Policy Committee
The Policy Committee develops most new campaigns for GENup to pursue. They are also in charge of drafting educational policy, reaching out to legislators and tracking key bills that GENup may support.
Chief Policy & Legislative
Director
Fiona Lu (she/her) is a senior at Northwood High School in Irvine, Orange County, California. She is extremely passionate about educational equity, racial justice, and youth advocacy. She is a student representative on the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Youth Advisory Council, where she and 11 other students advise policymakers and educators towards implementing equitable practices in the education system. She is also involved in the California Association of Student Councils (CASC) as the State Vice President where she oversees the organization’s state-wide efforts, including leadership conference planning, legislative platform, and student engagement. Her fight for racial equity includes leading a local chapter of Dear Asian Youth, an organization that works to empower Asian youth through intersectional activism. In her free time, she loves creative writing, watching Criminal Minds on loop, and spending time with her family.
Director of Policy
Akul Gupta (he/him) is a Biomedical Sciences major at the University of South Florida and serves as Director of National Policy. He spearheads projects on a global scale in underserved communities focusing on preventative care and sustainable development targeting inadequate accessibility through novel methods of communication. Currently on the boards of multiple nonprofit organizations, Akul has run projects in Latin America, Africa, Vietnam, and India. He has published an app to serve as a database on phytomedicine and a book that teaches patients how to manage osteoporosis in their daily lives. Akul has presented at multiple conferences across the country and hopes to help GENup expand their scope of practice within his capacity as Director of National Policy.
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Higher Education Chief Policy
and Legislative Director
Ryan Lenney (he/him) is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College studying Public Policy and International Relations. Ryan’s interest in policy began in high school as a founding member of Welcoming Neighbors Home, a community initiative to support housing based solutions to ending homelessness. Last summer, Ryan traveled to Finland on an Appel Fellowship to conduct research on the country's approach to housing and homelessness. He currently works as a research assistant at the Rose Institute of State and Local Politics, where he continues to study local government policy. As a proud graduate of a California public school and community college, Ryan understands the importance of meeting students' basic needs to ensure their personal educational success. He is excited to continue working to enable student success as a Director of Policy with GenUP!
K-12 Chief Policy
and
Legislative Director
Sue Oh (she/her) is a junior at Sunny Hills High School in Orange County. As a Director of Media, she handles communications on a graphic level and aids the outreach of GENup. Sue has always been passionate about leadership and uplifting student perspectives in the education system. On the school, district, local, and even state levels, she has vocalized her support of youth voices. She fundamentally believes that everyone can make a change, and hopes that she can help others find their passion. Through GENup, she hopes to guide others through their school life and embrace change starting from students!
Director of Policy
Director of
Policy
Kate Rodgers (she/her) is a member of the class of 2025 at the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, she is pursuing a dual degree and Math and Economics. Kate has been interested in politics since childhood, but she got involved in educational advocacy in high school. Through serving on the student council and running free academic resources for her classmates, she realized that she has a passion for education-related political issues. As a result, Kate co-founded a student protest organization advocating for racial equity in the education system by updating curriculums and removing police from schools. Going forward, she hopes to continue this work as a Director of Policy for GENUp by engaging with statewide policy. Kate hopes to continue her advocacy beyond her school years by pursuing a career in politics or law.
Bella Santos (she/her) is a senior at Westview High School in San Diego, California. She serves on the State Superintendent's Youth Advisory Council advocating for racial justice and youth voice with educational policymakers. Bella also works with Ten Strands Climate Change and Environmental Justice Project's Steering Committee to implement interdisciplinary environmental curricula across the state. She's passionate about climate justice as a campaign member with Youth v. Oil, calling on Governor Newsom to justly phase out fossil fuels in California. As a Girl Scout, Bella loves spending time in the outdoors and working as a camp counselor during the summer!
Director of
Policy
Director of
Policy
Chia Ying Wong (she/her) is a 2nd year at University of California, Los Angeles pursuing a double major in English, as well as Education and Social Transformation. Stemming from her fervent passion for championing educational equity, she has volunteered with various non-profits to tutor disadvantaged youths since 2019. She is the current executive coordinator of SCOPE's Youth Empowerment Program, which offers holistic mentorship for underserved elementary children. She also holds leadership positions in offices within UCLA's student government (USAC): as Program Support Director in USAC Community Service Commission, she works with student service groups on large-scale programming efforts to promote community engagement and awareness of social justice issues. As Platforms e-board Member of USAC Student Wellness Commission, she has co-programmed health fairs and a conference championing health and wellness on campus. Chia Ying is also actively involved in multiple education research projects with UCLA Center for Community Schooling, UCLA Lab School and UCLA Bear Lab, including a research practice partnership supporting the college transition of first generation students of color.
