What is Forgotten 32, and how does it promote dental hygiene in rural India?

Forgotten 32 is an initiative founded by Aryan Kumar, an 18-year-old activist from Massachusetts. Through this program, Aryan aims to promote dental hygiene in India's rural villages. He collects dental supplies such as dental floss, toothbrushes, and toothpaste from local dentists in Central Massachusetts through emails and donations. Aryan then travels to poorer villages outside of New Delhi, where he educates underprivileged children about the importance of dental care in Hindi and explains how to use the supplies before distributing them to the kids.

What impact has Aryan Kumar's initiative, Forgotten 32, had on rural Indian residents?

Aryan's initiative, Forgotten 32, has made a meaningful impact on the lives of thousands of underprivileged children in rural India. By providing dental hygiene supplies and educating children about oral care, he addresses a pressing health issue and improves their overall well-being. The program has brought much-needed awareness to oral hygiene in areas where it was previously lacking, benefiting vulnerable individuals and communities.

How did Aryan Kumar start his journey to promote dental hygiene in India?

Aryan Kumar's journey began when he discovered the alarming lack of awareness about oral hygiene among people in India. Motivated by this revelation, he took the initiative to educate underprivileged children in the country about the importance of dental care. He reached out to dentists in Central Massachusetts through emails, asking for donations of dental supplies. With around 1,000 donations collected, he travelled to rural villages outside of New Delhi, spoke in Hindi, and taught children about dental hygiene before distributing the supplies to them.

What other initiatives has Aryan Kumar been involved in, besides Forgotten 32?

Besides Forgotten 32, Aryan Kumar is also the visionary behind "Enough is Enough," a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting social justice and combating police brutality and racism in Massachusetts. The organization boasts a membership of over 2000 individuals and has played a significant role in coordinating impactful Black Lives Matter protests across central Massachusetts. It has expanded its influence with over 30 chapters established throughout the United States, amplifying the fight for equality and justice in communities nationwide.

How has Aryan Kumar balanced his academic pursuits and his commitment to social initiatives like Forgotten 32?

Aryan Kumar believes that extracurricular activities are what distinguish him from his peers, even more than grades and test scores. Despite being a recipient of the US Presidential Scholar award, Aryan dedicates his time and efforts to initiatives like Forgotten 32 and "Enough is Enough." He is passionate about biology and will pursue his academic journey at Washington University in St. Louis. During the summer, he used his time to assist college students with their research projects to gain a deeper understanding of the field before finalizing his career path. Aryan aims to continue his involvement with Forgotten 32 while pursuing his academic ambitions.

Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveRights of nature: Indian American teen Anjika Pai is working on saving the planet

Rights of nature: Indian American teen Anjika Pai is working on saving the planet

Written by: Team GI Youth

(October 8, 2022) The world watched in awe when Anjika Ganesh Pai, dressed in a beautiful saree, took over the stage during the graduation ceremony, at UC Berkeley on May 21, 2022. Addressing her fellow students, the environmental justice student lobbied for greater diversity in the scientific field and more young environmental volunteers, during her speech. “After countless lessons in my environmental science classes about the catastrophic, unavoidable effects of climate change, I would ask my professors, ‘Do you think we’ll be able to make it?’ Everyone responded that our generation will be the one to reverse the destruction we have witnessed thus far,” she said during her speech.

Anjika Pai

After she had to pause for the crowd to stop applauding, she added, “But this vote of confidence hasn’t been the only thing that has reoriented me towards hope, time and time again. It has been the cutting-edge research that has shown me the potential to create radical, positive change.”

A first-generation Indian American, with roots in India’s western coastal state of Goa, Anjika was named the 2022 University Medal winner, the highest honor for a graduating senior. Winning a cash prize of $2,500, the young Global Indian is also the co-founder of the award-winning website STEM Redefined, which works as part of the Clinton Global Initiative University programme for social impact startups. Her deep sense of equality and justice earned the young environmental activist several awards and recognitions over the years.

