In this Student Spotlight, we’d like you to meet Anjali Verma, a PALCS and USP senior making an impact. With her virtual high school experience coming to an end, we would like to highlight some of the amazing things she has done during her time at PALCS.
Advocacy & Leadership
Work2BeWell National Student Advisory Council
Anjali participates in Work2BeWell as a National Student Advisory Council Member. Work2BeWell is a teen-led, teen-focused mental health organization sponsored by Providence Health, the third largest hospital network in the U.S. The student advisory council is comprised of three distinct teams: education, access, and activation. Anjali is a member of the activation team which focuses mainly on policy work and club creation across the country. One of many very impressive accomplishments of the Work2BeWell Activation Team is the publication of the largest free and clinically backed state-by-state mental health resource guide.
National Student Council
Anjali was elected as the very first National Student Council President in May of 2024. Her 2023 campaign platform—”Uplifting H.E.A.R.T.S.”—centered around harnessing leadership, empowering voices, activating potential, reaching goals, standing together, and serving communities. This campaign demonstrated her tireless work ethic, her natural disposition for collaboration, and her willingness to connect her core values of honesty, integrity, and charity to advocacy for her fellow students across the county. She has served and continues to serve as the NSC inaugural president for the 2024-2025 school year.
American Civil Liberties Union
In August 2024, Anjali and 300 other high school students joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Capitol Hill to lobby against the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). KOSA was drafted with the intention of protecting children’s safety online; however, its implication is the broad censorship of lawful speech. Anjali was featured in the New York Times where she discussed how all kids need to be heard.
Honors & Recognitions
National Association of Secondary School Principal’s LEAD Conference
Anjali was invites to attend and speak at the National Association of Secondary School Principals LEAD Conference in Washington D.C. in November 2024 and January 2024. The conference was for members of National Student Council, National Honor Society, and National Junior Honor Society and gathered one thousand students and advisors from across the nation and countries such as Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Panama. On behalf of Work2BeWell, Anjali led and facilitated deep-dive sessions on topics like Self Car and Emotional First Aid.
United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP)
Most recently, Anjali has been selected to represent Pennsylvania in the 63rd Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) Washington Week! Anjali was chosen from among the state’s top student leaders to join the esteemed 104-member national student delegation. As part of this prestigious opportunity, she will join PA Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick at Washington Week to attend exclusive meetings and briefings with U.S. senators, the president, a Supreme Court justice, leaders of cabinet agencies, and other high-ranking officials. She will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship to support her undergraduate studies.
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