Meet the Team
The STEMPower Network is led by students looking to spread their love of STEM with as many children as possible. Meet them below!
Founder
Deven Butani
Deven Butani is a freshman at Duke University who went to the Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science. In elementary school, his love of STEM was sparked by hands-on experiments, which resulted in him attending a STEM-focused high school. Upon starting his volunteer work at MDOC as a math tutor and a coding club leader in 2022, he observed a lack of those same hands-on projects that made him passionate about STEM. Thus, the first STEM sessions were started soon after that, and the positive reception from the MDOC students prompted him to create a Makerspace at the center. He sought to expand his initiative to other communities, and after connecting with the librarians from the Beverly Free Library, the Willingboro Public Library, and the Hamilton Township Public Library, he recruited STEM-driven high school students to help lead sessions at these facilities. This officially created the STEMPower Network. His favorite subject is biology, but he is currently undecided in his college major. He was also a leader and co-founder of the Princeton Lanternfly Initiative, a group of students who eradicated lanternflies across New Jersey by scraping their eggs and setting traps. You can learn more about the Princeton Lanternfly Initiative here. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends and playing basketball and video games.
President
Hamilton Session Leader
Arun Pratik
Arunabh is a junior at the Princeton International School of Math and Science. From a young age, he developed a strong interest in STEM—particularly in astronomy. Regular visits to planetariums and science museums helped nurture that passion throughout his childhood. Upon entering high school, Arunabh began to recognize the privilege he had growing up and became motivated to create similar opportunities for other young students. This desire to give back is what ultimately led him to join the STEMPower network. Outside of school, he enjoys playing soccer, working out, and volunteering with other service-based organizations.
Former President
Beverly Session Leader
Sonia Leo
Sonia is a high school senior at Moorestown High School with a genuine passion for science and mathematics. Through this club, she passionately advocates for equity in STEM fields and goes out of her way to empower students in underdeserved communities, helping them discover the possibilities and excitement of science. She truly believes that every young person deserves the opportunity to learn and be inspired by the power of STEM, and she brings that belief to everything she does.
Former Vice President
Hamilton Session Leader
Diya Rajan
Diya Rajan is a high school senior at Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science, who is passionate about STEM. She has volunteered as a tutor for over a year at UpChieve.org and has also been a teaching assistant for competitive mathematics at ScioVirtual. While tutoring she realized a significant need for increased STEM education for many communities, and this discrepancy led her to join the STEMpower Network. In her spare time, Diya loves gardening, reading, and playing the piano.
Willingboro Session Leader
Anjali Shah
Anjali Shah is a high school senior at Moorestown Friends School. She plays field hockey, lacrosse, and fences. Outside school, she enjoys baking, listening to music, and hanging out with friends and family. In school, she finds pleasure in all of her STEM classes specifically my math, biology, and chemistry classes, which initially drew her to this program. She joined the network due to her passion for creating an opportunity for young students to get a head start on such fascinating topics in the STEM field that they would normally not have the chance to explore.
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Beverly Session Leader
Jason Youssef
Jason Youssef is a senior at Moorestown Friends School, who enjoys all things STEM-related. At school he has tutored peers and younger kids in several subjects for over two years. However, he hopes that his role in STEMpower Network will improve, benefit, and inspire the exposure and education of STEM topics and ideas to underprivileged communities. In his spare time, he likes reading, playing video games, and listening to music.
Willingboro Session Leader
Aryash Srivastava
Aryash Srivastava is a high school sophomore at Moorestown High School. Outside of school, he enjoys playing tennis, reading, biking, and participating in his Boy Scouts troop. He has always enjoyed his math and science classes in school. However, his passion for STEM was mostly developed through FLL robotics, where he learned basic programming, creativity, and leadership. Through STEMPower Network, Aryash hopes to develop his interests while passing on his enthusiasm to younger students, who will hopefully be encouraged to explore some of the various aspects of STEM.
Kunal Khandhar
Kunal Khandhar is a freshman at Moorestown High School. He has always enjoyed his science and math classes and is passionate about inspiring more kids to pursue careers in science. Kunal also participates in the science fair as it is a great way to express his passion for science and to solve real-world problems. He wants to help raise enthusiasm among younger students who may not have the same opportunities as him. Through STEMPower Network, Kunal hopes to encourage more students to enjoy science as much as he does. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, playing golf and spending time with friends.
MDOC Session Leader
Advocates
The individuals listed below greatly contributed to the STEMPower Network. Thank you for everything you have done to make this initiative possible!
Chantel Young
Ms. Chantel Young is the director of the Margaret Donnelly O'Connor Center. She was an essential and supportive advisor for the planning of the STEM sessions and creating the Makerspace at the MDOC Center.
To this day, she creates fun and engaging sessions for the children of the Ethel Lawrence Center using the new Makerspace, with and without STEMPower Network's involvement. Most of all, she makes the MDOC Center an caring, positive environment for the staff and the children at the Ethel Lawrence Homes.
Senator Troy Singleton & Jennifer Aydjian
State Senator Troy Singleton & his Chief of Staff Ms. Jennifer Aydjian helped fund the Makerspace and attended its opening ceremony. They helped connect Deven Butani with the towns of Beverly and Willingboro. In addition, through their Summer Lunch Program, they have allowed us to bring more attention to the STEMPower Network and create connections with individuals interested in helping expand our initiative. Senator Singleton has given back to the community in numerous ways in addition to increasing STEM exposure for the next generation, click here to learn more about his work.
Kaitlyn DeVeydt
The MDOC center was where the STEMPower Network's first program was established, and Kaitlyn DeVeydt was the leading staff member who gave it its first approval. She was responsible for reviewing the first several lesson plans and slideshows that went with the sessions, as well as ordering the materials for them. Without her support at the start at the start of its creation, the STEMPower Network would not be where it is today.
Meredith Riculfy & Jerry Mascia
Deven Butani gave a presentation proposing the MDOC Makerspace to Township Manager Meredith Riculfy and Superintendent Jerry Mascia, the two members of the Mount Laurel Township, along with Mayor Fozia Janjua. They approved the funding of the project and assisted in the coordination of ordering and delivering all of the materials to the MDOC center.
Tessa Gallagher
Tessa Gallagher is the librarian at the Willingboro Public Library. She saw the need for STEM programs at her library and was completely on board with the STEMPower Network's initiative coming to Willingboro. She reviews each lesson plan and slideshow, orders the sessions' materials, and maintains constant communication about other session logistics such as flyers or registration to ensure the program runs smoothly.
Mayor Fozia Janjua
Mayor Fozia Janjua played an essential role in the creation of the MDOC Makerspace and attended its opening ceremony. A major obstacle to creating the space was obtaining the funding for the project. Through her efforts, the Mount Laurel Township approved to fund the Makerspace's creation primarily. Thus, the MDOC's Makerspace would not exist without Mayor Janjua's contributions.
Julianna Feener-Craig
Julianna Feener-Craig is the librarian at the Beverly Free Library. She was extremely supportive of bringing our mission to her library. She reviews each lesson plan and slides, orders the materials for each session, and even helps staff during the session when needed.
Colleen Affrime
Colleen Affrime is the librarian at the Hamilton Township Public Library. She saw the absence of STEM activities at her library and gave the network her full support. She reviews lesson plans and slideshows and orders the sessions' materials. She also recruits volunteers from Hamilton who are looking to give back to their community by contributing to the STEMPower network's initiative.