A born leader

Anjika and her elder sister, Anisha, were born to Indian immigrants Ganesh and Samhita Pai, who moved to the United States from India in the early 1990s. Settled in the sparsely-populated town of Jamison in Pennsylvania, Anjika often went to the nearby woods after school and sat there for hours. While the sisters had the full support of their teachers, they had to face casual racism at school.

Anjika with her parents

To constantly prove herself, Anjika worked on a social science project linking the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. to the sinking of the Titanic in 1921 in her third grade. The project was a huge success and earned her a school medal at a very early age. Proving her mettle again, the now 19-year-old convinced her school principal to let students take part in a Day of Silence, an annual April event observed internationally to spread awareness about how LGBTQ-plus students are bullied and silenced. While she couldn’t get all the students to participate in the event, more than 75 percent of the school observed the Day of Silence.

Fighting for nature

While most kids watch television to unwind, it was actually a show on Animal Planet that encouraged this youngster to take up environmental justice as her major at the University level. “Everyone I knew wanted to be a doctor and save lives, and I just kept wondering, ‘Where are we going to put all these saved lives? How long is this planet going to be here?’” she recalled during an interview with Daily California.

So when she started at Berkeley in 2018, she was clear that her focus should be not only to encourage her peers to join hands in saving this planet but also to work towards framing policies and study material around the subject. In her first year, the young environmental activist won the Cal Alumni Association Leadership scholarship and joined the California-China Climate Institute as a policy research intern.

Intrepid and entrepreneurial, Anjika, joined the Student Environmental Resource Center at the University and with the help of other fellow students co-founded a student club that produces the publication, Caravan Travel & Style Magazine. Her initiative led her to discover the relationship indigenous people in the US have with nature, which later became her field of research in the final year. She interviewed several hundreds of tribal members about how they work on preserving the natural resources in their area. The environmental activist’s thesis about the rights of nature doctrine as a tool for Indigenous sovereignty across the US received grants from the Charles H. Percy Grant for Public Affairs Research and the Center for Research on Native American Issues.

With a vision to continue her education and later work in the field, Anjika is now headed to Northeastern University in Boston to study environmental law on a full-tuition graduate scholarship.

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Anmol Tukrel: AI healthcare for a better world

(April 22, 2023) Each time he came to India with his family, Anmol Tukrel would visit his aunt, who worked at a hospital for the visually-impaired. He saw the widespread poverty, the lack of awareness and access to quality healthcare, and decided to something about it. Anmol went on to create iDentifi, an AI healthcare app that allows visually impaired people to get information about their surroundings. This was in 2015, in the early days of AI and his efforts saw him featured in a video alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Geoffrey Hinton, the 'father of deep learning', along with a host of other young Canadian innovators. Building iDentifi "In India, the hospital staff would go to small towns and villages and offer free eye care to those who couldn't afford it," Anmol said. The next breakthrough also came in India, this time during an internship at a startup named IceCream Labs. "They were using computer vision, the same technology as iDentifi, for advertising. I thought, why not apply it to more humanitarian purposes," he said. The app could identify 96 languages - Anmol's method at the time was to look at a world map at his parents'

technology as iDentifi, for advertising. I thought, why not apply it to more humanitarian purposes," he said. The app could identify 96 languages - Anmol's method at the time was to look at a world map at his parents' home in Markham, Canada, and use pins to identify the countries in which the app was being used. The app is also on display at one of Canada's leading science museums.

The app was meant to provide as much detail as possible. In one demonstration video on YouTube, the user, Jason Fayre, the National Lead for Accessibility and Assistive Tech for CNIB, asked the app to identify a can of coke - "Pop cans are tricky," he explained. The app was able to tell the difference between a can of Coke and Coke Zero. "There are similar apps but iDentifi is more accurate and can provide an abundance of information, which sets it apart," said Fayre, who is also visually-impaired.

Finding success

As users could simply download the app from the app store, it gained popularity fairly quickly. The app proved useful "for day-to-day tasks, reading and browsing the web," the Global Indian said. "For example, if they went grocery shopping and wanted to find out if the can of soda they were holding was Coke or Pepsi, normally they'd have to find someone and ask, however with iDentifi, they can just take a picture of the can and get an audible description with a few seconds."

[caption id="attachment_29460" align="aligncenter" width="292"] Markham, Ontario teen Anmol Turkel wins Ontario Science Centre's 2017 Weston Youth Innovation Award for his AI healthcare app, iDentifi, that assists the visually impaired in identifying objects using a smartphone. (CNW Group/Ontario Science Centre)[/caption]

A search engine to take on Google

Born and raised in Markham, Anmol was interested in technology from a young age. By the time he turned 16, he was building a personalised search engine, intended to take on Google itself- that was his submission to the Google Science Fair. For this, Anmol used a computer with around 1GB of storage space, a spreadsheet programme, a Python-language development settings and some articles from the New York Times to get himself going. A couple of months of design work and about 60 hours of coding later, his prototype was ready.

To test the accuracy of his creation, he limited his search queries to articles from the New York Times, creating fictitious users with different interests and corresponding web histories. This information was fed to the search engine and to Google as well. Anmol submitted his paper to the International High School Journal of Science. He hoped his efforts would take him to Stanford University, which they did. There, he studied computer science and AI. These days, Anmol actually works for Google - he's an Associate Product Manager for Gmail's AI team and before that, was an APM intern on the Google Podcasts team.

Diabetes PD

Still captivated by the AI for healthcare space, Anmol went on to design Diabetes PD, this time targeting teenagers with Type-1 diabetes. "It's meant to make it easier to keep track and access quality information to manage diabetes," he explained. It allows the user to access resources that are updated in real time, and include travel, employment, meal planning and how to take care of oneself when one is sick. Users can also keep track of information related to diabetes care, monitor sugar levels, and A1Cs, to name a few.

Anmol Tukrel's story is a powerful reminder of the potential of technology to solve real-world problems. His creation, iDentifi, has already made a significant impact on the lives of visually impaired people around the world. Anmol's passion for technology, his dedication to his work, and his belief in the power of young people to make a difference have made him a role model for many.

The 50-state quest: How Priya Vulchi unveiled stories of race and identity across America

(January 23, 2024) Soon after graduating from high school, best friends Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi did what Asian immigrants in the US rarely do. They took a gap year. They travelled together to all 50 states of the US, in the hope of educating themselves about race, privilege and oppression. Over 250 days, they interviewed hundreds of people - "The youngest was a toddler, whose role model is Beyoncé, and the oldest is a Japanese immigrant, whose role model is also Beyoncé," they smile, at a TED talk in 2018. Vulchi and Guo are the founders of CHOOSE and back in 2017, developed a textbook, "The Classroom Index," working in collaboration with the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, from where Vulchi also graduated in 2022. Growing up, both Guo and Vulchi had experienced racism and heard stories about it. "At the time, we were like, yes, we get it. Racism, we know." But they didn't know, they admit later. "If you don't go searching for an education on racial literacy, you won't get it," Vulchi remarks. Their understanding, they realised, had always been superficial, because of an inability to truly understand each other's experiences. So, in

experiences. So, in 2014, the Global Indian co-founded CHOOSE, now a registered non-profit, because "we weren't talking about race," they write on the website. "At the same time, we realised that every part of our daily lives - from our neighbourhoods to our friend groups - were shaped by racial division."

[caption id="attachment_35391" align="aligncenter" width="646"] TED Residents Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo speak at TED Photo: Ryan Lash / TED[/caption]

Writing a textbook

They started out by simply listening to people's stories and sharing them on the website. One year later, they compiled the stories; along with "statistics and systematic context," in a 'textbook-toolkit' they called The Classroom Index. "We called our model a bridge for the heart-mind gap," they said. The idea was to encourage people to actually have those discussions, and to get to know each other "at a soul-level," as they put it, rather than just at "an ego level." Besides, they believe, society must invest in an education that “values stories and statistics, the people and the numbers, the interpersonal and the systemic, there will always be a piece missing." Vulchi and Guo were also attempting to create a racial and intersectional literacy curriculum that could be used in schools. "That way, young people like us can grow up not only proud of their backgrounds, but caring about the communities we share. We imagine racial literacy as a 21st century life skill."

