ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Who is Alisha Gupta
I live in the shadow of some of the largest high-tech corporations and startups, where the available job opportunities make it easy to get sucked into the rat race to innovate all our worldly problems away. I owe it to the Bay Area for being the door that opens a million paths, and although technological jobs are a street away from my house, my true enthusiasm follows a path to public policy and societal outreach. My community involvement was fostered at a young age through my Girl Scout troop, pledging every meeting to live by the Scout promise and serve others. The whole idea behind hours of service cleaning beaches, cooking for homeless shelters, and sorting through Christmas gifts for orphaned children was fostering relationships, a real connection to those unheard and underprivileged factions in our community. That same outreach landed me in the audience seat watching one of the most heartrending videos around the story of a foster child. Leaving the room unable to control my tears, I decided to serve as the voice of these unrepresented members of the community by establishing “Needed But Forgotten.”
My social awareness and intolerance towards injustice in society have primarily driven my works and passions. Since I was three, dance has surrounded my life- I now dance with a professional company and am captain of my school team. In order to spread my love for dance, I became a certified dance instructor and assist at Jeena, a dance class for children of all ages with developmental disabilities. Seeing their faces light up as they share in my passion provides fresh motivation in my war against social injustice. I soon found my next battle - volunteering with Maitri, a confidential, non-profit organization that helps female victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. As the youth manager, I raise awareness of Maitri and its work among a generation without much prior exposure to these issues. In the process, my discovery of the extensive hardships of a neglected population cultivated my passion for female empowerment. I realized, however, that the changes I sought would need to come from elected officials. Therefore, my next piece in the puzzle of community improvement was an internship last summer for the Democratic Party of Santa Clara. At the Josh Harder congressional campaign, I managed the recruitment of other volunteers and participated in marketing and outreach for the general elections.
Alongside community outreach, my involvement at school develops my leadership skills and social awareness. I first joined debate in 7th grade and am now captain of my school varsity public forum team. These skills and knowledge will allow me to experience a career path in social entrepreneurdhip and allow me to make an international difference.