MEET OuR TEAM 

aLaN Ma / Founder

ExECUTIVE OffICER

Alan is a freshman at Stanford University and is passionate about catalyzing youth action in solving environmental challenges of today's world. He's invested in making change through being the change. At NextGen, Alan hopes to inspire the next generation (aha :D) of youth by developing a network of community resources as a launchpad to realize the ideas of our finest thinkers, problem solvers, and storytellers. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, building new prototypes in his garage workshop, and vibing out to 80s rock.

ShengYao Liu / Founder

CREATIvE hEAD

ShengYao Liu graduated from Lake Oswego High School and took a gap year to pursue her passions. At Next-Gen Innovators, she hopes to blog about interesting environment-related topics, bring guest speakers into the community to share about different professions that engage in environmental protection, and spotlight community members' innovations. Besides her works at Next-Gen Innovators, ShengYao enjoys writing poetry and spending time with her feathered roommates. 

Chloe Zhang / Co-Founder

dIrECTor OF OpEraTIOnS

Chloe Zhang is a senior at Jesuit High School. At Next-Gen Innovators, she manages events, outreach, and the team's social media platforms. Her dream for this non-profit is to inspire the younger generations to take action on our Earth's environmental crisis and ultimately, make a positive impact on our home. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, building puzzles, and hanging out friends.

IshAN aHlUWALIa / Co-Founder

INNOvATIon DIRECToR

Ishan Ahluwalia is currently a senior at Jesuit High School. At Next-Gen Innovators, he wants to teach the youth about pressing environmental issues through hackathons and other creative events. His ultimate goal is to inspire the youth to one day solve the climate crisis. In his free time he loves to play tennis, hang out with friends, and build or design anything. 

Aashvi Busa 

COnTeNT DeveloPment LEaD

Aashvi Busa is a freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She works as a content creator and event planner at Next-Gen Innovators. Her hope is to spread awareness about environmental issues and inspire others to take action against the climate crisis. Outside of Next-Gen Innovators, she enjoys dancing and baking.

Claire Cao


Claire Cao is a junior at Jesuit High School. At NGI, Claire helps coordinate events including the UN Sustainable Fashion speaker series, and regularly volunteers in conservation work with the Friends of the Tualatin River. Claire is passionate about biodiversity conservation and restoration of natural habitats. At Jesuit, Claire leads the MUN Club, Dance Club, and the captain of her Mock Trial team. In her free time, Claire enjoys skiing, skating, dancing, and eating good food.