The textbook brought Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo so much attention that they landed a book deal with Penguin Random House. That inspired their journey across the US, which they funded on their own through textbook sales, cold-emailing corporates like Airbnb and Greyhound and GoFundMe. Tell Me Who You Are, Priya says, "is not a comprehensive overview of race in America in an academic sense, but our personal journey (and) what it was like meeting these people, purely listening to their stories and capturing them in the pages." They were 17 years old and travelling alone, couch surfing their way across the US. "Our goal was to interview hundreds of people about how race, culture and other parts of their identity have impacted their lives," the duo explains. "People cried, we cried, then we missed our parents and we cried some more," they laugh.

On the road in America

The journey was complex in many ways, from actually planning the trip, to finding themselves in dire situations, like when, in Montana, they were "too scared to interview downtown" because they had heard of white supremacists being around. There was also the emotional toll of hearing so many difficult stories, some of which were truly heartbreaking, like meeting a woman whose daughter had been killed in the Charlottesville protest. Then, in Kansas, they interviewed a man who had been "shot and told 'go back to your own country'." Their biggest challenge, however, was learning to deal with each other.

"Can you imagine living and travelling with a high school friend for 250 days," Guo said, in a talk. They argued a lot, over little things like personal space, or fighting over ointment when they ended up at a place with bedbugs. They realised that despite being best friends, they didn't fully understand each other all the time. In fact, they admitted, as they sat on sidewalks, in coffee shops and in people's homes, they felt close to the strangers they met more than they did to each other.

Discovering themselves - and each other

So, the two friends went back to the beginning, talking about their childhoods, the love they held for their parents but also the "painful cultural disconnect." Vulchi often wondered why her parents never said "I love you," like her friends' folks did, and Guo took a long time to accept that while the cool girls hung out at the country club, she had to spend 10 hours a day learning Mandarin. "We talked about the disgust and suspicion we felt at being fetishised as cute Asian girls, and being seen as naive and weak," Vulchi recalls. They were often lumped together as Asian Americans, when the Chinese American and the Indian American are so different in reality.

[caption id="attachment_35393" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Tell Me Who you Are, by Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo[/caption]

"Only now I was able to validate Priya's experience as the darkest skinned girl in her family," Guo said. "I shouldn't have invalidated this country's long history with Chinese Americans, nor should I have tolerated people telling my friend to edit photos to make her eyes bigger, or her body thinner," Vulchi chimed in. And these are the conversations they want to see happening. "Not the ego conversations like, who you're dating or where you went on vacation, but conversations that happen at the soul-level."

Learn more about Priya Vulchi on the CHOOSE website.

Empowering voices: Author Malavika Kannan aims to put the spotlight on brown women

(April 19, 2024) From the age of ten, while her Indian American peers discussed aspirations of becoming doctors or engineers, Malavika Kannan held a clear dream of becoming an author. And in 2020 at the age of 18, her dream finally came true with the release of her debut novel, The Bookweaver's Daughter. The award-winning book is inspired by Indian mythology and a younger Malavika's view on female friendship. It follows a 14-year-old girl with magical abilities who confronts the tyrannical ruler of the fictional realm of Kashmiri. Inspired by writers and thinkers such as Arundhati Roy, Zora Neale Hurston, and Amiya Srinivasan, the writer has penned another novel All the Yellow Suns, which was released in 2023. Currently an undergraduate at Stanford University, Malavika recently added another feather to her already colourful hat by winning the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. "I really do think stories have a lot of power to impact the way we discuss issues, power, and the way we centre people in conversations. I want to use storytelling to address a lot of issues that are faced by brown women, young women, and queer women," shared the author during a recent

think stories have a lot of power to impact the way we discuss issues, power, and the way we centre people in conversations. I want to use storytelling to address a lot of issues that are faced by brown women, young women, and queer women," shared the author during a recent interview.

