to another great year of exciting events planned for YJA this year. I am eager to meet all of you and get you guys involved with all the awesome events coming up! If you have any questions, ideas or just want to say hey!, feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Southeast Regional Coordinator

Hetali Lodaya

Jai Jinendra! My name is Hetali Lodaya, and I’m so excited to be the Southeast Regional Coordinator for 2011-2012. I have lived all over the country: Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, and now North Carolina. Come visit me in the gorgeous south anytime – I am a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill majoring in Chemistry and Public Policy. Goals for the future include figuring out a way to bridge both the sciences and the humanities, maybe getting into non-profit, social justice, human rights, or policy work, traveling a lot, and saving the world. I really like fantasy and scifi novels, bhangra, and yellow, and dislike cherries, people who tail me when I drive, and socks. I am excited to help young Jains across the Southeast create opportunities to network, hang out, and find out what Jainism really means to them. Get in touch – find me on Facebook, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or come visit. I am excited to work WITH you!

South Regional Coordinator

Bonita Parikh

Jai Jinendra! Howdy, my name is Bonita Parikh and I am your South Regional Coordinator for 2011-2012. I am excited to serve on this year’s board, and I have some awesome ideas I want to start up for this region. I want to make this region stronger as a whole by hosting some amazing events and gaining some new friends :)

More about me? I was born and raised in Houston, Texas and I am currently a senior studying Psychology at Texas A&M University in hopes to get my doctorate in the future. One of my biggest passions in life is dancing, along with running, crafting, eating sweets, jamming out to anything Drake/Bollywood, and painting my nails =) I’m looking forward to getting to know all the Jains in the South region and instilling a strong network for the future. Get to know me! Contact me via facebook, or email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). I’m so excited to get to know ya’ll!

West Regional Coordinator

Sejal Dhruva

Jai Jinendra! My name is Sejal Dhruva and I am your West Regional Coordinator for 2011-2012. I am super excited to be a part of this year’s board! I have some great ideas to make the West better connected and more represented, so I’m looking forward to working with everyone and making new friends along the way.

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 Behavior Psychology and Political Science. I am a certified paralegal working full time in San Francisco, CA at salesforce.com, inc. as a contracts negotiator. 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 at the top of my lungs in the shower. 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 e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Ideas and suggestions are always welcome – let’s make this year one of the best one’s yet!

Mid-West Regional Coordinator

Kushal Doshi

Jai Jinendra, everyone! My name is Kushal Doshi and I am the 2011-2012 Midwest Regional Coordinator. I am originally from Marlboro, NJ, graduated as a chemical engineer from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and now work at a resin and coatings company in Milwaukee, WI as a Resin Process Engineer (Yeah I keep moving west during each stage of my life). This year, I plan to make every effort to hold as many events as possible in order to reunite all Jains in the Midwest region. What a better way to promote Jainism by rounding up all Midwest Jain communities in one location while developing new friendships and gaining new experiences! In my free time, I love to cook, run outside, dance, hang out with my crazy family/friends, and enjoy thrilling activities…skydiving is next on my bucket list! I am very excited about getting to know all of you this year! If you have any questions, concerns, ideas for events, or just wanna talk/hangout, shoot me an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .