2024 Young Innovators in Behavioral Health Awards

Saanvi Arora is a public policy and computer science student at UC Berkeley and the Executive Director of the Youth Power Project, a youth-led organization that empowers young people under 25 to inform local, state, and federal policymaking based on their own experiences and has introduced/passed over a dozen state and federal policies. She is focused on understanding the intersection between public policy, technology, and community attitudes towards health, and published a paper in the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2020 regarding the potential for the Internet of Medical Things to reduce costs and barriers associated with healthcare. She has also been recognized for her contributions to key policies improving access to reproductive, sexual, and mental healthcare for young people, and has written and/or advised numerous state and federal policies/initiatives on the subject matters. Recently, she drove the youth-led effort to write, introduce, and pass S.Res.769, declaring an adolescent mental health emergency & advancing experience-informed recommendations for state and local actors to respond, unanimously through the U.S. Senate. Overall, she is invested in bridging gaps between successful policymaking and younger generations by advocating for cultural, educational, and institutional improvements that encourage youth civic engagement and promote free expression.

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Alejandra Gomez is a passionate human rights activist dedicated to advocating for foster youth and Indigenous communities on both national and international levels. Recently she attended the White House policy youth summit in February 2024 advocating for policies addressing youth homelessness and championed Indigenous children’s rights at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in April 2024.

As an Indigenous youth with lived experience, Alejandra understands the importance of intersectionality and advocating for change. Her advocacy extends beyond her college campus, where she actively engages in policy analysis to influence public policy on issues such as youth homelessness, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), foster care, and mental health at both state and national levels. Her focus is on harnessing Indigenous cultural strength, fostering community support, and advocating for comprehensive investment to drive positive change within the child welfare system.

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Most of my passion points are centered around social justice, racial & educational equity, pathways to self-determination, prioritization and restorative justice practices, providing healthcare for all, and health literacy. I have been able to practice my passion points at through various policy and advocacy roles in my career by taking action for social change, sharing the stories of young adults, contributing to policy research and analysis, and providing tools for our generation to make smart economic choices, and mission-driven social enterprise ventures. I’m committed to helping build a world that recognizes everyone’s humanity and operates to serve everyone in it with compassion, love, and real accountability. I want BIPOC to have access to educational institutions, and public health resources that are equitable and don’t vary in resources, and I want that option to exist [emphatically & readily] for them to engage with if they so choose to because that is not part of the current reality & it should be.

Andre Simms, also known as DayOneNotDayTwo, is an artist, activist, and entrepreneur committed to dismantling systems of oppression and fostering community healing through creative expression. After being incarcerated at 17, Andre turned his passion for music into a tool for personal transformation and societal impact. As the founder of DayOneNotDayTwo, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering BIPOC communities, he leads an intergenerational movement that builds collective power through narrative and art. Andre’s leadership led him to play a crucial role in recognized national and local initiatives, such as: developing the nation’s first Youth Participatory Defense Hub, facilitating youth-led trainings for Philadelphia’s Public Defender Office, organizing the Biden-Harris White House Interagency Youth Policy Summit, and spearheading the Delaware County Youth Diversion Planning Committee.

He currently serves as a New Deal 4 Youth Changemaker with the National Collaborative for Transformative Youth Policy. Andre’s work, recognized by PBS WHYY, CSPAN, and the Ford Foundation, exemplifies his dedication to amplifying youth voices and driving positive social change.

Trace Terrell is a 20-year-old public mental health activist from La Pine, Oregon currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. A Kessler Scholar and junior at Johns Hopkins University, he studies public health and writing seminars and hopes to pursue a career in mental health policy and corporate social impact. Trace is a current Next Gen Advisor for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a Rare Impact College Ambassador for Selena Gomez’s Rare Impact Fund, and a member of Active Minds and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios’ A.S.K. Acknowledge, Support, Keep-in-Touch Youth Leadership Council (YLC), the new “stop, drop, and roll” for emotional support. As a public speaker, he has testified before the United States Senate Committee on Finance and keynoted a youth mental health symposium for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Outside of class and his career, Trace loves to hike and travel.

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