Connected to her roots

Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the author grew up in Central Florida in a tightly-knit community of Indian immigrant families. Her parents both emigrated from South India in the 1990s, and Malavika’s earliest memories include regular visits to the public library with her parents, putting on ridiculous plays with her sister, and listening to stories of Indian mythology from her grandparents.

"I clearly remember that being an author was the only dream I had, ever since I could even dream," laughed the author, adding, "We would visit my grandmother during summers in India, and she would tell me a lot of stories—Indian mythology and other folklores. And I was so fascinated by it. Before I learnt how to write, I remember telling my mom stories, and she would write them down for me."

Interestingly, the idea of her first book - The Bookweaver's Daughter - came to Malavika when she was still in school. "I had the idea for it when I was 12 years old. I also wrote a version of the book in high school, when I was in the middle of my Young Adult fantasy reading phase. It’s ultimately a story about a girl who’s trying to unlock her powers - about how language and storytelling can be used as a force for change. And I’ve placed her in this world of ancient Indian mythology, which had the characters I grew up reading and loving as a kid," shared the Global Indian.

ALSO READ | Kiara Kaur’s journey through books, speeches and world records

An activist

Growing up in Florida, Malavika, like many others her age, witnessed the effects of gun violence, police brutality, and racism in her community. At the age of 16, she had her first distinctively American experience when she and her high school peers coordinated a school-wide walkout to protest gun violence. Throughout her teenage years, Malavika actively worked with organisations such as March For Our Lives, the Women’s March, and Giffords to advocate for safer and more equitable communities.

The author's early involvement as an organiser deeply shapes her approach to writing, which she sees as both politically charged and community-driven. Through her work, she explores themes of identity, culture, and politics, contributing to publications such as The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, and The San Francisco Chronicle. With an online following nearing 50,000, her writing resonates widely.

"I want to amplify people who are doing the frontline work of eliminating these issues, and also support them," shared the author. "I want to talk about unspoken power dynamics in our society. I want to talk about how systemic issues can affect one person in the course of their own narrative journey. We as a community can directly take care of each other without having to wait for the government, an election, or a march. We can just do it ourselves."

ALSO READ | Shreya Gupta, the young author making a global impact

A long road ahead

A senior at Stanford University (batch 2024), Malavika has delved into creative writing, South Asian studies, and women’s literature during her academic journey. Graduating with a BA in comparative studies in race and ethnicity, the author has submitted two honours theses: one exploring Dalit women’s environmental writing and the other a literary novel depicting college student during the pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63sZzu0gz3w

"I'm looking to further refine my literary skills by pursuing an MFA in fiction. My goal is to become both a novelist and a literature professor," shared the author, who is grateful for the opportunities she has received, aims to continue representing queer brown girls in narratives and hopes to make her family proud.

Follow Malavika Kannan on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook

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Earthshot Prize 2021 finalist Vinisha Umashankar ‘irons’ out a plan to save the Earth

(January 12, 2022) “We have every reason to be angry. But I have no time for anger. I want to act. I am not just a girl from India. I am a girl from Earth and I am proud to be so,” smiled the pint-sized bespectacled Vinisha Umashankar at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. The student innovator, environmentalist, entrepreneur and optimist had Prince William, and other world leaders in awe. Suddenly, a toothy 15-year-old Indian environmentalist was in the reckoning. However, this native of Tamil Nadu is not ready to rest on her laurels, and demands action. “All of us should understand that environmental issues are real and can't be fixed later. Most importantly, they are not someone else's problem. We all must work together to understand environmental problems and solve them before it is too late. Today’s actions matter tomorrow,” says Vinisha, who is one of the eight baton-bearers to carry the Commonwealth Games 2022 torch in India from January 12 to 15, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvLD6waVlkk Being the youngest and the only school student to earn a spot among the finalists for The Earthshot Prize 2021, the TEDx speaker was invited by Prince William, The Duke

y Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, to speak at the World Leaders’ Summit at the COP26 in November 2021. Such was the impact of her five-minute speech that global leaders like US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Bill Gates, and PM Narendra Modi gave her a standing ovation. Vinisha’s plea has since gone viral with over 30 million views.

