Our Fellowship's Impact
Kaitlynn Cherry
Boston University
My action project with screenshottED addresses the growing threat of nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) groups targeting and radicalizing youth online, especially youth who are struggling with mental health issues. I created a community safety handout on recognizing and countering these tactics for caregivers and young people, and brought this research to my home school district, which is now reviewing its curriculum in response.
I'm currently interning with the City of Boston's Digital Equity Team to build out guardian and youth curriculum for community centers across the city, with hopes of translating my current research with my co-researcher Velana Valdez into something more digestible.
About
Started by two researchers and advocates, screenshottED is a project to empower young people to understand the research on screen use and advocate for better policies on screens in their community
Sahana Nayak
Sahana is a senior at UCSC and a Research Assistant at the Nagata Lab where she studies screen use and eating disorders. She's is a member of the Eating Disorder Coalition’s Young Leaders Council, where she advocates for healthy social media use and passage of eating disorder legislation to Congress. She is also a member of the Steve Fund’s Youth Ambassador Board, where she advocates for implementation of culturally sensitive mental health resources in colleges for youth of color. Sahana also volunteers for a local eating disorders nonprofit, the Eating Disorders Resource Center, where she founded the Student Action Committee and Education Initiative
Oliver Huang
Oliver is a sophomore at Duke University and a Research Assistant at the Nagata Lab where he studies screen use, particulary in boys and young men. He was a program intern for #HalfTheStory, where he developed their Digital Civics Academy. As a program intern, he mobilized and trained 50 young people to advocate and push for safer online spaces. Outside of #HalfTheStory, he is the Vice Chair of the SPRING Group. As Vice Chair, he led digital wellness projects with various organizations including Boston Children’s Digital Wellness Lab, UK Minister of Science, and the UNHCR