Parag was born and raised in New York City and is probably the only native NY’er that is a fan of the Red Sox. Parag graduated from law school with a JD and a LL.M. in Taxation and is currently working as a corporate attorney in Manhattan (except for the suits, Suits is so not true!). Parag has always enjoyed his experiences with YJA, from being a Board member to hosting sessions at conventions, and is honored to serve as a Co-Chair for the current year. Parag enjoys nerdy things, basketball, goes gaga for Lady GaGa and really loves cupcakes!

Sejal was born in Wisconsin but raised in beautiful California. She is a contracts negotiator for Salesforce in San Francisco, CA. This is Sejal’s third year on the Executive Board, second as Co-Chair, and she is thankful for all the memories and friendships she has gained throughout these years. In her free time, Sejal enjoys spending time with her family, her friends, working out, traveling, baking (and eating) cupcakes and watching football. She believes laughter and music are essential to life. This will be Sejal’s final year on the Executive Board and she looks forward to a fantastic YJA Convention!

Aakash is the proud Canadian serving on this years YJA Convention Committee. Being born and raised in Toronto, ON has led Aakash to being a passionate Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors fan! Aakash is a Dentist in private practice who enjoys watching sports, staying active, and eating pizza. This will be Aakash's final year on the YJA board after serving as Director of Public Relations (2010-2011) and Director of Project Development (2011-2012) and hopes everyone has a Legen - wait for it - Dary time at convention!

Pathik was born in Virginia, and raised in Maryland. Growing up his family had taken trips to India often, and through those flights he developed a love for anything and everything that flies. Pathik studied Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park (Go Terrapins!) and is also currently doing his Masters there part time in Systems Engineering. He works in the field of Air Traffic Surveillance and enjoys his job very much. Outside of work and school, YJA has been a big part of his life growing up and he enjoys the friendships he has attained through it. Other hobbies of his include international and domestic travel, computers, discovering new vegetarian foods, reading, and exercise.

Aanal was born in Mumbai but has lived in Kansas and Northern Virginia most of her life. She is a recent high school graduate and is excited to be attending college and major in Business Management and Administration. Aanal enjoys her experiences with YJA as a local representative of Washington D.C. and is super excited to serve as a Hospitality Co-Lead for YJA 2014! In her free time she loves travel, dance, and go crazy over all things Disney related.

Amit is very excited about this years convention as it will be his third time being on the YJA Convention planning process, as well it being his first time being on the YJA Executive Board. He’s from the very proud city of Chicago. He loves to dance, so make sure to find him on the dance floor all weekend long.

Anika is a rising 3rd year at the University of Chicago, and a proud native of Gaithersburg, Maryland. This is her first time serving on the YJA Convention Board, and she is thrilled to have YJA here in the D.C. area. She hopes you come to love the city as much as she does. Ask her about her spirit animal.

Ankit is a rising junior at Brown University studying computer science. His passions are nerdy innovative technologies, basketball, football, and learning. He is from Texas, also known as the best place on Earth, specifically Houston, and is the biggest Texans and Rockets fan out there. This is Ankit’s first time on the YJA Executive Board, and the he thinks the best thing about it is the vegan desserts that the other board members make for him.

Anshul is a Senior at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor studying Industrial and Operations Engineering. In his first year as a convention committee member, Anshul has found great interest in YJA and has been a dedicated youth member of the Jain Society of Greater Detroit. In his free time, Anshul enjoys watching Detroit sports, playing golf, and listening to Bollywood music.

Bharat was born in Kerala, India but was raised in the Chicago area. After graduating from UIUC, he began work as a Software Engineer within the vibrant startup community of New York, NY. As a result of his diverse background, Bharat has many different interests including math, music, travel, art, and working out. Being a first year member of the YJA Convention Committee, he is enthusiastic to be giving back to his community while working to make this an unforgettable convention.

Bonita was born and raised in Houston, Texas. After graduating from Texas A&M University (gig 'em!), she started working at Hewlett-Packard as a Data Analyst. This is Bonita's third year on board, and every year keeps getting better :) In her spare time she loves to dance, bother her older sister, and spend time with friends and family. She is so excited for the YJA 2014 convention, and can't wait to see what this year's team will bring to the convention.

Charmi was born in Queens, New York, but has lived in Monroe Township, New Jersey for the majority of her life. She is a rising senior majoring in Bio-mathematics at Rutgers University and is currently applying to Dental Schools. Her passions include dancing, playing tennis, and singing. After serving two years on the YJA Executive Board from 2010-2012, she is excited to be a part of another great YJA convention and is looking forward to meeting everyone! Fun Fact: Charmi once ate a fat sandwich every day for two weeks (trust me, they taste better than they sound).

