Media Committee
The Media Committee makes content for and manages all GENup social media. They also edit GENup videos and the GENup podcast.
Chief Media Officer
Durriya Ahmed (she/they) is a rising Junior at the University of California, Los Angeles, pursuing a degree in History and Geography/Environmental Studies. As a community college transfer from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, Durriya has been a strong advocate for community colleges and educational equity. During their time at Orange Coast College, Durriya led the advocacy branch of their student government and represented Region VIII in the Student Senate for California Community Colleges: working closely with legislation that actively impacts California Community College students and incorporating bills that GENup has worked with closely in Orange Coast College's legislative advocacy work. As a high schooler, Durriya worked heavily with March for Our Lives California and interned with former Councilmen Gil Cisneros in 2020 throughout their junior and senior years, advocating for gun reform and control. As they move forward in their higher education career, Durriya hopes to continue working in higher education as a Professor and later move on to Administration.
Director of Media
Natalie Checherina (she/her) is a high school senior from Los Angeles, CA, with a strong affinity for words and art. She is a zealous advocate for educational equality, especially for underrepresented youth in her community. Her passion for pushing for increasing diversity in literature can be seen through her work in starting a community based, youth-led literary magazine called San Francisco Youth Anthology, in which she furthers this mission through encouraging and publishing the works of high school and college students of diverse backgrounds from around the world, while leading a group of ten other editors. In addition to her magazine, Natalie has been actively involved in sharing the joy of creative writing through various service initiatives, such as through volunteering at 826 Valencia, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting under-resources students in writing, as well as founding a youth writing circle in partnership with her local library to foster increasing joy in writing. In her free time, Natalie loves listening to new music, indulging in vintage cinema, and discovering new fashion.
Director of Media
Dayton Phan (he/him) is a junior at Garden Grove High School, situated in Southern California. Serving GENup through the position of Director of Media, Phan seeks to intertwine his passion for arts and advocacy in a manner that benefits both students and teachers. Possessing a rebellious yet creative mind throughout adolescence, Phan saw inspiration take root in middle school from the discovery of punk rock music and thus a newfound desire to change unfavorable social policies through creative means. Phan became more informed of the inequitable circumstances of some educators and students through his mother, a lifelong high school teacher, thus fueling this desire further. Authoring a variety of activist and satirical pieces including essays, graphics, films, and more, Phan has utilized his skills for a diverse array of organizations. These include positions such as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper Argolog, founding the skateboarding advocacy group Skate Club, serving in various committees, and much more. Phan is dedicated to actively working to foster change in entities encompassing education by encouraging artistic and creative expression in schools, curbing excessively restrictive policies, making the system more equitable for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds, and much more. In his leisure time, Phan enjoys playing guitar and drums with his rock band, skateboarding, filmmaking, and creating artistic pieces of many different mediums through various labels.
Director of Media
Elaheh Khazi (she/her) is a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Currently, she serves as the Media Director for GENup and is responsible for GENup’s various media publications. Elaheh has also been part of several GENup caucuses, including the Women and Marginalized Genders’ (WMG) Caucus and Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) Caucus; she served as the Social Media Director of the former and the Caucus Chair of the latter. Furthermore, she previously served as a School Ambassador for GENup Fremont, her hometown chapter. Elaheh initially joined GENup to engage more deeply and widely with her community, specifically by amplifying student voices. In her time with GENup, she has become further inspired to get even more involved with activism and advocacy. She founded and oversaw the Fremont chapter of the Bay Area Student Activists (BAStA) in high school, which brings student voices to sociopolitical spheres and figures, and she advised and supported the creation of this student group in high schools across the Fremont United School District, including her high school MSJHS. Now in college, Elaheh continues her civic engagement as a part of WashU Votes and the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement as a Student Advisor. In her free time, Elaheh enjoys watching soccer, writing poetry, and painting.
Director of Media
Jarah Diop (she/her) Hi, I'm Jarah and I am a proud member of the GenUp Executive Team! Be the change you want to see.
Director of Media
Bethel Albe (she/her) is a current sophomore at Chaparral High School in Temecula CA. After experiencing educational reform issues on a local level, she decided to join the organization in an effort to make a difference. Bethel is passionate about advocacy and learning more about the people around her. She founded a local chapter of an anti-gun violence organization called March For Our Lives, and currently serves as the co-commissioner for her county’s youth advisory council. Within these positions, she is able to interact with her peers and provide direct support to local problems. Bethel decided to serve on the media committee for GENUp due to her passion about outreach and utilizing it in a positive way. She is currently the public relations and media manager for her school paper and is apart of the publicity committee for an on campus peer mentoring program. She is apart of other clubs as well such as Black Student Union, CSF, and Mock trial. In college, she plans on double majoring in anthropology and cognitive science with hopes of pursuing a career in academia, victim service, or developmental psychology post grad school.