Hi my name is Leela (She/Her), and I am a sophomore at PHS and this is my second year in affinity! I am an Indian and Sri lankan American. I have two younger siblings and I love spending time with younger kids. I went to a chinese immersion from k-8 and grew up as the only indian kid in my grade. I’ve always loved my culture growing up, for example celebrating holi and diwali and dressing up in Indian clothes. .  I feel like my experience in elementary and middle made me respect and always want to know more about other cultures. I  know that heritage is a integral part of every person's identity and I look forward to working with younger kids and helping them feel welcome and proud of their culture! 

Hi! I’m Sophia, a sophomore at Millennium High School. I’m Jewish and Christian and get to celebrate both religions! I go to MHS, and would love to spread awareness about what an amazing community and alternate school it is. I have OCD and ADHD and also struggle with my mental health. I was in an outpatient rehab program in junior high, and I am now so thrilled I get to teach some of the skills I learned. Growing up in piedmont, I felt like I didn't have a solid reason to be sad, and I want to teach kids that all of their emotions and feelings are real, and it's okay to ask for help. I’m so excited to be back for my second year of affinity mentorship to share my story and help others feel seen and supported, no matter their situation!!

Hi! My name is Olivia, I am a sophomore at PHS, and I use she/her pronouns. I’m a Chinese-American, and I’ve lived in Piedmont my whole life. Growing up, I’ve always taken note of the small things- like not having role models to look up to that can relate to or value my story and experiences (besides my 4th/5th grade mentors!), microaggressions, and exclusivity. I’m passionate about everyone feeling welcome, comfortable, safe, and heard, which is why I’m eager to continue my journey as a mentor In my second year of this program. I’m so excited for what's to come!

My name is Rabia Mahmood and I am a sophomore at Piedmont High School. I am a second generation Pakistani American and Muslim. Growing up there weren't a lot of Muslims or Pakistanis. Ever since elementary school I have 2 built in friends that were always there for me. My brother and my cousin. But they were both boys and I always longed for a sister. When I went to middle school I was with a girl cousin. I could relate to her a bit more than I could relate to the others. This is why I wanted to join affinity mentorship. I wanted to find other people like me and have them feel like they have someone that is always with them like I always had. 

Hello, my name is Kaya my pronouns are she/her. I am half indian and half white. I am a sophomore at PHS. I moved to Piedmont before starting kindergarten and I was one of the only Indian kids. It was a challenge to not have many people similar to me at school and often times I felt like I didn’t belong. When you’re growing it’s important to be around people that share aspects of your identity. I know that growing up with that really would have helped me. So I joined affinity mentorship to make sure everyone feels like they belong in our community. 

Hi! My name’s Isla. I use she/her pronouns and am 15 years old. I am also an Asian-american, mixed (Taiwanese and white) freshman at PHS. I’m excited to be able to work with kids and help them feel more comfortable and safe. I know it can be hard to accept and be proud of your ethnicity or culture, especially when it’s “different” from your classmates. Despite the fact that I did grow up with a lot of other mixed people I often found myself trying to hide my culture and certain parts of my identity that were different so I could fit in. I hope that I can make younger kids realize that they can be proud of their culture while also accepting and respecting others.

Hi! I’m Teah, a second-generation Korean-American, I went to Havens Elementary and currently in my sophomore year at Piedmont High. I enrolled in the Affinity Mentorship Program because, all my life I have lived in a predominantly white community. Currently, I am the only fully Korean student in my graduating class in Piedmont. When I would be talking about the korean traditions I take part in to my classmates, they would look at me with a blank expression, confused on what I was talking about. I would always feel like the odd one out and isolated from the other kids. My goal is to use the opportunities that I am given, and use them for the greater good. And that is by ensuring that all kids feel like they are cared for, regardless of who they are. No one should have to feel like they don’t belong because they do things differently in their household that others around them don’t do. I would love to have every kid be able to feel confident in their skin, without feeling the need to hide it. 