Harsha was born in Detroit, Michigan and has lived in Michigan her entire life. She is a senior at the University of Michigan studying public policy with a focus on international security. In addition to YJA, Harsha is a columnist for the student newspaper at Michigan - The Michigan Daily - as well as programming chair for an on campus organization called the South Asian Awareness Network. In her free time, Harsha is serving as YJA Daytime Programming Co-Lead. In her free time, she likes to travel, try new foods, and shop!

Jinen has is a recent graduate from Troy University (located in Alabama) with a B.S. in Biology and will be starting his first semester of optometry school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this fall. He is a brother of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and enjoys meeting new people. Jinen spends his free time playing tennis and studying (Facebook). He hopes everyone enjoys the 2014 YJA Convention!

Kayuri was born in Johnson City,Tennessee, but has lived most of her life in Virginia. She is a rising sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in Biomedical Engineering, while working at a hospital. It’s hard to catch her sitting still because she loves to dance and has a serious sweet tooth. Besides listening to an unhealthy amount of music, she’s captain of VCU’s fusion dance team. After being a part of YJA for a short period of time, Kayuri can’t wait to make 2014 YJA Convention amazing!

Khushali is a student at San Jose State University majoring Business Administration hoping to one day take over her parents business. She currently lives in Southern California but spent most of her life in a small town in Kansas. Her hobbies include obsessing over her nails, playing her with her two dogs and cooking. She hopes to make the 2014 YJA Convention the best one yet!

Krupa is a born and raised Queens girl and loves living in NYC. She graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology and is currently working as an HR assistant at a law firm. In her downtime, Krupa loves sports (loyal fan of the Knicks, Giants and Yankees), Justin Timberlake, dancing, and traveling when she has the time. She's a total foodie and loves trying all different types of cuisine. Krupa is serving as JNF Co-lead and is thoroughly enjoying her first time being on the Convention Board and is looking forward to being part of a great YJA Convention!

Kunal has been a Jersey boy his whole life. After studying Math, Econ, and Computer Science he found his way to a major ad-tech firm in NYC. Outside of work, he enjoys spreading veganism and environmentalism, working out, reading comic books (DC Comics FTW!), rooting for the 49ers and Mets (feel free to ask him about that odd combination), and immersing himself in technology and design. Can you tell he's a nerd at heart? He has been involved in YJA since 2010. By YJA standards, he’s almost an uncle so he’s looking forward to making this convention the best yet!

Kunal is a born and raised Pittsburgh Yinzer. He is a rising senior studying Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh with aspirations for medical school. His interests include avidly rooting for all Pittsburgh sports teams, dancing (woo Pittsburgh PantheRaas!), technology, TV shows, and Mexican food. If you ever want to play a pickup game of any sport, Kunal will definitely be there. This his is first time on YJA Executive Board and simply can not put in words how excited he is for YJA Convention!

Mayha was born and raised in Connecticut, and graduated from Boston University with a degree in Economics and Mathematics. She currently works in Operations at Kaplan Bar Review in New York City. Though being a Boston fan in NYC can be a bit difficult, she is enjoying every minute in the city. Mayha loves dancing, traveling, her friends and family, and of course, all of her YJA experiences. She is looking forward to an awesome YJA Convention in our nation’s capital!

Megha just finished up her freshman year at The College of William & Mary, where she is pursuing a degree in Chemistry, and has called Northern Virginia her home for 13 years. In her free time, she enjoys dance, music and photography and she’s always up for a dance party! Megha is an avid fan of froyo. Daughtry, We the Kings, Jon Stewart, Matt Bomer and all sorts of Indian college dance teams. This is Megha’s first YJA Convention and she is excited for all the YJA experiences to come!

Neeketa was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She graduated from pharmacy school with her PharmD and MBA. Neeketa has loved every experience she’s had with YJA starting with the 2012 Convention! YJA has become very close to her heart and is now her second family. When she’s off YJA duties, she loves to venture to new places, try new cuisines, and always appreciates a delicious slice of cake!

Neil is originally born and raised in the Metropolitan Detroit area. He is a recent college graduate from a small school in Michigan called Oakland University with a B.S. in Biochemistry. In his free time he enjoys reading, watching films, learning about the technology industry, and playing fantasy football. He has served on the YJA Board in the past as the Director of Fundraising and Finance from 2010-2012. He has really enjoyed all his experiences through YJA including traveling all over the country for meetings and conventions!

Priyal was born in Mumbai but has lived in Kansas and Northern Virginia for most of her life. She is a rising second year at the University of Virginia on a pre-med track. Though YJA is her favorite hobby, Priyal also enjoys community service, art, music, and dancing. Fun facts: she’s learning sign language, has met Mr. and Mrs. Obama, and is obsessed with all things Disney (maybe it’s a Gandhi sister thing). This is Priyal’s second year serving as Director of Education, and she could not be more excited to bring some awesome Jain education to this year’s convention!

