Meet Sahana Srikanth | Youth Advocate & Executive Director of Young Learners Foundation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sahana Srikanth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sahana, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
My name is Sahana Srikanth, and I am from Mason, Ohio. I’m passionate about children’s literacy, educational equity, and youth-led advocacy.

Growing up in a household full of books, I constantly found myself immersed in a new novel, interacting with new characters, and actively absorbing new words. Books were always a source of engagement and stability in my life. I recall time-traveling in Magic Tree House and joking around with Junie B. Jones, hunting down suspects with Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple while pursuing dangerous adventures with Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. Books provided me a window to different centuries and countries, giving me both a creative and global perspective on the world.

Surrounding myself with words constantly, I was naturally drawn to pursuing the Spelling Bee, which was, in essence, a quest for words. I began seeking out Greek and Latin roots, piecing together French and Italian stems, and dictionary diving for terms from Avestan and Sanskrit. My fascination for language turned into meticulous Bee preparation that I pursued for six years, during which I spent countless hours researching the idiosyncrasies of global languages.

In 2022, I qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee and was honored to rank as a National Finalist (Top 10 out of 11 million competitors). In the days leading up to National Finals, I was challenged with going on stage to spell my words in front of around 500+ audience members and millions of global viewers – an overwhelming but exciting experience for my 13 year old self. By pushing myself to remain calm, think clearly, and spell confidently, my nerves eventually subsided and I learned how to handle public speaking in front of large audiences. After the Bee concluded, my passion for the unique patterns of different languages still remained firm, urging me to continue pursuing language in all areas of my life.

Thus, my background with reading, Spelling Bees, and linguistics has truly shaped the person I am today. For the past few years, I sought to gain proficiency in global languages, so I pursued the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Scholarship Program to learn Hindi with a youth community. I studied Advanced Placement French in school, and learned various languages in my free time. These activities helped me become more globally-minded and curious about the lives of people from different cultures. Furthermore, the soft skills I learned from the Spelling Bee turned me into a composed and well-spoken youth advocate, leaving a lasting impression on my communication skills today. My current interests in literacy, advocacy, and the legal field, all stem from my consistent reading habits from a young age, as well as my curiosity for words in general.

It was also my passion for words that inspired me to create Young Learners Foundation, a youth-led nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing children’s literacy nationwide by providing free access to books, mentorship, and literacy resources to youth regardless of background, location, or income level. Young Learners Foundation began in 2022 after my involvement with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where I began volunteering at various nonprofits to help youth develop their literacy skills in spelling, vocabulary, and public speaking. During this experience, I noticed that literacy proficiency for youth from low-income backgrounds was significantly lower than the literacy proficiency of youth at my school and within my city. My city constantly had a surplus of books, with dozens of libraries and bookstores, but I realized this was not the reality for children just a few hours away from where I lived. Thus, I sought to address this gap by providing free books and resources to children from underserved backgrounds in my state. About 40% of young students across the nation cannot read at a basic level. On top of this, 32 million American children go without books, compromising their chances at strong literacy skills in the future.

Young Learners Foundation bridges these gaps with free books and literacy resources. We have coordinated with 18+ Title 1 Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, and literacy nonprofits to donate 18,000 books to youth internationally, saving $150,000+ worth of literacy resources to families. Young Learners Foundation has been recognized by The Yours Humanly Children Have The Power To Empower Award, The Congressional Gold Medal, The Hershey Company, The Contribution Project, and more.

Besides the awards and accolades, what Young Learners Foundation has meant to me is the ability to spark a movement of passion for education. Seeing kids run to our table at events, excited about selecting books to take home, inspires me to continue giving back. The joy and curiosity that youth have for new books is refreshing, and it motivates me to keep working with Young Learners Foundation to host events where kids can find a book that resonates with them the most.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I was six, my mother enrolled me in Bharatanatyam classes. My teacher and I developed a strong relationship and I constantly looked forward to our lessons, as dance allowed me a window to my own culture and home community. I prepared rigorously for nearly nine years to pursue an Arangetram, the formal debut solo performance of a student of an Indian classical dance. An Arangetram typically consists of around 2-3 hours of continuous dancing with 8-12 pieces included in the program. Thus, learning all of the difficult jumps, turns, and gestures, while adapting to distinct musical fast-paced rhythms, was undoubtedly a challenge. Bharatanatyam is not just about rhythmic movements, it’s about storytelling and audience engagement, meaning living in the moment of the dance is absolutely necessary. In Bharatanatyam, this means preparation that involves the whole body, the mind, and the heart. Thus in the weeks leading up to my Arangetram, I practiced up to 4-5 hours per day to make sure I was prepared for the stage. My Arangetram was a special journey that I’m immensely proud of today, because it taught me how to work hard physically, mentally, and emotionally to persist in my pursuit of an end goal. The lessons this art has taught me about discipline and cultural connection are invaluable, and I hope to continue dancing for many years into the future as well.

