​WHO ARE WE

The Neurokidz is a platform dedicated to enriching the lives of children with various backgrounds through exposure of neuroscience with STEAM. We work with local elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the school year. Neurokidz members utilize a curriculum that contains interactive games, visuals, and projects that expand on the basics of neuroscience.

​We recruit spirited individuals with a passion for neuroscience who want to give back to the community.  ​

Meet The Neurokidz

We are a spunky group extremely passionate about neuroscience, and we want to impart our passion to the next generation.​

 

 

Nethra Srinivasan

Founder and President
Nethra is a student at Leland High School with an ardor for neuroscience and physiology. She loves neuroscience because of the many uncharted territories left to discover and learn about. Apart from the brain, she enjoys dance, art, and traveling to exotic destinations. Nethra is excited to empower others through education!

 

VOlunteers

Anika Kapoor

I am a junior in high school from Plano, Texas. I really enjoy working with children and I have a passion for neuroscience and psychology. During my free time I enjoy volunteering, photography, and painting. I am really excited to be involved with the NeuroKidz and I hope to gain some knowledge and experience from this unique opportunity!

Ishmael Amah

I am a freshman at Fort Mill High school in Fort Mill, SC. I am a future cardiologist and I want to change the world in medicine and to help in that I would like to teach the future generations by teaching kids not to be afraid of medicine but show them the cool side and how it can really help people.​

Dezarae Stone

Hi, my name is Dezarae, and I am passionate about everything science related. I am a high school junior but taking college classes at the Middle College of Forsyth Tech in Winston-Salem, NC to graduate early and with a degree. Not only am I a delegate of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, but I am a proud volunteer with NeuroKidz! Not only will this prepare me for my intended career in anesthesiology, but it will prepare another generation of kids to change the future with science.

Anika Bhatia

Anika is a sophomore at Leland High School in San Jose, CA. She loves to help others, whether it's giving some friendly advice or volunteering. She also has great interest in robotics and hopes to someday incorporate this interest into her future career. Anika looks forward to supporting children in broadening their perspective in STEAM!

Tanaya Mahindrakar

Hi! My name is Tanaya Mahindrakar and I'm currently a sophomore at Leland High School in San Jose, CA. I want to help out NeuroKidz to teach young kids and expand the group! I think getting young kids exposed to neuroscience is great because these opportunities to learn don't usually come up very often, especially for such specialized subjects.

Jabeen Sheikh

I am a sophomore in high school from Basking Ridge, New Jersey. I have a strong interest in obstetrics and pediatric medicine. I enjoy painting, traveling to new places, spending time with my family and friends, and playing with my cats. I am excited to explore the rapidly growing field of neuroscience and teach others about the fascinating role our brains play in our everyday lives.

Shraya Pal

Hey, I’m Shraya Pal, I go to Leland High School located in San Jose CA! I joined the organization because I believe educating the youth about neuroscience, more importantly in the context of mental health, is paramount to ensuring their future welfare.

Nainika Srinivasan 

Nainika is a proud volunteer of the NeuroKidz in San Jose, CA. She loves teaching kids because education is not a privilege, it is a right. She hopes to spread knowledge through STEAM throughout her life!

Khushboo Teotia 

I am Khushboo Teotia, a junior at EVHS. I have participated in Neuroscience competitions for over a year now and have secured a position in top 20 for my state. Through Neurokidz, I can use my experience and knowledge to support this noble cause regarding the spread of education to students in our community.

Natasha Matta

​Hi, my name is Natasha, and I'm a rising junior at Harker High School in San Jose, CA! I'm interested in studying stem cell biology, food allergy immunology, and the intersection of neuroscience and psychology, and I'm pursuing a cognitive neuroscience and psychopathology internship under a Harvard University PhD candidate this summer. After conducting a research project modeling chelation therapy as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease, I quickly became fascinated with neurodegenerative diseases and later the complexity and diagnosis of mental disorders, and I am excited to join The NeuroKidz Team!