Enriched to be in the company of the minds whose innovations and solutions are making an impact on Earth, she was apt and self-assured. “COP26 was quite critical because we have to plan actions for the next 10 years, and execute them together for a better future. I am keen to take forward what I learnt to make the Earth better,” adds the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award winner (2019).

Thinking beyond fossil fuels

Her invention of a solar-powered ironing cart became the lodestar. She was just 12 when she started designing her innovation after the idea struck when accompanying her mother to deliver ironing clothes.

[caption id="attachment_9525" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] The Solar Ironing Cart[/caption]

Seeing six ironing vendors in her neighbourhood, Vinisha saw how charcoal burning is a serious threat to the environment. “They use charcoal to heat an iron box, and usually throw the burnt charcoal away with the garbage. It made me think about the number of ironing carts in India, the amount of charcoal burnt every day, and the damage done to environment,” says the SKP Vanitha International School student, who found her “eureka” in solar power which effectively substitutes charcoal. “Using renewable solar energy is the aim of my innovation,” Vinisha says in an exclusive with Global Indian.

Cleaning the air, making us breathe

The innovation won her the Children’s Climate Prize in 2020, and helped her get a slot as a finalist at The Earthshot Prize in the Clean Our Air category in 2021. “I was happy that environmental innovations like a solar ironing cart got due recognition. It can play a crucial role in reducing environmental damage and climate change. I hope my innovation motivates students to innovate on products that could help protect the environment for future generations. I am happy that the solar ironing cart is my little contribution towards an ambitious goal,” says the confident young inventor.

[caption id="attachment_9526" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Vinisha Umashankar won the Children's Climate Prize 2020.[/caption]

Vinisha’s invention is built on an integral-type chassis, the ironing cart, “can be fitted with a coin-operated GSM PCO, USB charging points, and provide mobile recharging services. The solar panel doubles as the roof of the ironing cart,” she adds.

The girl who reads too much

Born in 2007 in Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu), her business consultant father and school teacher mother realised how fascinated she was by science and maths as a child. They are the wind beneath her wings, and her biggest support system. “My parents bought me many books to read, and explore,” reveals the Class 10 student, who often accompanies her parents to museums, zoological parks, botanical gardens, palaces, and forts. Her love for Nature and environment stemmed from these visits, and to country farms and animal asylums.

As one of the eight baton bearers from India to carry the Commonwealth Games torch and a participant at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, she is also preparing for her boards. How she strikes a balance between the acclaim, endeavours and studies evokes a smile. Her time management skills, she explains, “I sort my scholastic and co-scholastic activities a day or week in advance. I prepare a to-do list, and finish it one by one. I schedule everything meticulously so that I don’t spend too much time on a single activity – all done a little at a time rather than in one long slot! However, I listen to music, go for a walk, exercise and relax in between activities.”

A tale of many talents

Despite her hectic schedule, Vinisha finds time to unwind curling up with a book, cycling or trying her hand at photography. A yoga and gymnastics enthusiast, she has a Grade 4 electronic keyboard certification from Trinity College London too.

[caption id="attachment_9527" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Vinisha Umashankar with PM Narendra Modi at COP26[/caption]

Having accomplished so much so young, she advises youngsters “to believe.” “If you think that you can move a mountain with your fingers, believe that you can. What other people think of you is irrelevant. No one is in charge of your future, but you. Gain knowledge around your passion and strengths. Develop a unique set of skills that work. It is better to try and fail than just dream about achieving great things! You learn a lot by doing things and even more by failing. Do not fear failure. That’s how great people have done it,” adds the teenager, who wants to become a research scientist or a theoretical physicist in the future.