Another aspect of my work that has always been meaningful to me is the art of public speaking. I joined my school’s Speech & Debate Team in 2022, and chose the event of Extemporaneous Speaking to pursue. Through Extemp, I have learned the skills of thinking in the moment, clarity of communication, and how to pursue deep critical thinking. To prepare for the event, I spend a lot of time reading, researching, and synthesizing information about international affairs, while also dedicating time to practice speeches. In my speeches, I explore topics such as corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa, cost-of-living crises across Europe, environmental challenges in South America, and more. Extemp has provided me with a global perspective and allowed me to strengthen my interest in the field of public policy. In my time competing, I’ve also achieved numerous awards in the event such as being named a National Finalist at multiple competitive tournaments (Yale Invitational, Blue Key, Blue Key Round Robin), and ranking as a 2x NSDA National Semifinalist.

Aligning with my passion for spoken advocacy and public policy is my work as Ohio State Captain for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED). STRIPED is a public health incubator dedicated to cultivating novel strategies for eating disorder prevention within the United States. As a leader of both Ohio and Missouri’s STRIPED Team, I have met with numerous legislators to advance policies centered on protecting youth against the risk of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. This involves advocating for supplement regulation, promoting awareness about healthy social media usage, and proposing educational solutions to eating disorder misinformation. Our team has also written op-eds and publications for various medical and policy organizations such as The Missouri Independent. We work closely with companies, nonprofits, and councils that focus on youth-led policy as well, so we have acquired the support of The Eating Disorders Coalition and Missouri Eating Disorder Council. Advocacy is quite difficult because it often involves a lot of reaching out, requesting support, and being open to rejections. But by enduring these challenges, our team was still able to partner with various institutions and achieve support from lawmakers for our bills.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Must Visit:

Cincinnati Museum Center, known for being a one-of-a-kind, multi-museum complex in Union Terminal, a historic Art Deco train station and National Historic Landmark.

Cincinnati Art Museum, the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, the second oldest zoo in the United States.

Coffee: Kala Coffee & Adesso Coffee, my personal favorite places for an afternoon coffee, to study, or to talk with friends.

Food: Bravo Italian Cuisine or Graeter’s Ice Cream

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many mentors and community members who have supported me in pursuing my passions.

I would first like to thank my family – my mother, father, and brother – for their love and encouragement throughout all my endeavors. Whether it was by helping me prepare for bees, listening to my speeches, or coming with me to collect books, my family has always been willing to uplift me in the work I do. I would also like to thank Mrs. Sabitha Pandit and Mrs. Jill Hartsock, who are both Gifted Educators in my community. They showed me what a growth mindset looked like in practice, and motivated me to apply an optimistic, learning-oriented mindset to the activities I took on. Their understanding of me from a young age allowed me to turn to them for advice, especially when it came to Young Learners Foundation.

Additionally, I’d love to do a huge shoutout to everyone who has engaged with Young Learners Foundation. Our volunteers, donors, recipients, and partners have all played a huge role in Young Learners Foundation’s growth throughout the past few years. Because of our community’s encouragement and enthusiasm for the goals of our work, we have received multiple competitive grants that have allowed us to truly serve populations in need. The Young Learners Foundation community has also been momentous in my personal development, helping me strengthen my advocacy skills, leadership abilities, creative potential, and passion for the field of language.

Finally, I’d like to thank my spelling coaches and debate coaches, whose love for literacy always kept me engaged in the subject of language, regardless of the medium. Mentorship has been so monumental in my journey with words, and I want to express gratitude for the accomplished leaders who have patiently guided me in pursuing oral or written creative forms of expression.

Website: https://www.younglearnersfoundation.org/

Instagram: @younglearnersfoundation | @sahanasreal

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahana-srikanth-434b8427b/