About Us

Siddharth Sundar, “Sid” (he/him) is a senior from The Harker School in San Jose, California. He is passionate about engineering, research, and community mentorship. He is currently researching an affordable water quality sensor to help underserved communities monitor their drinking water to make clean water more accessible. In addition, he had the privilege of working with a Vietnamese tech company that utilized AI to help improve customer service relations. A dedicated athlete, Siddharth plays center for his varsity football team, where he values discipline, teamwork, and resilience and was named 2nd Team All Conference as a junior. Outside of school, he is part of the robotics team, and he mentors younger students in First Lego League (FLL), helping them troubleshoot code, design mechanisms, and build confidence for competitions. Siddharth hopes to continue using his skills to create technological solutions that are both innovative and impactful for the community.

Ayla Hamilton (she/her) is a 16-year-old high school student located in New York’s Hudson Valley and is an IB Diploma candidate. She is a passionate musician, photographer, and activist. Playing in Woodstock’s Rock Academy, Ayla sings and plays guitar at a variety of local venues. She is currently working at Thrift 2 Fight in Tivoli, NY, a second-hand sustainable thrift store where proceeds go to a variety of grassroots social justice organizations. A participant in Woodstock Film Festival’s Youth Film Lab, her short film will premiere at the 2025 Woodstock Film Festival. Her photography, which is focused on the female perspective, has been featured in several publications and galleries, including Monochromica, The University of Pennsylvania Journal of Arts and Sciences, Schweinfurth Art Center and Monmouth University Art Center. She is passionate about protecting women’s rights, queer liberation, and racial justice. Ayla also happens to be interning at the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Andrew Mak (he/his) is a junior at Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, NY. He founded Warm New York in 2023 with the mission of helping people in need both physically and mentally by providing them with their basic clothing needs. Warm New York has since grown rapidly by establishing partnerships with local schools and sports and religious organizations to collect clothing, while distributing them both locally and globally into communities in need. He is also a Varsity basketball player and recently won the Nassau County and Long Island Class AAA Championships and also reached the New York State Championship game. His passion for basketball has been consistent throughout his life and has extended to him coaching and mentoring children, ages four to fourteen, within his community starting when he was in eighth grade. This work has given Andrew the opportunity to establish his own private basketball coaching services where he has helped individuals, teams, and fellow coaches in need of guidance when it comes to basketball and communicating with their players. Andrew’s interests include team and group dynamics, mental wellness, and human connection.