Aashna Shah is a Psychology major with a Biology minor at the University of Central Florida, pursuing the pre-health track. She is actively involved on campus as a member of the LEAD Scholars Academy, Knight Raas competitive dance team, and Kappa Delta sorority. Aashna also serves on the Executive Board of both UCF’s annual Leadership Week and Knight Raas.

In 2017 Aashna founded Kindness In a Diverse Society, with the aim of helping underprivileged children. Inspired by the quote “Helping others is the way we help ourselves",  by Oprah Winfrey, she encourages kids to volunteer at a young age. KIDS received an official proclamation from the Mayor of Jacksonville for promoting and increasing volunteerism in Florida’s youth.

After getting diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD in 8th grade, Aashna expanded the mission of KIDS to include educating children and parents about learning disabilities. Aashna has now published 3 children’s books (Dyanmic Diya: Dyslexia is her superpower, Amazing Adriana: ADHD is her superpower, and Brave Brian: Anxiety gave him his superpower), has donated the books to schools and libraries across Florida, and has secured a proclamation from the city of Jacksonville declaring an official Dyslexia Awareness Week.

Aashna is a proud recipient of the Presidential Service Award from the White House for her dedication to serving the community.

Passionate about mental health and driven by her own experiences, Aashna aspires to become a child and adolescent psychiatrist to help kids like herself thrive and succeed. She loves smiles and making others smile, whether it’s through her nonprofit organization or her future work in psychiatry. Aashna wants to remind you to make someone smile today!