Daytime Programming

Welcome to Daytime Programming at the 2014 Young Jains of America (YJA) Convention! This convention will connect nearly 700 youth from across the globe. Highlighting the daytime sessions will be inspirational speakers who keep Jainism and its values alive in the hearts and minds of youth. In addition, this year will be the first time YJA introduces Jain Academic Bowl (JAB). Get excited for some diverse sessions on Jain education, interfaith, lifestyle, college/careers, debates, games, and much more!

Nimesh Patel

Keynote Speaker

From Wharton Business School to Wall Street, to fame and fortune as a MTV Rap star, at some point along Nimo's journey he realized that he was walking a path of suffering and that the only path to light was through selfless service to others and his own internal purification. In his mid-twenties, he abandoned the limelight and found himself meditating in the foothills of the Himalayas. There, an inner voice nudged him to radically simplify his life and find his purpose in service to others. He moved to the Gandhi Ashram in India and dedicated himself to the children in the surrounding slums. Fast-forward to April 2012: Nimo and a dance troupe of sixteen of "his kids" toured the world with "Ekatva" -- a performance whose ultimate message was Oneness. Read more about Nimo's inspired journey of transforming a motley crew of kids from the slums into global emissaries of unity: A Rap Star's Journey With 16 Slum Kids

Nimo has recently embarked on a project to bridge selfless service, love and music. He calls it Empty Hands Music. Check out this video which captures the spirit of what Nimo’s Empty Hands Music is all about.

Sonal Shah

Keynote Speaker

Sonal Shah is Professor of Practice and the founding Executive Director of the Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation. Sonal, an economist and entrepreneur, has spent her career focused on actionable innovation in the public and private sectors. Most recently, she was the Deputy Assistant to the President and founding Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.

She spent seven years at the U.S. Department of Treasury where she was an international economist working on timely development issues, including post-conflict development in Bosnia, Asian financial crisis, and poverty reduction in Africa. She then went to Goldman Sachs and Google while simultaneously co-founded Indicorps, a nonprofit building a new generation of socially conscious global leaders. She is a senior fellow at the Case Foundation and the Center for American Progress. Sonal serves on the Board of Social Finance, Inc. and the Washington Area Women's Foundation.