Rishik Gandhasri

Rishik is a rising 9th grader from San Jose, California. Rishik has been passionate about science, languages and spelling from a very young age. Rishik's passion for spelling culminated with winning the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Since then, he has been coaching and volunteering to mentor spellers from all over the country. Rishik loves working with kids of all ages, and he is very excited to be volunteering with Neurokidz to enrich young minds about Neuroscience.  Rishik aspires to pursue a career in health sciences and hopes to eventually find a cure for allergies.

Swayam Patel

​Hi, I'm Swayam Patel! I always had a passion and interest for neuroscience since I was a child. I was fascinated about the function and purpose of our brain. My mind is set on pursuing a career in neuroscience, which I am working towards. I myself have been involved in Stem related activities in the past, such as MESA, USABO, being the President of the Future Medical Professionals club, among other things. The reason for my volunteering is very simple. I want to educate other on the plethora of knowledge which is Neuroscience. I wanted others to be just as//more interested in Neuroscience!

Catherine Zhou

Hi, I'm a sophomore at Lynbrook in San Jose, CA. I enjoy learning about STEM-related subjects, especially biochemistry and neuroscience. I am also passionate about biomedical research, and currently, I am conducting research about polyphenolic secondary metabolites that have therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of STEM, I enjoy playing basketball, drawing, and filmmaking. I am really excited to teach neuroscience through NeuroKidz!

Deven Shah

Deven is a rising junior at the Harker School. His first experience with neuroscience came through his middle school biology teacher, who noticed his enthusiasm and connected him with a graduate student at Stanford. Since then, he has worked in two Stanford labs, primarily focusing on the functions of the motor cortex and the basal ganglia. His work detailing the effects of blue light on motor learning won first in its category and alternate grand prize at the regional science fair but was unable to advance due to the cancellation of both the state and international science fair. He also has been involved in the brain bee and helped create an informational site for patients with Parkinson's Disease. In his free time, he travels to speech and debate competitions, where he is ranked 15th in the nation.

Diana Poplacenel

Diana Poplacenel is a rising senior and Leigh High and is the Biology and Chemistry Olympiad President at Leigh High School, as well as the treasurer of the Science National Honors Society and a founding member of Leigh Science Bowl and Science Olympiad. She is the co-founder of STEM Enrichment Youth and a core team member of Bay Area Society for Neuroscience Youth. She has experience working with middle school students as an official percussion instructor for Union Middle School. She has completed Harvard’s three Fundamentals of Neuroscience courses as well as several John Hopkins Bioinformatics courses through Coursera, and is currently in the Biomedical Engineering Innovation program at John Hopkins. She is also a semifinalist in the USA Biology Olympiad. In her free time, she loves to play percussion and she's an International Open Class Champion for DCI! She's super excited to teach neuroscience! 

Soumya Rai

Hi, I’m Soumya Rai and I’m a sophomore at Washington High School in Fremont, CA. I enjoy painting, dancing, and playing the clarinet. Additionally, I am passionate about neuroscience and hope to pursue a career in this field. I am excited to teach younger kids such a vital subject and look forward to helping the organization grow!

Yulia Anashkina

Yulia Anashkina is a rising sophomore at Leigh High School. She has a passion for STEM, especially Biology and Neuroscience. Her curiosity in neuroscience led her to completing Harvard’s Fundamentals of Neuroscience course. Additionally, she is a competitive figure skater who competes individually as well as with SFIT, a team ranked top 5 internationally. She is very excited to be working with neurokidz and helping other students learn about neuroscience! 

Brian Caballo

Hi, my name is Brian Caballo and I am a rising junior at the Bronx High School of Science in NYC. I have always had a great interest in the sciences, and being able to expand my own knowledge in neuroscience alongside teaching the younger generation is what attracted me to The NeuroKidz. In my free time, I enjoy playing basketball and video games. I look forward to my time as part of the team!

Vansika Jain

I am a high school student from Kolkata, India and I love reading, playing music, travelling and spending time with family and friends.
I want to pursue with economics and get into Artificial Intelligence later.
I go to the Heritage School in Kolkata.
I want to utilise  my time efficiently and I feel that NeuroKidz is one such way  to channelise my talents .

