By Ketan Tamirisa, SBHA YAC Member By Ketan Tamirisa, Youth Advisory Council member. The following reflects Ketan’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. When people talk about school-based health centers (SBHCs), they often focus on what services are offered: checkups, vaccines, mental health support, referrals, health education, or help when something feels wrong. Those services matter. … Read more
By Muntaha Rahman, Youth Advisory Council Member 2024- 2026 Throughout my childhood and early school years, my school-based health centers were crucial in providing my peers and I with necessary and fundamental access to a wide variety of health resources. For many students, these centers meant the world; although health care in other areas was … Read more
By Sahana Srikanth, Youth Advisory Council member. The following reflects Sahana’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. So, who actually works in an SBHC, and what do their roles entail? Across the United States, there are over 3,900 school-based health centers (SBHCs) currently in operation [1]. When we talk about these SBHCs, we often focus on … Read more
By Kauree Bennett, Youth Advisory Council member. The following reflects Kauree’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Being open as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the current political climate can be intimidating. Why should our healthcare reflect that? The fear of being exposed, lack of access, and ridicule are among the many consistent experiences … Read more
By Rikhil Ranjit, Youth Advisory Council member. The following reflects Rikhil’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Severe weather, school shootings, pandemics. During times of crisis in a community, it’s students that sit at the epicenter of its impact: health risks, emotional blows, splintered routines. I remember during the COVID-19 pandemic, the accumulating ambiguities and questions … Read more
By Joey Kaji, Youth Advisory Council member. The following reflects Joey’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. If you have been on social media recently, you have seen the rise of wellness videos and influencers. Between all the technical jargon and the vast amount of knowledge needed to understand health, scientifically backed healthiness has been branded … Read more
By Annabel Sparano, Youth Advisory Council member. The following reflects Annabel’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. My interest in medicine first drew me into spaces where healthcare inequity is impossible to ignore. Through volunteer work and involvement in healthcare organizations, I’ve encountered families facing preventable illnesses, food pantries filled with children, and substance-abuse summits where … Read more
By Muntaha Rahman, Youth Advisory Council member. The following reflects Muntaha’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. As a child, I remember how comforting it felt to know that, regardless of whether I was able to pack a lunch from home, I always had one waiting for me at school. I didn’t realize it at the … Read more
We are a youth-led nonprofit with a mission to break barriers for neurodivergent youth globally by amplifying youth stories, championing strengths, mobilizing allies, fighting stigma, and pushing for inclusive spaces, universal design, assistive technologies, and public policy.Neurodiversity includes everyone. Differences are not deficits. Join us in building a peer-to-peer network of youth champions worldwide, fostering … Read more
By Nikhil Reddy, Youth Advisory Council member. The following reflects Nikhil’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. This past June, I finished up my first year at Stanford. It was an incredible year of learning and growth as I explored my interests in business and computer science. However, above all else, one peculiarity so deeply ingrained … Read more
