Shreeyalaxhmee (Shreeya) Rao
President
Hai guys! I’m Shreeyalaxhmee Rao, and I’m the President of Active Minds at the University of Texas at Dallas for the 2026-2027 school year! I’m double majoring in Psychology and Child Learning & Development, and minoring in Public Health in a pre-Ph.D. track for Clinical Psychology. To me, Active Minds serves as an avenue to destigmatize mental health and foster a supportive community on campus. Because I’ve had far too many observations on the detrimental effects from the lack of conversations we have for advocating on mental health. In contrast, I find it astounding that research shows a conversation itself is one of the strongest ways to mitigate long-term health trajectories. In other words, beautifully parelleled by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris: "Every day I witnessed people dealing with overwhelming stress; as a human being, I was brought to my knees by it. As a scientist and a doctor, I got up off those knees and began asking questions.” Just a conversation. Because even a single conversation can spark hope, and for that, I will keep showing up with everything I have. A fun fact about me is that my favorite book is Man’s Search for Meaning!
Aarushi Singh Gowrinath
Vice President
Hello everyone! My name is Aarushi, and I am so excited to serve as your Vice President for the 2026–2027 school year. I am a junior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Mathematics. The Active Minds mission is what drew me to this club: destigmatizing mental health and changing the conversation around it. In a world that is not necessarily built to prioritize mental health, I wanted to help create change through the efforts of this club and our amazing team of officers through education and advocacy. I hope to help make UTD a more inclusive and judgment-free community when it comes to conversations surrounding mental health. A fun fact about me: I will be running a half marathon soon!
Madison Nguyen
Secretary
Hey, guys! My name is Madison Nguyen, and I will be your secretary for the 2025-2026 school year! I am a sophomore Healthcare Studies major on the pre-PA track, hoping to specialize in pediatric psychiatry. Mental health awareness became especially important to me in high school, when I realized how inaccessible resources are for students. From personal experience, I know how difficult it can be to open up about mental health struggles because of stigma and widespread misconceptions. That’s why I am so grateful to be part of Active Minds and to play a role in breaking down these barriers. I believe that by working together, we can foster a more compassionate and understanding community for everyone. I can’t wait to have a great year with everyone!
Wenfeng (Wendy) Huang
Treasurer
Hello everyone! Nice to meet you all my name is Wendy, I'm currently a sophomore at UTD majoring in finance. What drew me to Active Minds is that I really enjoy the community as everyone is very open minded here and is easy to converse with. Also, it allows me to get to know more about mental health and how it is important in our daily lives. I started taking interest in mental health when I was a sophomore in high school. It was a difficult time in my life, and it opened my eyes to different approaches to seeking help. My position in this club as the treasury is important to me because it connects my major to my interest in educating people about the benefits of seeking self-care. My Favorite quote is “Mindset is Everything.”
Teja Korrapati
Publicity Officer
Hi everyone! I’m so excited to serve as the Publicity Officer for Active Minds this year! I’m a junior double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology and a transfer student from UT Arlington. One of the things I admire most about UT Dallas is our strong commitment to the study of the brain, especially since I am very passionate about mental health and well-being. Through my role on the Active Minds board, I look forward to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health and promote awareness and support across our campus community. Remember, “it’s okay to not be okay.” No student should feel alone in their struggles. By encouraging open, honest, and supportive conversations, we can help create a campus culture where everyone feels seen, heard, and supported.
Victoria (Vikki) Anne Tawaran
Publicity Officer
Hello everyone! I am majoring in biology and minoring in psychology. I am a sophomore and I will be graduating in 2029. I think living is a difficult thing to do. if there’s an opportunity to make it any easier to bare, if it’s through a conversation or an event, why not take it? Because mental health is different for everyone, I hope that we are able to share other people’s perspectives, stories, and growth to prove that people aren’t alone and build a community. A fun fact about me: In high school I used to compete in literary criticism (basically just read a bunch of poems) hooray!!!
Pragathi Mahesh
Event Coordinator
I first got involved when I say how stigmas around mental health prevented people that I knew personally from reaching out when they needed help it showed me how important it was for students, including myself, to have safe spaces and supportive conversations on campus and it was one of the main reasons why I wanted to become an officer in Active Minds. I am the events planner for Active Minds this year! This role is important to me because I get the opportunity to create different events and opportunities for students to connect, learn and feel supported on our campus. A fun fact about me is: I play ultimate frisbee!
Amrita Suggala
Professional Development Coordinator
Hello everyone! I am majoring in Business analytics, and AI. I am a Junior. I joined active minds to advocate for students mental health and their well-being. This position is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to support members in their mental health journey, and I hope to serve as a steady guide along the way. No one should struggle alone. A fun fact about me: I know eight different styles of dance!
Danielle Rath
Fundraising Coordinator
My name is Danielle Rath, and I am a incoming senior majoring in Healthcare Studies ( on the Pre-PA track) and minoring in Psychology here at UTD! I wanted to join active minds due to my belief that no matter anyone’s background - mental health matters! I started taking in interest in mental health when witnessing my peers, who I perceived to be doing well due to their presence on social media, actually go through silent struggles, thinking that having an outlet or believing that they might actually need help deciphering these thoughts were negative or an embarrassing thing to do. Considering that many of us are in a huge chapter of our lives, not just revolving around academics but just managing who we are, who we want to be, and what we want to do, it's almost a necessity to be able to feel like you can reach out for help without feeling judged! It's a human skill that we are able to confide in and connect with one another. Being able to not only serve my community on campus but also contribute to Active Minds Organization as a whole is so fulfilling! A fun fact about me is my bedroom door is my window!
Kalyani Rajendarn
Fundraising Committee: Baking Lead
Hello everyone!! My name is Kalyani Rajendran, I am a junior majoring in Public Health and I will be part of the fundraising team as the baking and preparations lead. One thing Active Minds as an organization attracted me was their utmost goal of reducing the stigma on mental health issues and creating an open and healthy environment for people to speak their mind. Growing up, baking had always been my way of self expression, seeing my loved ones try my treats brought immense joy. To me, applying that very skill to a wonderful cause is my way of creating an interactive environment spreading awareness and supporting people navigating mental health 😊
2026-2027 Officer Team
Aarchisha Kumar
Fundraising Committee: Event Set-Up
Hi yall! My name is Aarchisha Kumar, and I’ll be the event set up lead for the Fundraising Committee this semester! I’m a sophomore Psychology and CLDP major, on a pre-PhD track, hopefully in clinical psychology. What drew me to Active Minds was this organization’s determination to spread mental health awareness. I really became aware of the stigma and lack of undertaking about mental health in high school when I saw how hard it was for my peers and I to get help. I understand how hard it can be to discuss mental health, and I wanted to be a part of something that encourages conversation and education in a supportive and safe environment. I’m really excited to join this semester and am glad I can do my part in fostering an encouraging environment!
Preethi Ram
Fundraising Committee: Supplies & Logistics
Shreya Chhibber
Volunteering Coordinator
Hi! My name is Shreya Chhibber and I am an incoming sophomore majoring in biology. I wanted to join Active Minds because I am passionate about changing the conversation around mental health and encouraging people to focus on what they can control rather than be defined by their circumstances. I believe having a positive and proactive mindset can make a big difference in people's lives, and I hope to help spread this message through Active Minds. A fun fact about me is that I’ve visited over 40 states in USA.