Siddhant Karmali

Hey all! My name is Siddhant Karmali and I'm a sophomore hailing from sunny Southern California. I'm interested in various fields of neuroscience research, including but not limited to addiction, spatial, and working memories. I'm stoked to be serving as a tutor for this neuroscience class. For further questions, my email is siddhant.karmali@gmail.com. Look forward to seeing y'all, bye for now!

Ja'Lani Foster

Hi there! My name is Ja'Lani and I'm a junior in high school from South San Francisco. I have had a passion and love for the arts and sciences for the past 6 years. I have a certificate through Duke University's Arts through Activism, Medical Neuroscience, and Psychology that have helped me grow my knowledge within the wonders of the brain and arts. My focus and drive is within Cognitive Neuroscience, supporting those with autism, and mental/psychological disorders. I additionally work as a Senior Administrative Coordinator within Venetia Reyes Health Coaching business focusing on working mothers and their support of their health and wellness. Through NeuroKidz, I hope to support the new generation of young minds of all races into the big and great world of STEAM. 

Klea Tryfoni

Hello everyone! My name is Klea and I am a rising senior from Greece. I have attended Neuropsychology classes in Philips Exeter Academy Summer School as well as introduction to Neuroscience by Caltech students. I am really excited to get the chance to work with the NeuroKidz team and with all my students as well.

Aarzoo Singh

Hello! My name’s Aarzoo Singh. I am a junior at Providence High School. I absolutely ADORE kids and find the Human body very intriguing. NeuroKids seems to be an amazing platform to connect with children and talk about neuroscience. I look forward to being a part of NeuroKidz!

 Narthni Shankar

Hi! My name is Narthni Shankar and I am currently a Junior at Providence High School in Charlotte NC. As soon as I heard about NeuroKidz I knew it was something I would love to participate in as I love spending time with younger kids. I myself would have loved to have been introduced to neuroscience as a kid, as it is something I am very interested in, and I’m so excited to be a part of the program!

Harsh Borkar

Hey ! My name is Harsh Borkar. I am a junior at Providence High School. Ever Since I took Principles of Biomedical Science last year, I've been interested in learning more about the Human Body. I love taking part in programs like this and teaching others is something I've always enjoyed and I look forward to being a part of NeuroKidZ.

Sriradhaa Satishkumar 

Hey, I’m Sri Satishkumar. I am a Junior at Providence High School. I love interacting with kids and looking at things from their perspective. The human brain has always been something that has interested me. Neurokidz is a way for me to share what I love with kids and they can see that science can be fun and I am extremely grateful to be a part of this program.

Dana Lin

Hi, I’m Dana Lin. I’m a senior at Providence High School and when I heard about Neurokidz, I knew I had to join because I absolutely love the Human Body System. I love interacting with kids and I would absolutely love teaching kids about something that I love. I am pleased to be in this amazing program. 

Will Epstein

Hi, my name is Will and I'm a rising senior at Hunter College High School in NYC. I have always felt like youth exposure to brain sciences is undeservedly low, and I am super excited to get to promote this cause. I currently teach younger kids how to read and write both Hebrew and Spanish, and would love to broaden my horizons to include STEM education as well.

 

 
Other volunteers not featured: Kelsi Rote(TX), Sreemukhi Vangala(MA)

Advisors

DR. ALEXANDER EL SEHAMY

oDr. El Sehamy is currently a Psychiatry Resident at Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY. He attended New York University for his undergraduate degree where he studied Neuroscience, Psychology, and Child & Adolescent Mental Health before attending medical school. He is hoping to bring the NeuroKidz program to New York as he believes strongly in the mission to increase interest in STEAM careers and facilitate the delivery of knowledge about neurosciences and mental health to our youth. In addition to medicine, Dr. El Sehamy enjoys music performance and writing. He is happy to offer his expertise and serve as an advisor and mentor for The Neurokidz program!