Hi! My name is Sahana, and I’m a senior at Simi Valley High School in Southern California. I’m passionate about healthcare and want to help make sure that people can get the care they need, no matter their background or financial situation.
On Wednesday evenings, you can usually find me at Westminster Free Clinic, where I volunteer as a student medical intern and help distribute groceries through the clinic’s food pantry. At the clinic, I work alongside volunteer doctors and help patients with intake, vital signs, and care coordination. Spending time with patients who are uninsured or struggling financially has shown me that getting healthcare is not always as simple as making a doctor’s appointment. Sometimes people put off care because of cost, lack of insurance, language barriers, or fear. Seeing this firsthand made me want to do more.
That is one of the reasons I helped start Charity Bridge Foundation, a nonprofit focused on supporting underserved communities. Locally, we organize backpack drives for children and families at Westminster Free Clinic and put together support kits for cancer patients. Globally, we have worked with the African Library Project to help bring books and libraries to schools in Kenya. We also volunteer with the Sankara Eye Foundation at walks, runs, dance performances, and music events that raise money for sight-restoring surgeries for the underserved.
At school, I’m also the Co-Founder and President of our American Cancer Society and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Club. Through the club, I help organize fundraising and awareness activities focused on cancer prevention, early detection, and supporting patients and families. As President of my school’s American Red Cross Club, I help organize quarterly blood drives.
When I’m not volunteering, studying, or planning another event, you’ll probably find me dancing. I’m a Bharatanatyam classical dancer with Kalapeetham Dance Company, and I perform at cultural events and fundraisers and also help tutor younger dancers in my dance school. Dance gives me a completely different way to connect with people, tell stories, and be part of my community.
All of these experiences have taught me that making a difference does not always have to start with something huge. Sometimes it starts by helping one patient, donating one unit of blood, packing one backpack, or simply getting a group of people together who care about the same problem.
We’re stronger together, and I hope to keep doing my part to make healthcare and support more accessible to everyone.
Thanks for visiting my page! I look forward to hearing from you!
