AI Vanguardest. 2024
About

A student-led answer to a question adults keep deciding without us.

AI is moving faster than schools can keep up with, and the people most affected — students — are almost never in the room when policy gets written. AI Vanguard exists to change that.

Est. 2024 · Southern California501(c)(3) nonprofit · Student-led
Our mission

Ensure students have a voice in shaping the future of AI in education.

Students seated at desks in a Senate-style chamber, taking notes during a policy session.

AI is already changing how young people learn, how schools teach, and how academic work is defined. The decisions being made right now — about what's allowed, what's banned, and how students are monitored — will shape the next decade of education.

Those decisions are being made without us. AI Vanguard is a student-led nonprofit that changes that, by organizing students into a serious voice: with research, with policy recommendations, and with real relationships across schools and districts.

Technology should empower every learner, not leave anyone behind.

What we stand for

Three commitments that shape every project we take on.

  1. 01

    Champion equity

    Advocating for fair access to AI tools across every student background, so AI becomes a tool for opportunity, not inequality.

  2. 02

    Promote ethical use

    Developing policy recommendations grounded in transparency, accountability, and academic integrity.

  3. 03

    Amplify student voices

    Making sure young people are included in decisions about the technology shaping their learning — and their futures.

The rep model

Students on the ground, not just at the top.

Every campus we work with has at least one Student Representative — the bridge between their school and AI Vanguard.

  1. 01

    Raise awareness on campus

    Reps host conversations that surface how AI is actually being used at their school — by students and teachers.

  2. 02

    Gather student perspectives

    Through surveys, focus groups, and conversations, reps collect the real data that shapes our research.

  3. 03

    Shape policy recommendations

    Reps contribute directly to the briefs and positions AI Vanguard brings to school leaders and districts.

Leadership cabinet

Fifteen student leaders, six states.

A cabinet of students from California to Connecticut — steering research, operations, outreach, and national expansion.

Cohort · 2024 – present
Avery Updike, Founder & PresidentNo. 01
Avery Updike
Founder & President
Aadhitya Narayanan, Vice PresidentNo. 02
Aadhitya Narayanan
Vice President
Timothy Yang, Chief Financial Officer & TreasurerNo. 03
Timothy Yang
Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Parisa Mabrooka, Chief of StaffNo. 04
Parisa Mabrooka
Chief of Staff
Makaela Wei, SecretaryNo. 05
Makaela Wei
Secretary
Nolan Ream, Director of ResearchNo. 06
Nolan Ream
Director of Research
Yuming “Eunice” Zhang, Director of MarketingNo. 07
Yuming “Eunice” Zhang
Director of Marketing
Suhana Gharib, Director of Event PlanningNo. 08
Suhana Gharib
Director of Event Planning
Emily Liu, Research & Evaluation DirectorNo. 09
Emily Liu
Research & Evaluation Director
Bihmanji “Bee” Acho, Director of Outreach · Minnesota State DirectorNo. 10
Bihmanji “Bee” Acho
Director of Outreach · Minnesota State Director
Tristan Tjetjep, Director of National Expansion · Tennessee State DirectorNo. 11
Tristan Tjetjep
Director of National Expansion · Tennessee State Director
Anthony Darbilli, Connecticut State DirectorNo. 12
Anthony Darbilli
Connecticut State Director
Benjamin Zhou, New Jersey State DirectorNo. 13
Benjamin Zhou
New Jersey State Director
Riley Puder, California State DirectorNo. 14
Riley Puder
California State Director
LaMarea Taya Tooson, Michigan State DirectorNo. 15
LaMarea Taya Tooson
Michigan State Director
Student representatives

Fourteen reps, nine campuses.

Each representative is the bridge between their school and AI Vanguard — running campus conversations, gathering student perspectives, and shaping the policy we bring to districts.

Roster · 2025 – 2026
  • 01
    Aadhitya Narayanan
    Cypress High School
  • 02
    Parisa Mabrooka
    Cypress High School
  • 03
    Rayn Solangi
    Troy High School
  • 04
    Derek Shusterman
    Troy High School
  • 05
    Saiya Bhakta
    Downey High School
  • 06
    Vibha Arsid
    Gretchen Whitney High School
  • 07
    Gabriel San Agustin
    Gretchen Whitney High School
  • 08
    Sathvik Akula
    Oxford Academy
  • 09
    Neel Parande
    Oxford Academy
  • 10
    Louie Reveles
    Gahr High School
  • 11
    Srivatsan Srinivasan
    Gahr High School
  • 12
    Miranda Martinez
    Cerritos High School
  • 13
    Sofia del Castillo
    Cerritos High School
  • 14
    Asha Trikannad
    Beckman High School

Want to be part of the next cohort?

National leadership applications are open — State Directors, Chapter Directors, and more. Partners, mentors, and supporters — we'd also love to talk.