Hey! My name is Kyla, I use the pronouns she-her, and I am a sophomore. I moved to Piedmont in 4th grade and before that I used to go to a Christian elementary school. At my former school, I absolutely loved having a mentor and always looked up to them. I’m so happy to see that same concept is being used at PHS and hopefully has the same impact on the younger kids as it did with me. Living in Piedmont, I have always been questioned about my race. I am constantly getting told, “you don’t look like you’re white” as if there is a certain way I’m supposed to look. I am of mixed racial background, including black, white, and Filipino. As I’m getting older, I’ve learned to value and embrace all aspects of my racial identity. I hope kids in our community are able to find ways to connect with each and every part of their identity and that I can support them by being a part Affinity.

Hi! My name is Maika, I use she/her pronouns. I’m a sophomore and I’m Asian American with immigrant parents from Singapore and Taiwan. I moved to Piedmont when I was around 5, coming from San Francisco. Around 9, I had been diagnosed with aplastic anemia, and I missed most of 3rd and 4th grade due to recovery in the hospital. When I had come back, I felt disconnected to my friends and community because of my experience. I tended to not share my story because of how different it was to everyone else’s. Looking back, I wish I had someone to tell me that everyone’s experiences are unique and important. I hope to be that role model for someone else, and to show kids that even if their story is different, it should be shared and appreciated. I’m very excited for my first year as an affinity mentor and to see what is to come!

My name is Kaiya, I am a sophomore at PHS and I use she/her but preferably they/them pronouns. I am of mixed but being more specific I am Asian, Latina, Islander, Asian Islander, Hispanic, and Italian(white?) As I grew up, I had to face racism and homophobia, which was kind of hard for me to deal with at a young age, because I didn’t understand why liking the same gender was such a big problem, especially since I had gay grandparents. When it came to my ethnicity, nobody I knew in my elementary school had a similar ethnicity to mine, and I found it hard when friends would tell me things like “well.. You’re not a REAL __”

The reason why I’m here in Affinity Mentorship is because when I was dealing with something mentally difficult in 8th grade, an affinity mentor had bringed me out of the dark. In the Middle School assembly, she had really connected to me and her story really made me feel like I wasn’t alone, and I’m extremely grateful for that. By joining this mentorship program, I’m hoping to inspire and help younger students with their personal problems and help them heal from past trauma, like how a mentor had once done with me.

Hi, my name is Ayla, and I am a sophomore. I am a Korean-american who has lived in many different places, and am pretty good at adapting to change. I went to Havens Elementary, and then moved to Texas and went to 2 different schools there. I ended up having to change schools in Texas due to the amounts of discrimination and racism I recieved. After that I moved back to Piedmont and I have been here since 8th grade. I am so excited to be an affinity member because I hope to make new students feel like this is a place where they can belong and not experience discrimination. In addition, as a Korean-American I would love to make sure kids are proud and confident in their own skin and be proud of where they come from, and that there is a community of students that they can come to for anything.

Hi, my name is Lauren! My pronouns are she/her and I am a sophomore at Piedmont high school. One of the main reasons why I wanted to be a mentor is because for a long time, I felt unconnected with many parts of my identity. I am Jewish, but in my family, we aren’t that religious. We celebrate Hanukkah, but that is pretty much the only thing that me and my family do to connect with that part of my identity. This makes me feel like I’m “not Jewish enough” to share that part of me to other people. Another part of my identity revolves around being Middle Eastern. I am white, but the family on my moms side are from Saudi Arabia. Since you can’t see that as a part of my identity, I often feel like I shouldn’t talk about it. I want to teach kids that all parts of their identity are important and should be talked about!

Hi! My name is Maddie Lee, I use she/her pronouns and I am a sophomore at Piedmont High School. I identify as East Asian American, I am half Chinese and half Vietnamese. I am really excited to join Affinity Mentorship because when I was growing up in Piedmont there were not a lot of Asian American kids that I could look up or connect to. I grew up feeling embarrassed of my ethnicity and tried to avoid talking it because no one else I knew celebrated or had the same cultural traditions as me. I want children to be proud of their culture and have a place where they feel comfortable to talk about the fun traditions they do. I am very passionate and strive to make sure that everyone feels like they belong and are wanted, have respect for each other, are kind to each other, and most importantly have fun!

Hi! My name is Lucia, my pronouns are she/her and I am a sophomore at Piedmont High School. I am African American and mixed and I have lived in the Bay Area my whole life. I believe it’s important for kids, especially growing up in an area with a racial demographic similar to Piedmont, to have people to look up to and relate to. I’m excited to get the opportunity to make a difference and hopefully be a role model for kids who can relate to my experiences. I can’t wait to have another great year in affinity mentorship!

