Get to know Kavya, a member of JANJ’s Student Leadership Committee

Author: Sanjana Suresh, Fireside Chat Coordinator / Digital Marketing & Communications Intern
Work Readiness
Published: Wednesday, 14 Sep 2022

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Image caption: Kavya Venkatesan

Kavya Venkatesan is a junior at Old Bridge High School who has dedicated over 3 years of service to Junior Achievement through volunteering, interning, and helping to lead various JA events. Most notably, Kavya serves on the Student Leadership Committee, and she will be taking over this blog post to share more about her experience as an involved member of JA of New Jersey!

Imagine a group of 25 students on a Zoom call. They are smiling, asking questions, and taking notes. On the main screen is a colorful slideshow with lines of code. This is just a glimpse into one of the coding workshops organized by JANJ’s Student Leadership Committee (SLC).

As part of the SLC, I am involved in leading coding workshops and developing curriculum for our NextGen Tech Series. The series aims to prepare and empower students for careers in the digital world. From October to June, we organize events (both virtual and in-person), such as our biannual Hackathon and monthly Crack the Code workshops for students in grades 5-12.

My favorite aspect of the SLC is being able to share my knowledge. I have taught students about emerging fields, such as data science and artificial intelligence, and programming languages, including Python and Java. It is always amazing to see so many students tune into these workshops from around the world; their enthusiasm helps create a more open and interactive learning environment. In addition, it is rewarding to see what students accomplish after I teach them. Many students, including first-time coders, have worked on projects, such as personal websites, and now feel more confident in their abilities after completing the workshops. Being able to create this kind of impact inspires me to find more unique ways to serve my community.

As an SLC member, I also have the opportunity to engage with an incredible network of professionals in STEM fields. These professionals are corporate volunteers who work at companies that sponsor JANJ and generously donate their time to mentor students. They always have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. In fact, through my own conversations with them, I have gotten a glimpse of what it is like to pursue a tech career and learned about emerging trends and innovations in computer science. This has shaped my career aspirations and pushed me to think about the future of technology.

Overall, serving on the SLC has been a wonderful experience. I have learned so much from teaching students, engaging with corporate volunteers, and working with my fellow SLC members. While the way we work may change, one thing is for sure: students will continue to seek opportunities to grow and prepare for the future. JANJ is creating those opportunities for students and empowering them to be the change they want to see. And when young people are empowered, they can create a tomorrow that inspires innovation, unleashes creativity, and advances connectivity.