Group 4

Hello! My name is Laila Khalifa, and I am a third-year undergraduate student at the American University in Cairo, majoring in Biology and minoring in both Business Administration and Chemistry. I was born in Egypt and spent part of my childhood in Canada.

My academic interest lies in the diagnosis of infectious diseases and access to healthcare in impoverished countries. Apart from my studies, I am currently serving my second year as a Communications and Marketing Resident Advisor at my university’s Residences, overseeing campus outreach programs and leading student engagement initiatives.

In 2024, I participated in The Times Higher Arab Universities: Digital World Conference, where I shared student perspectives on innovation, digital accessibility, and educational reforms. I also took part in multiple Model United Nations conferences, where I debated policies on significant world concerns and engaged in diplomatic simulations. Ever since, I have been interested in opportunities featuring student participation in leadership, social equality, and democratic development. My two years of experience working for a nonprofit organization strengthened my dedication to social justice and community development.

I am honored to be part of the Athens Democracy Forum, and I look forward to exchanging ideas with fellow students and professionals on how democracy can evolve to become more inclusive and responsive to the challenges confronting our generation.

Namaste! I am Parth Piyush Prasad, and I am from New Delhi, India. I am a final-year Public Policy and International Studies student at FLAME University, Pune.

As a participant at this edition of the Athens Democracy Forum (ADF), I find myself reflecting deeply on the relationship between theory and real-world experience at this crucial juncture of politics for the world. My goal at this year’s edition of ADF is stay true to global curiosity and truly “rethink” what it means to be a democracy and a citizen within such a system.

India, as the world’s largest democracy, brings a powerful and unique voice to global democratic conversations. My engagements with government, private and local-level institutions, as well as non-governmental organisations, have exposed me to the extents and limitations of the political economy of democratic institutions. My research, conducted through internships, assistantships and co-curricular endeavours, focuses upon these intersections of politics, political systems and people. I believe that democracy is not a static idea, but a lived process that must constantly be evaluated across contexts, especially in the Global South.

Through the forum, I hope to gain international perspectives and disperse Indian perspectives, ensuring that the Global South is well-represented within these discourses. As a future leader, I aim to use my learnings at the ADF 2025 to effectively decentralise knowledge and conduct more meaningful and data-driven research into our conclusions.

My name is Tanisha Shende, and I am a rising senior at Oberlin College with a double-major in Computer Science and Mathematics, a minor in Sociology, and an integrative concentration in Data Science. I am originally from Lodi, New Jersey. I’m a computer science and human-computer interaction researcher at Cornell University, studying ways to make technology more accessible to people with disabilities. This summer, I’ll be exploring the intersection between augmented reality and ultrasound imaging. Broadly, I am interested in leveraging technology for social good and investigating the ways in which science and technology reinforce and mitigate social inequality. 

Beyond my computer science research, I am also interested in supporting marginalized students in STEM and undergraduate research and researching educational equity. At my school’s Office of Undergraduate Research, I develop programming, create resources, and hold office hours to support students in STEM and research. I also conduct sociological research on the barriers faced by underrepresented students in these spaces. Additionally, I am prototyping an information-sharing system to facilitate transitions between adult education programs in northeast Ohio to improve the retention and success of adult learners.

This semester, through the Diplomacy Lab program, I conducted political research sanctioned by the U.S. State Department on technology (cybersecurity, digital crime, and artificial intelligence) and foreign affairs. As someone who’s already deeply invested in technology’s philosophical and social implications, I’m excited to continue this political thread through the Athens Democracy Forum. My participation will support my goal to uplift ethical, responsible, and democratic technology development and usage.