About Author

Taanvi Arekapudi is a 13-year-old Irish teenager with Indian parents. She is currently a student in the Northshore School District in Washington and a recipient of C.P. and Dorothy Johnson Humanitarian Award for the year 2022.  She is an amazing leader, humanitarian, and change maker.  She has also received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for volunteering over 350 hours in a year through her library, school, clubs, aviation program, and homeless shelter. She is the creator and president of the Think Positive group at her school, which she founded at the age of 12 years old. Her goal was to create a place for youth to open up, connect and learn skills that would help cope with their mental health in a fun and loving environment. Her ability to lead her peers by example toward the very best versions of themselves is exceptional. She always practices great kindness and is the embodiment of curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. She is a Youth Ambassador for NAMI Eastside, East King County Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness supporting families, friends, and individuals living with mental health conditions.