ANJALI SHAYKHER

Anjali Shaykher was born and raised in Miami, Fla. She is currently a junior in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and her major is International Politics with specialization in International Law, Ethics, and Organizations. She interned with Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), who is an active member of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Shaykher was president of her high school class for two years, president of the English Honor Society, secretary of Key Club, parliamentarian of National Honor Society, and a member of the Excalibur Science Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society. At Georgetown, she has been active in the Georgetown student government (GUSA) and is president of the Hindu Students Association (HSA). Shaykher has also been extensively trained in Bharatnatyam and has performed in many shows and dance-dramas. She is fluent in English, Hindi, and Kashmiri and is conversant in Spanish. Last summer, she “shadowed” the vice president of investments at Salomon Smith Barney. She also interned at the pro bono ‘Put Something Back’ Legal Aid Services, where she prepared case referrals, monitored casework, and conducted client interviews in English and Spanish. She was selected to receive the ‘Put Something Back Pro Bono Law Clerk Award.’

BINDI BHAGAT

Originally from the Poconos, Bindi Bhagat currently resides in Philadelphia, where she attends the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). At Penn, she is pursuing a double major in English Literature and European History. This summer, Bhagat interned with Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), who is a former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans and one of the most senior members on the House International Relations Committee. Bhagat anticipates that interning in this office will enable her to explore the ways in which policy debates present themselves on the national level. Although the majority of her academic work focuses on the cultural and political concerns of past generations, Bhagat spends her time outside of the classroom addressing contemporary societal problems. She has worked for the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG), where she researched the relationship between urban blight and proliferation of suburban sprawl. Bhagat also planned press conferences for regional media outlets to help publicize PennPIRG’s annual report on toy safety. Last summer, Bhagat’s efforts focused on the conditions in her own neighborhood. As an intern at Penn’s Program for Public Service, Bhagat was part of a two-member team whose main goal was to set up a school-based health center in a West Philadelphia Middle School.

ISHITA SHAH

Ishita Shah’s family, Ashok and Gita Shah and her brother Mihir, live in Spartanburg, S.C. She will be a sophomore this fall at the University of South Carolina (USC) where she majors in business. Shah interned with Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), the Republican co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Last year, she was a member of the Student Government at USC. In that role, Shah helped the freshmen adapt to their new environment. Next year, she will be a member in the USC student government senate, where she will serve on the Finance and Rules committee, and chair the Powers and Responsibility committee. Shah was also active in Resident Hall Government, where she became directly involved in on-campus housing issues. She was a member of the USC Carolina Productions, Ideas and Issues commission, which brought a number of famous speakers to the university campus. Shah is a volunteer at a local Salvation Army store and helps students with their schoolwork at the Waverly Children Center in Columbia, S.C.

KRISHNA BHAVSAR

Krishna Bhavsar, the daughter of Sanat and Nita Bhavsar, resides in Roanoke County, located in southwestern Virginia. Bhavsar is a rising fourth year student at the University of Virginia (UVA). She will graduate in May 2004 with a double major in Economics and English. Bhavsar interned with her local Congressman, Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Goodlatte was re-elected to his sixth term in November, 2002. He is one of the leaders of the House of Representatives, where he serves as chairman of the Agriculture Committee. In addition, Goodlatte is a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Select Committee on Homeland Security. Bhavsar is a very active member of the UVA student body. She serves as the vice president of the Campaign for Dance (CFD) program, supervisor of the UVA Phonathon, senior writer of the business section of the Cavalier Daily, Student Council representative on the Community Affairs Committee, legal clerk at Student Legal Services, and a mentor for the Boys & Girls Club. Bhavsar is also a very involved member of the Indian Student Association, including the Hindu Student Council, the Sharara Dance Group, and the Mahogany Dance Troupe.

MADHURI SINGH

Madhuri Singh will be a sophomore at the University of Michigan (UM), where she plans to major in South Asian Studies and Political Science, with a minor in History. She interned with Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY), the Democratic Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Singh is from Fort Wayne, Ind., and was involved in Indiana politics, serving as a founding member of the Mayor’s Youth Council and as an intern in the office of Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN). At UM, Singh was active with the first national content-driven South Asian conference with the South Asian Awareness Network (SAAN) as a financial committee member. For next year’s conference, she will work as a programming chair for SAAN, which will enable her to raise such significant topics such as community building, gender issues, and racial profiling. Singh works with Association for India’s Development on public response to the Bhopal tragedy. She is also involved with America Reads, an organization aimed at improving literacy rate in the U.S, and spent her freshman year tutoring and mentoring in after-school programs and elementary schools in Detroit.

NISHA JAIN

Nisha Jain, from Burke, Va., and daughter of Bhawanji and Kala Jain, is a senior at George Mason University majoring in Mathematics and Government/International Politics. She interned at the office of the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA) this summer. Jain graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). While at TJHSST, she had the opportunity to intern with the Food and Drug Administration. Currently, she is active in the Indian Student Association, for which she has been on the executive board for the past two years, and Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity. Service has always been a big part of her life. Her most recent projects include visiting Kutch, where she is from, during last winter break to volunteer her time at schools in Bhuj, India, and help children who had lost their parents in the devastating earthquake of 2001. Last summer, Jain had the opportunity to intern at the Indian Embassy with the Minister of Community Affairs, Anil Chowdhry.

PRERAK BATHIA

Prerak Bathia is a junior at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, where he is pursuing a double major in Political Science and Economics. Bathia will be studying at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the International Relations general course next year and plans to return to UNC-Chapel Hill for his senior year. He will focus his studies and research at LSE on non-democratic forms of government and their success in free market economic structures, specifically focusing on the People’s Republic of China’s success in recent years. He interned with Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), who is a former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans and one of the most involved members of Congress on matters related to the subcontinent.