Born and raised in NYC, Abby Chen is a NYCPS student at the Clinton School who hopes to use her experiences in the school system to create a more culturally inclusive and responsive environment as an ASAP youth leader on the Anti-bullying and Harassment campaign team and through the Localized History Project. She hopes to highlight stories of solidarity and intersectional histories, highlighting youth and AAPI activism. She is interested in exploring the intersection of Asian American History, public health, and environmental science in the future! Outside of AAPI advocacy, Abby enjoys spending time with her dog Sadie, editing her school newspaper, and watching TV!

Afsara Purnata is currently a senior at Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School. She has always been passionate about history and social justice, leading her to pursue a major in economics and career in law. She enjoys learning about how policies affect communities and how they unite against discrimination through community action. Outside of academics, Afsara spends her time reading, staying updated on current events, watching TV shows and documentaries, and listening to R&B music.

Amelia Eng is a seventeen-year-old senior at Brooklyn Technical High School, and a proud fifth-generation NYC resident! This is her first year as a Youth Researcher for the Localized History Project, and she has been deeply invested in exploring the ways artistic disobedience can be used in community building and documenting the past. As an aspiring artist and a Chinese American, Amelia wants to move towards unearthing her own roots, and learning more about how her story blends into the diverse tapestry of the AANHPI diaspora. 

My name is Anusha Rahman and I’m a 16 year old junior at Bronx Science. I enjoy uplifting stories that are often hidden and part of the reason why I joined LHP was to highlight a new narrative into education written by people of NYC who are often overshadowed by the heavily eurocentric themes. Outside of LHP, I enjoy dancing, rollerblading, and hiking with my friends in my free time!

Brian Chen is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University, studying Political Science, and Writing & Rhetoric. He grew up between Brooklyn and Staten Island. He became a member of YAB in 2024 after learning the opportunities it provided to learn Asian American history and help shape a more inclusive curriculum for New York. Brian plans to stay in the city for law school and also pursue teaching.

Durdona Melisova is a 16-year-old junior at Brooklyn Technical High School. There, she is a Law and Society major, focusing on her passion of making education more accessible and equitable. Born and raised in Central Asia, Durdona takes pride in her Uzbek heritage and identity as a fellow Asian American. However, growing up, she struggled to grapple with an identity that fit both societal expectations and Uzbek traditions. This prompted her interest in The Localized History Project and contributing to NYC’s first AAPI curriculum as a Youth Researcher. Her research is focusing on exploring Uzbek migration during the 21st century to address the gap between Uzbeks and their identity when it comes to understanding race and classification of Asian Americans. Through the Localized History Project, she hopes to uplift the stories of AAPI that often go overlooked throughout history. Outside of LHP,  her hobbies include reading, baking and learning to play the guitar. She also loves to spend her time playing the New York Times games on the daily and debate nationally. 

East Kaufhold is a junior at Brooklyn Technical High School, majoring in Law and Society. He is avidly interested in the stories of community organizing and cross-racial political movements. His research specifically focuses on South Asian resilience and community building post-9/11, and he hopes to uplift the voices of those who could not express themselves authentically during an era of mass surveillance and racial profiling. As a youth researcher and a member of the leadership team at the Localized History Project, he hopes to continue to uplift meaningful South Asian stories across New York City. In his free time, he enjoys reading historical fiction novels, rock climbing, and going to the cinema with his friends. 

Emma Chen is a 17-year-old senior at The Clinton School, who is passionate about history, exploring her AAPI identity, and the digital humanities. Emma is a CACF Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP) Youth Leader, and first heard about the Localized History Project while at a REACH Coalition New York State Advocacy Day. Being involved in AAPI advocacy has helped her connect with her own AAPI identity, and also see the ways in which power shapes what history is taught and what we think of as AANHPI history–only increasing her interest in historical research. In school, Emma is involved as the co-editor-in-chief of her school’s newspaper, creating podcasts and content spotlighting the AAPI community. As part of LHP, she hopes to meet and connect with more AAPI youth, learn more about history, and learn how to best tell and shape marginalized histories to engage a wider audience! In her free time, she enjoys watching Grey’s Anatomy (she’s watched the entirety of Grey’s Anatomy twice!), going for long walks, and playing the daily angle. 

Guinevere Wolski is a 16-year-old student at Brooklyn Technical High School who is majoring in Law and Society. Growing up in the NYC public school system, she noticed the lack of Indo-Caribbean representation in the school curriculum. This prompted her interest in the Localized History Project and contributing to NYC’s first AAPI curriculum as a Youth Researcher. Her research focuses on analyzing how Indo-Trinidadian music has evolved throughout the Indo-Caribbean diaspora and migration to NYC. Outside of school, she spends her time playing the harp for Brooklyn Tech’s orchestra, which sparked her interest in the role that music has played throughout history across various communities.

Navipa is a junior at Baruch College, and is pre-law. She is passionate about documenting the stories of migrants, women, and uplifting community oral histories as a means to challenging dominant narratives about Bangladeshi American communities. 

Ravi Vora is a high school senior and has been a member of LHP for over a year. He enjoys collaborating with fellow researchers and learning about AAPI political movements. As Youth Co-Director of Policy Research & Advocacy, he looks forward to working alongside policymakers and teachers to ensure that the archival projects are taught effectively and critically.

Ruiyu Tang is a senior at Hunter College High School in New York City. His research interests include Asian American history and literature, community organizing in ethnic enclaves, and urban revitalization. In addition to archival and oral history research, Ruiyu enjoys documentary filmmaking and other creative outlets like drawing and photography.

Based in Brooklyn, Shakira Salimova is a senior at James Madison High School, focusing on classes related to historic policy change seen in healthcare. Shakira’s passions include political science, specifically the effects of legislation on access to essential services for treatment and opportunities regarding communities made up of minorities. Shakira also shares interest in the impact of historic reforms, such as Medicare and the Civil rights act, all movements to improve the quality of life for all. Inspired by the drive for social justice and equity, Shakira hopes to pursue a degree in public health policy.

Subah Sumaiiyat began this exhibit as a high school student at Brooklyn Tech, where she studied in the Law and Society major. She is currently a student at Harvard concentrating in government. She is interested in the digital humanities and archival history, with experience in making historical documentaries for National History Day.

Waemary Waeyakoh is a proud Thai-Melayu American who was born and raised in New York City. Being involved in the youth advocacy space, Waemary is committed to fighting to advance equity for young people across NYC. She leverages community organizing, policy, research (especially YPAR), and community education as tools to effect change. As a LHP youth researcher, she hopes to uplift historical narratives of AAPI communities that have historically been ignored or erased. Her current research is focused on histories of radical working-class, AAPI political organizing and resistance. In her free time, Waemary enjoys reading, making art, and spending time with friends and family.