Victoria Vanriele 

​

Victoria Vanriele is a recent graduate of Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. She is now attending Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College in the Smeal College of Business and is a member of the track & field team. As a Black American born of Caribbean parents in the predominantly white town of Berkeley Heights, she hopes that she can be seen as an example for others as to what is possible when all races are given equal opportunities to succeed. She’s driven to excel in college to one day obtain a position of influence where she could affect change. Meanwhile, she wants to make a difference in her community and beyond so that people will become more educated on current world issues and make better informed decisions.  She hopes that her contributions to the community will inspire others to advocate for human rights and foster a society that embraces diversity. 

​

Kenedi Facey 

 

Kenedi Facey is a senior at Rutgers University majoring in both Marketing and Management. A Black Caribbean-American born in Houston, TX, and having lived in Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, and England, she takes pride in her ability to embrace diversity and has been shaped by each experience in every city that she has lived in. She began her college career as a competitive Track and Field athlete, but after being granted various career opportunities close to home, she decided to leave behind Track and Field at her old institution to further pursue her academic endeavors at Rutgers University. With that, she noticed the lack of diversity in the corporate workplace while interning in NYC, and the duality that she needed to upkeep in order to be accepted. Her original passion for diversity and inclusion stems from growing up and attending school in a predominantly white, affluent community with a 1.11% Black population, being the only Black girl in her high school graduating class, and noting a need for serious change and reform within the community. She is vocal about making impactful changes in her community through actionable measures and is ready to set a new standard to bring long-awaited change so future generations won’t have to.

​

Tara Prabhu

​

Tara Prabhu is a recent graduate of Georgetown University, where she majored in Global Health, with a pre-med concentration. She is passionate about addressing racial health disparities, promoting inclusivity and educational justice, and dismantling the system of mass incarceration. As a dual citizen of the USA and Australia, and an Indian-American, her perspective has also been shaped by her experiences growing up in the predominantly white and affluent suburb of Berkeley Heights, followed by a transition to the racially and socioeconomically diverse city of Washington DC, and 4 months spent living and working in East Africa. As an ally of several movements addressing civil rights, she recognizes her privilege as an Asian American, but is not blind to the injustices and biases she witnessed growing up in Berkeley Heights, and nationwide. To that end, she aims to be an active listener, learner, and supporter of community-led social change, and hopes to use this platform to encourage other allies to recognize that change starts in our own homes.

​

Mikayla Sanchez

​

Mikayla Sanchez is a junior at Boston College double majoring in History and Sociology in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences and minoring in Managing for Social Impact & The Public Good in the Carroll School of Management while on a pre-law track.  Mikayla is a proud Dominican and Colombian resident of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.  Being raised in an affluent town with a C+ diversity rating, she aspires to promote a more inclusive environment while also advocating for reform in the criminal justice system.  On campus, Mikayla is on the executive board of the Student Admissions Program and Organization of Latin American Affairs where she strives to diversify Boston College’s undergraduate population while spreading cultural awareness amongst her peers.  In the future, she plans to pursue a career in law with a focus on social justice issues such as immigration and mass incarceration in the United States. However, she recognizes that deep-rooted institutional racism must first be addressed on a communal level in order for true change to occur.

​

Noah Brogden 

​

Noah Brogden is a junior at the University of Delaware studying Environmental sciences. He’s a mix of mostly Black American and Indian descent and a 13 year resident of Berkeley Heights. He graduated from Governor Livingston High School in 2019 where he enjoyed playing lacrosse and volunteering wherever he could. Noah and his family of four at the time moved from the more ethnically diverse township of Woodbridge, NJ to Berkeley Heights, NJ where they virtually knew no one. After two years of living in town, Noah entered the second grade at William Woodruff Elementary School, where he would experience bullying and/or questions about his skin color. From that age through high school he’s encountered both blatant and subtle racism, but more importantly many sheltered kids with ignorant ideas and no one to challenge those ideas or provide unbiased education! Although a huge cliche, he simply wants to see equality for all and for people to become more empathetic in general. 

​

Catherine Green

​

Catherine Green is a senior at American University in Washington, DC. She is studying public relations with a minor in law & society. Catherine is biracial; half Black and half Italian. Going through the school system in her hometown of Berkeley Heights was a challenge from having to endure countless microaggressions and blatant racism. Feelings of isolation, the pressure for conformity to the 89.65% white population, and the battle to gain confidence in oneself were all day to day commonalities. She indulged herself in her education at American University by taking advantage of courses on African American history, African American literature, and anthropological studies on the basis of race and racism. She has written for her university’s newspaper publication as a sports columnist and has since furthered her writing skills through internships and other off campus relations. She aims to use her writing to change the way small towns all across the US tolerate and silence racism. No one should have to grow up fearful or ashamed of the color of their skin, and until things change, there will be no rest. 

​

Jakada Khalfani

​

Jakada Khalfani is a senior at North Carolina State University, where he studies Industrial Design. Jakada is an African American student who comes from a family background of deep cultural pride and ancestry rooted throughout America and back to Africa. Growing up Jakada lived a dual life of sorts - going to school in a predominately white school but living in a very diverse town 30 minutes away. He had to learn how to play an in-between role of conforming to the norms of his mostly white school district, and also not losing his culture and confidence.