The Founders

The founders of Fight for Human Rights met at Cornell University Summer College 2017, where the four were enrolled in the International Human Rights in Theory and Practice course together. In just three weeks, the group grew closer as friends and activists. They realized their passion for human rights and advocacy could be combined. A team effort is better than a lone one; the group decided to form this project to provide themselves with a louder voice in their respective communities and to empower other teens who may be interested in similar local and international social justice work.

About the Founders

Hi! My name is Pooja Bhate, and I am a senior at the Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences, located in New Jersey. All my life, I’ve wanted to help people; as a young girl, I realized there are a vast variety of ways in which this can be accomplished, whether it is medicine, or advocacy. Despite being an outspoken and pun-filled teenager at school, I have always found myself shrinking away from raising my voice as an activist; recently my friends Javaria, Sultana, and Robson helped me find my own voice amongst the deafening roars of the crowd. With their motivation, I learned to speak up and speak loud and proud for what I truly believe in, and stand my ground in face of any atrocity. I aim to make this organization a place where any person can voice their opinions, share their experiences, or simply get inspired by the work of others. I am a firm believer in group work, and I feel that our combined effort can bring change to our communities, whether they are linked by roads, train tracks, or skyways.

Hi! My name is Javaria Khan, and I’m currently a junior at El Cerrito High School in California. In my 17 years, I’ve had the privilege of living in diverse, distinct parts of the world: Mardan, Pakistan; The Castro District, San Francisco; and Richmond, California. The people surrounding me, regardless of their socio-cultural background, have taught me the importance of open-mindedness and understanding differences in avoiding prejudice, violence, and oppression. Although social activism remains the most powerful motivator in my life, photography, psychology, and international law fascinate me. I'm a people person with an intense passion for learning all that there is to know about humankind, our actions, creations, past, present, and futures. By taking part in local and international humanitarian initiatives, I aim to positively contribute to others’ lives. This organization has given me and my friends Pooja, Sultana, and Robson a head start. Here's hoping that it will serve as a platform for individuals of all lifestyles to voice their opinions, advocate, and join us in the fight for human rights.

Hi! My name is Sultana Rahman, I'm a senior at Pearl River High School, living life in New York! I am incredibly excited to be a part of this organization with my friends and fellow teenage activists-- Pooja, Javaria and Robson. Without the three of them motivating me to fight for what I believe in, I would still be a quiet girl who is too shy to speak up. Besides voicing my opinions and arguing at any given chance, I love to read and write. When I read, I travel to worlds unknown, and when I write, the thousands of thoughts that are rushing in my head finally settle. With this, I want write about how we can positively contribute to people's lives. I hope to help those who felt they lost their voice to fear and empower others to do the same. Studying law and traveling the world to document everything and anything is the dream, so as Pooja would say, "You basically want to be a social justice ninja?" Yup. That's the plan!

Hi! My name is Robson Swift. I am a junior from De Anza High School in Richmond, California. All my life I have never been afraid to speak my mind. I was always that loud mouth who couldn't wait to tell you what he thinks about politics. But over time I was tired of speaking. I was tired of being the loud mouth. When I went to Cornell for summer college I was empowered, by both what I learned and the people I met. With the knowledge of how to enact change in my community and close friends to encourage me I knew I could stop talking and start fighting for my beliefs. I helped create this organization because I wanted to empower others to change their community as well. I believe that youth activism is important and extremely lacking in many communities and I believe that this organization will encourage youth to become activists in and around their community.