Byron Chan (he/him) is a second-year attending UCSB planning on double majoring in Political Science and Economics from the Bay Area, California. In his extremely limited free time, he loves listening to music, working out, and sleeping. His favorite type of policy is that of the civic engagement variety.
Director of
Policy
Director of
Policy
Lorena Ford (she/her) is a second year student at San Diego State University. She is a pre-law student pursuing a major in Political Science and double minor in Spanish and Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies. Lorena developed an interest in decreasing the disparity between those who receive Special Education, English Learners, and general education in middle school. Since then, her interest has evolved into a passion of making sure students have a seat and a voice at the table where decisions are being made on their behalf. Since graduating high school in 2022, Lorena has interned with the San Diego Unified School District to engage, empower, and support students, student advocates, leaders and student board members. She is excited to join GENup in creating a space where students can be partners in their education, not just recipients in order to make public education more equitable, accessible, and inclusive.
Director of
Policy
Tinsae Birhanu (she/her) is currently a first year student at UC Berkeley. She is majoring in Sociology with a minor in Public Policy. She has previously worked in GENup through helping found and leading as the President for the Elk Grove GENup Chapter for three years. Tinsae’s interest for policy work developed through being part of her high school’s Student Equity Council and from that, has had the opportunity to be a part of state-wide initiatives and speaking at Assembly bill meetings and working on legislation at both the local and state level. Tinsae is immensely passionate about student advocacy and working to bring tangible change to schools California-wide through policy reform and uplifting student voices.
Kaviya Chidambaram (they/them) is a Boettcher and El Pomar scholar at Colorado College ‘27 studying international political economy and environmental science on a pre-law track. They are a firm believer that education is the basis of equity and enjoy working towards community centered institutional reform through a variety of organizations and teams.
Director of
Policy
Maria Davila (she/her) is a junior attending the 21st Century Learning Institute in the Beaumont Unified School District, Riverside County, California. Her main interests include socioeconomic equity in education and youth advocacy. Her future goal is to support people through the legal track. She is the 5th District Youth Advisory Council Commissioner, representing 23 school districts by leading meetings, scheduling volunteering events, and giving reports of student input during Riverside County Youth Commission Meetings. In this role, she is also able to fulfill the position of Secretary of the Riverside County Youth Commissioners. She is also the Governmental Affairs and Policy Director of the California Association of Students Councils Region 11 cabinet. Through her work with governmental officials, lobbying, and proposing bills to improve the California education system, she has become a youth advocate for those students, especially Latinx students, who may not have the opportunities to raise their voices. She is beginning her non-profit organization, Nuestras Narrativas, and starting a Diversify Our Narrative and GENup local chapter to bring additional youth advocacy to her small-scale city. She strives for an accessible and encouraging education system for those who are underrepresented, which is why she also has involvement in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the California Association of Student Councils. During her free time, she watches over and hangs out with her younger siblings or uplifts herself by enjoying various artists' music such as The Weeknd, Lana del Rey, Christian Nodal, and Selena!
Director of
Policy
Anusha Nadkarni (she/hers) is the proud daughter of two Indian immigrants. She develops anti-racist curriculum and pedagogical tools as the Chair of Diversify Our Narrative’s National Curriculum Council, and is a certified restorative practices trainer. She worked with OCA National to oversee the development and review of 30 K-12 lesson plans centering the AANHPI community, and currently works with them to train teachers in implementing AANHPI curriculum into their classrooms. As a committed advocate for educational equity, Anusha worked with the SEE Alliance to organize Walkout To Learn – the largest student protest in Florida’s history – following oppressive censorship in K-12 Florida classrooms. Anusha represented the State of Illinois in the 2023 United States Senate Youth Program, and believes that equitable education is integral to fostering empathetic, justice-driven communities. Now, Anusha studies Public Policy and Education at Stanford University, where she is continuing her advocacy work in education equity, community-building, and public service. She is involved with the Stanford Decarceration Collective, Stanford ACLU, Stanford Concert Network, and the Center for Teaching and Learning on-campus, where she works toward anti oppressive practices and building community joy.