Priyank was born in New Jersey and raised in Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Tech in December 2012, and currently lives in New York City. Priyank works in the finance industry with a concentration on real estate acquisitions. One character trait Priyank puts a lot of emphasis on is having the ability to not take yourself too seriously. As a result, he loves to goof off, joke around, and take each day as it comes. In his free time, Priyank loves to go out and explore New York City, eat tons of different food, and watch sports.

As one of the youngest board members, Ravi Doshi has recently celebrated his 18th birthday and graduated from high school. Ready to get out of suburbia, he is beyond excited for the college life. Although mediocre, Ravi believes he has special talent in basketball and bhangra. In addition to being a football, psychology, and photography junkie (selfies only!), Ravi loves all things fast & furious. At his first YJA he made lifelong friends, had unforgettable experiences, but above all, he discovered his twitter name, @ravdosh. He hopes that everyone has a great time at the 2014 Convention in the #DMV

Salonee was born in Ahmedabad but was raised in Texas (the best state). Salonee attended the University of Texas at Austin (the best city), where she earned a BBA in Marketing but then rebelled and went into education. Her favorite things are traveling, music, video editing, and crafting. She first joined the YJA Executive Board in 2009 as the Director of Public Relations and has been hooked every since. Her favorite thing about being on YJA Board is meeting incredible people all over the country and running around at conventions!

Shikhar was born in Bilimora, Gujarat and raised in Chicago. He once found a four-leaf clover, and won the Nobel Prize. He studies epidemiology at UIC, and will be starting medical school in the fall. He also likes math, 80’s rap, and classical literature, so definitely bring those up in conversation. Through his work with YJA, Shikhar has realized that Mid-West is best. Very Jainism. Much principles. Such holy.

Sonny was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, NY. He is currently a student at MCPHS in Boston, obtaining a Doctorate in Pharmacy along with a minor in pre-med studies, set to graduate in May of 2015. Besides YJA, Sonny enjoys reading about and discussing business, catching up on the latest technology, spicing things up in the kitchen, and dancing around. But when it’s time to get serious, Sonny knows how to crack down and get things done! Catch him in action at the YJA convention.

Sneha Parikh was born and raised just outside of Hartford, Connecticut and attended undergrad at the University of Connecticut where she spent most of her time in dance practice! She recently graduated from Northeastern University with a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology and now works as a Speech Pathologist in a skilled nursing facility in Connecticut. Sneha love to dance, swim, cook, spend time with her family and friends, and take naps in the sun! She is so excited for the YJA convention and can’t wait to see all of you there!

Sunny grew up in Lenexa, Kansas. Currently, he is a rising junior studying Economics at the University of Michigan. This is Sunny’s first convention, and he is looking forward to meeting people from all over the nation. His hobbies and interests include community service, inspirational books, the Kansas City Chiefs, and most of all, long-distance running (all you Bostonian Jains: please go and support Sunny at the 2015 Boston Marathon). Sunny loved his first year of YJA, and he would like to give a shout out to his Boardie family, his Fundraising team, and his fellow Kansans and Michiganders!

Vaishali was born and raised in sunny Orlando, FL (yes, by Disney and Harry Potter World). She currently just graduated from pharmacy school at the University of Florida (Go Gators!!!) and is a licensed pharmacist. She enjoyed working with Adult Volunteers during YJA 2012 so she decided to do it again in hopes that they will not try to marry her off this time. When Vaishali is not busy studying about new drugs, you can find her cooking different recipes, catching up on TV shows, and obnoxiously singing Bollywood songs. She hopes everyone has an amazing time during this convention!

Virag was born in Texas, but grew up in Foxboro, MA. He is a rising sophomore at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He has been a local representative for the Northeast Region for two years, and is very excited to be able to serve on the Convention Committee this year. In his free time, Virag enjoys DJing and producing new tracks. He is extremely thrilled to be a part of this year’s convention, and hopes you all enjoy it!

Viraj was born in India, and grew up in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and India. He went to school at Texas A&M University, a proud Aggie (Gig ‘em!). Viraj works as an IT Analyst for Valero Energy in San Antonio, Texas. #YJA14 is the second convention that Viraj is attending, and he looks forward to providing a safe and secure environment for the convention attendees. Viraj enjoys playing soccer and volleyball, and running 5k’s that benefit causes. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends, watching soccer, football, and basketball games, and exploring new places.

Vishal was born in Ann Arbor, MI and will be entering his senior year at The University of Michigan this fall, pursuing a degree in political science and communication studies. Vishal has served on the YJA executive board in a few different capacities, including as Midwest regional coordinator (2010-2011) and as Director of Public Relations (2011-2012). In his spare time, Vishal enjoys golfing, running, and playing pickup football. Vishal has had an awesome time being part of YJA and can only hope to continue to find life long friends through the organization!