Executive Board
Meet the Teen Health 101 Executive Board, a group of leaders that guide their respective departments towards meeting Teen Health 101's three values, reliability, inspiration, and education.
Valeri Guevarra
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FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Valeri Guevarra is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently studying in the Nursing and Healthcare Management dual degree program at the School of Nursing and Wharton Business School.
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Like other members of Gen-Z, she loves social media and the internet. Growing up with both, she witnessed the influence one voice or a collection of voices could have online, whether it has a positive and negative impact. Inspired by current events and her personal journey through health/fitness, Valeri founded Teen Health 101 in her sophomore year of high school to help teens lost in the masses of online health resources available, combat the spread of misinformation online, and amplify youth voices in healthcare.
Although she had an inherent interest in the healthcare industry with many family members pursuing nursing, she has cultivated her own independent passion for the field through Teen Health 101. Some of her favorite topics to cover are medical careers, reproductive rights, access to healthcare, mental health, and nutrition. She is also a writer, athlete, activist, and public speaker.
Valeri hopes that teens utilize TH101’s resources to remain educated and informed about the health world around them. She also hopes that the organization inspires others to take initiative and create a solution to problems they see in the world and not be afraid to be a voice even in an adult-dominated field like healthcare.
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Elias Azizi
EDITOR IN-CHIEF | ARTICLE STAFF
Elias Azizi is a 16 year old from Ontario, Canada. He joined Teen Health 101 in August 2020. He originally joined Teen Health 101 as a contributing writer as he desired to expand his knowledge on concepts like mental and physical health. Academically, the subjects that interest him the most are biology, chemistry and French language studies. In his spare time, Elias enjoys playing basketball and reading science-fiction novels. As a member of Teen Health 101, he hopes to be able to guide teens away from online misinformation and help the organization grow.
Julianna Zelnhefer
DIRECTOR OF MEDIA
Julianna (Jules) Zelnhefer is a 16-year-old from New Jersey and joined Teen Health 101 in July 2020. She wanted to stop the spread of misinformation on social media, especially since teens and younger people can be impressionable and blindly believe in the media. She is also interested in neuroscience, psychology, and biology, and loves advocating for mental health awareness. Additionally, she loves to read fiction and go on walks during a nice day and participates in dance, plays the piano, plays the ukulele, as well as sings. She hopes TH101 is able to make a difference among media platforms and help inform teens on ways they can both be healthy and happy.
Karis Kelly
MAGAZINE EDITOR IN-CHIEF
Karis Kelly (she/her/hers) is an IBDP Candidate sophomore at William Howard Taft High School in Chicago, Illinois. At Teen Health 101, she is the Magazine Editor in Chief. Karis joined TH101 because she noticed youth needed a place for reliable information. By helping start the TH101 Digital Magazine, she helped create a new platform for students to get information. Outside of TH101, she is the Founder/CEO of Youth Medicine Today, Assistant Marketing Officer at the Junior Economic Club of Chicago, and Senior Medical Writer for Inspire Medicine. In her free time, Karis enjoys listening to music, going to cafes, and reading.
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Raffia Faisal
DIRECTOR OF PROJECTS & EVENTS
Raffia Faisal (she/her) is a 17-year-old from Toronto, Canada. A passionate writer, Raffia enjoys the art of storytelling through literature, and you often will find her with her nose buried in a book. Born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, Raffia has seen the problems that arise because of the inaccessibility of education firsthand. As Teen Health 101’s Director of Projects/Events, Raffia aspires to help organize events and projects that make educational opportunities for teens more accessible.
Anika Tripathi
DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH & PRESS
Anika Tripathi is a 16-year-old student. In April 2021, she joined Teen Health 101 because the organization fused all of her favorite passions into one. she has always been intrigued by medicine and enjoys writing and marketing, so this organization provided me with an opportunity to pursue these interests. Outside of Teen Health 101, her favorite hobbies are going on bike rides, watching Netflix, and reading. Speech, Mock Trial, and Key Club are some other extracurriculars she participates in within her school. In the future, she hopes to support Teen Health 101 in developing and flourishing, as well as making new connections with others through this organization!
Athena Krik
DIRECTOR OF PODCASTS
Athena Krik (she/her) is a 16-year old junior in high school from Los Angeles. She joined Teen Health 101 in July of 2020 after receiving a DM to be a part of the staff. Athena is interested in the fields of biology and oncology with hopes of studying skin cancer and creating therapies to treat it. Some of her passions include advocating for teen homelessness through her work with Teenage Advocates and conducting independent research studies on skin cancer from home during the pandemic. She has watched Teen Health 101 grow massively throughout this past year and is excited to see what comes next in her journey as the Director of Podcasts.