Next on agenda for the Earth Day Network Rising Star 2021, is, “To manufacture the solar ironing cart. Also, over the years, I have given over 100 interviews, 40 innovation talks, and 40 motivation speeches to over 25,000 school and college students. I will continue to inspire young minds to create an environmentally-conscious society,” says the committed teen activist.

Follow Vinisha Umashankar on Linkedin and Twitter

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Aryan Kumar: US Presidential Scholar promoting dental hygiene in rural India

(July 28, 2023) Shrewsbury resident Aryan Kumar, an 18-year-old activist from Massachusetts and one of the 161 recipients of the US Presidential Scholar 2022 award, believes that a single email could be the catalyst for a transformative program benefiting thousands of rural Indian residents. Through his initiative, Forgotten 32, Aryan aims to promote dental hygiene in India's rural villages. This impactful program not only addresses a pressing health issue but also showcases the potential of young Indian Americans in making a significant difference in the world. Aryan's journey started when he discovered the alarming lack of awareness about oral hygiene among people in India. Motivated by this revelation, he took it upon himself to educate underprivileged children in the country about the importance of dental care. To support his cause, Aryan collected essential supplies from local dentist offices and distributed them to those in need, making a meaningful impact on the lives of many vulnerable individuals. [caption id="attachment_23168" align="aligncenter" width="462"] Aryan Kumar[/caption] "I emailed a lot of dentists in Central Massachusetts to see if they would donate dental floss, toothbrushes and toothpaste to help,” he told MetroWest Daily News in an interview, adding, “We got around 1,000 donations, and I

ndian" width="462" height="661" /> Aryan Kumar[/caption]

"I emailed a lot of dentists in Central Massachusetts to see if they would donate dental floss, toothbrushes and toothpaste to help,” he told MetroWest Daily News in an interview, adding, “We got around 1,000 donations, and I brought them to India and travelled a few hour outside of New Delhi to poorer villages and spoke in Hindi to teach children about these things and explained how to use them, before giving them to the kids.”

His relentless efforts as a senior at the Advanced Math and Science Academy yielded remarkable results, benefiting thousands of children through his partnership with the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, which facilitated the distribution of dental hygiene supplies to those in need. However, the pandemic put a screeching halt to the plan. Not one to be fazed by roadblocks, the activist has plans in place, "My ultimate goal is to set up full-time medical clinics in rural India."

The recipient of US Presidential Scholars medal believes that more than grades, it’s the extracurriculars that distinguish him from his peers. “A high SAT score is impressive but a lot of people have that. I have a pretty high GPA, too, but I don’t think those are the separating factors. I think the separating factors for me were the extracurriculars I was a part of,” the activist added.

In addition to founding Forgotten 32, Aryan Kumar is also the visionary behind Enough is Enough, a non-profit dedicated to promoting social justice and combating police brutality and racism in Massachusetts. Boasting a membership of over 2000 individuals, the organisation played a pivotal role in coordinating impactful Black Lives Matter protests across central Massachusetts. Its significant influence has grown exponentially, with more than 30 chapters established throughout the United States, amplifying the fight for equality and justice in communities across the nation.

[caption id="attachment_23165" align="aligncenter" width="828"] Aryan leading the Enough Is Enough initiative[/caption]

With a passion for biology, Aryan Kumar is set to embark on his academic journey at Washington University in St. Louis this fall. Demonstrating his dedication to the field, he used his summer to assist college students in their research projects, seeking a deeper understanding and perspective before finalising his career path.

"I cold-emailed about 100 professors. I got three responses — one saying no, one saying they had retired, and one from Dr. Lynn Adler (from UMass Amherst). I spent a lot of time working with her and Ph.D. students on their projects, to see if I really wanted to do biology and if this was something I was cut out to do,” he told the daily.

Aryan has set a academic path for himself but at the same time he wants to continue to dedicate his time and efforts to the impactful initiative he founded, Forgotten 32, where he strives to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children in rural India by promoting dental hygiene and providing essential support.

Follow Aryan Kumar on Linkedin

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