Executive Board Dream Team

Riya Gupta

I believe that every individual deserves the right to express themself. and my goal is to actively advocate for the prioritization of South Asian mental health.  I joined Games for Seva based on its mission to foster collaboration and creation among adults and youth. Through this group, I’ve been introduced to the world of game design as a means to express Hindu values in digestible ways. This association has taught me how to work well in a team full of distinct personalities, as we work interdependently to bring about the best in each other. These skills provided me with the resources to become a better mental health advocate, writer, and public speaker. Beyond my passion project, I love Games for Seva due to its foundation in service as it has allowed me to feel more connected with my culture, which made my teamwork and game-designing skills more versatile and collaborative. Personally, I think I have been able to augment my leadership, creativity, and entrepreneurial skills, through public speaking exercises that have pushed me out of my comfort zone. Each member of this group provides a diverse perspective that makes the end product of our projects more enriching and valuable. Joining GFS has been one of my best decisions, and I am so grateful to the individuals, who have become some of my good friends and mentors, for providing me with opportunities truly like no other. Games for Seva has converted me from a consumer to a meaningful contributor.

Saniya Gaitonde

I believe that each individual has a unique sense of creativity that can be harnessed for good. As a student it is easy to lose touch with our innate creativity, but at Games for Seva we have the opportunity to nurture our creative interests in an individualized way for an important cause. Exploring the intersectionality between design, Vedic history, and gameplay has had a profound influence on the development of my values aswell as my professional skills in writing, design, and interpersonal relations. I am a student at W. Tresper Clarke High School (c/o 2021), where you can find me leading Model UN meetings or working on my research. I am passionate about politics, wealth disparity, criminal justice, and race issues. I have been attending YICG since I was seven years old, beginning with Bharatanatyam and picking up Hindi, Public Speaking, and Vedic classes along the way. YICG has given me a platform to explore many different facets of my culture, and enabled me to solidify my identity as a young Indian-American in the 21st century.

Pranati Patnam

I am currently a sophomore at Herricks High School. In my free time, you can find me reading or playing basketball. I involve myself musically as well, as I play piano and am in the Chamber Choir at my school. Since I was young, I have continued to show my passion for STEM through school activities. As I am participating in science research, I hope to better the world with my computer programming skills and my creative side. Games for Seva definitely strengthens my abilities as an artist and creative thinker, as well as my analytic capabilities with computer science, but most importantly it has exposed me to my Indian heritage. Developing and designing games that represent a big part of me is something I love to do, especially when I get the chance to share them with my community.