My name is Emahn Sheikh and I am a sophomore at Piedmont High School. Being a 2.5 generation Pakistani-American (my dad is second generation, but my mom immigrated here from Pakistan), I never had a role model growing up. I went to Wildwood Elementary as the only brown, Muslim kid in the entire school. Almost everything about me was different compared to the other kids in my class. I was the only one who observed Ramadan and never wore shorts and always ate halal meat. Looking back, I really wish I had someone that looked like me that I could talk to. This is a big part of why I joined the Affinity Mentorship program. I really want kids to see me as an inspiration and as someone who they can look up to. 

Hi, my name is Noah, I am a sophomore as PHS and I use he/him pronouns. I am a Jewish American who moved to Piedmont when I was younger than 1. Growing up I have always been an observer and I have noticed lots of racism, sexism, homophobia and more in my district. It’s sad to see that this community that is known to be very good can also be so ruthless and unkind. I feel it is important to address the problems that fly by without much notice to see them and get rid of them. I joined Affinity Mentorship because of the change that I feel I may be able to make by just doing the small things.

Hi, my name is Matias Shahid. I am a sophomore at Piedmont High school and I use He/Him pronouns. I am 50% Egyptian, 25% Japanese, and 25% German. I've lived in the Bay area my whole life, and My dad immigrated from Egypt when he was 6. I am really excited to keep doing affinity to help and inspire the younger generation. I see all kinds of hate in and out of Piedmont and I think it's important to stop the people that are actively doing it but also guide the younger generation and prevent them from doing the same. I am excited to continue to help support this program and mentor my mentee. I believe this program has so much to offer and the impact that I see it having on this community is incredible.

Hi! My name is Stella and I am a sophomore at Piedmont High School, and I use she/her pronouns. I am a first-generation Indian-American and I have an Irish, Portuguese, and Scottish background on my Mom’s side. Growing up in Piedmont, I always had trouble trying to describe who I was, ethnicity-wise. As a young kid, I tended to feel like I wasn’t enough Indian, or enough white, or enough brown to relate to other kids not as mixed as myself. Looking back, I wish I had someone tell me that I was enough as is, and that I didn’t need to accentuate certain parts of my identity to be accepted. As an affinity mentor, I hope to teach the kids that I work with the importance of celebrating your differences. I’m looking forward to this learning experience and I’m so excited for what’s to come!

My name is Amalia and I am a sophomore at PHS. I moved to Piedmont at the start of 8th grade from Colombia. I was born in Barcelona, Spain, but before moving to Piedmont I had always lived in Colombia, surrounded by family. Family has always been a big and important part of my life. My older cousins were big role models for me and I think that is part of why I joined Affinity Mentors, and it’s because I want others to feel proud f who they are as well as supported and empowered, not judged. I also joined Affinity Mentors because it was really recommend to me and as I looked into it I really liked the purpose and idea of supporting and helping each other, therefore I decided to join and be a part of a community which makes a difference in other people’s lives.

Hello! My name is Chelsea Aburto and I'm a sophomore at PHS. This is my second year as an Affinity Mentor! I moved to the district of Piedmont during my freshman year.  Coming from a school that was diverse to now a school that is predominantly white felt alienating.  Being one of the few Latino students at PHS, I felt like I didn't quite belong. I decided to join this program to help create and foster a sense of belonging to children who come from a similar background as me, since I realized many could feel like they don't belong, due to the lack of representation in Piedmont. My goal as a mentor is for children to  see themselves represented, and to be proud of themselves, regardless of their background. I hope to continue to create a culture at Piedmont where everyone feels welcomed, loved, and a sense of belonging!

Hi, my name is Ovie, I am a sophomore as PHS and I use he/him pronouns. I am a African American who recently moved to Oakland. Growing up I have always been an observer and I have noticed lots of racism, sexism, homophobia and more in my district. It’s sad to see that this community that is known to be very good can also be so ruthless and unkind. I feel it is important to address the problems that fly by without much notice to see them and get rid of them. I joined Affinity Mentorship because of the change that I feel I may be able to make by just doing the small things.