Meet the Team
At Initiative Programs, we strive to help our students become their best self by taking initiative and creating opportunities. Our team consists of very capable high school students that are eager to use their past experiences and aid in making a brighter future for our young scholars.
Want to join the Initiative Programs team? Fill out this application and we will get back to you!
Founders
Executive Board
Jean Cheng
Co - Founder
Hi! I'm Jean, a senior at Panther Creek High School. I love to help the community in any way that I can, whether that be volunteering at events, raising money for charity, or teaching others. Some of my other hobbies also include marching band, playing soccer, and drawing!
I am teaching grammar at the Initiative Summer Camp, having gotten 36s on both the reading and English sections of the ACT. I have also gotten straight-As throughout middle and high school, so I am confident that I will be able to provide a fun and engaging learning experience for all students!
​
Email: chengjin9999@gmail.com
Brian Zhou
Co - Founder
Hi! My name is Brian Zhou and I am a sophomore at Durham Academy! I am currently the Sophomore Co-Class President and I love running, swimming, tennis, and soccer! Outside of school I also love gaming, baking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
​
I have been taking public speaking classes at Cary Chinese School for 1 year now, but I have been speaking all my life! I believe that it is an important skill that will only become more important as we grow older. I won first place in the winter CCS public speaking contest and was the contest master of the spring contest.
​
Public speaking and Debate complement each other immensely. I have just finished my first year of debate at Durham Academy in the Novice Division in Public Forum. As for me, I went undefeated (4-0) in my last two tournaments and championed Apex High School in Novice Public Forum!
​
Email: flame5998@gmail.com
Veronica Quiett
Director of Marketing
Hi! My name is Veronica Quiett and I am a sophomore at Durham Academy where I serve as the current co-class president for the class of 2023. I am the Chief Marketing Officer for Initiative Programs. I have always tried to give back to the community whether it is sorting food with my girl scout troop at local food banks or rummaging through books at a local book harvest event. I have been a member of the student council at school since 5th grade which has allowed me to not only learn new communication and leadership skills but has also allowed me to think outside of the box. As a member of the student council, I have helped plan food truck rodeos, dances, community service events, and basketball games which have included college basketball and volleyball players. In my free time, I love to cook, practice photography, hang out with friends, play sports, sing, and read.
In 2017, I had the amazing opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall with the Durham Children's Choir.
I've always been a stellar student in school by going the extra mile in everything that I do. It is very important to me to strive to be a well-rounded student, this is why I am engaged in athletic seasons at school and participate in fine arts events. Last year, I joined the costume and make-up crew for the musical theatre production of The Addams Family.
​
Email: vmquiett513@gmail.com
Amanda Wang
Secretary
Hey! I'm Amanda Wang, a freshman at Green Level High School. I serve as the Secretary as well as the director for Initiative Programs' social media platforms. I have an Imperial Shih Tzu puppy named JoJo! He loves cuddling and playing with his plushies. I've been a dancer and gymnast since I was five, and also play the guzheng. I've competed at numerous piano competitions, including Young Artist, in which I have won 1st place before. I enjoy music, photography, and art, with sketch and watercolor being my favorite mediums. I also like reading, one of my all time favorites is the Percy Jackson series!
Recently, I've been intrigued by architectural styles such as Rococo, Empire, and Baroque. I find modern inspired houses that are a mix of historical French Châteaus, Greek, English, Roman, and Scottish to be very pretty!
​
I've always been a straight A student and received all honor rolls throughout my middle school career. I'm very excited to be part of this journey, and contribute in helping kids learn even more and set them on a path for a brighter future.​
​
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our website, feel free to contact me!
Email: amandaw656129@gmail.com
Alden May
Director of Public Relations and Legal
Hi! My name is Alden May and I am a sophomore at Durham Academy. Some activities I enjoy are Speech and Debate, running, tennis, spending time with friends and baking.
Last year in Math, I was ready for a challenge. So, I took two Math courses at once, and have always enjoyed lending a helping hand to other students. This year, I will be taking Honors Pre-Calculus. I’m so excited to teach Math and will be open, friendly, and flexible to cater to each individual student’s needs.
​
Email: aldenomay@gmail.com
Catherine Wen
Director of Student Relations
Hey! My name is Catherine, and I’m a sophomore at Leesville Road High School. My hobbies include gymnastics, dance, and going on adventures with my family. I have been on the all-A honor roll for middle/high school, and I am a responsible student, winning various awards in school, including the Thomas Jefferson Student Award and the Giving Hearts Award. I am also involved in activities and clubs, such as leading school events and participating in Food Bank and Key Club. Mathematics is my favorite subject because it relates to learning about everything else such as history and science.
I am so honored to be able to teach my passion with you all, and I am hopeful to meet you all! If you have any questions at all, please email me and I will not hesitate to respond!
​
Email: ruixinwen@gmail.com
Instructors
Ananya Chatterjee
Instructor/Private Tutor
Hi! My name is Ananya and I am a freshman in Green level high school. I love to travel, bake/decorate cakes, play music and hang out with my best friends. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do because I can experience many different cultures and see new places.
I am a good student, graduating with the principals award for straight A’s all throughout my three years middle school. I really like helping out and teaching young students concept basics. My favorite subjects in school are math and science. I graduated middle school with two high school math credits. I believe in hands on learning, and will do everything to help the students learn in a way that’s best for them!
​
Email: ananyac4115@gmail.com
Paul Wang
Instructor
Hello, my name is Paul Wang and I will be a debate instructor for Initiative Programs! I am a sophomore at Durham Academy, and like my friend, Brian, I do debate. I have completed my first year of debate in the Novice division in the Public Forum, coming third at a tournament and getting a bid for the TFL state tournament. Some of my hobbies outside of debate are running, tennis, gaming and having fun outside with family and friends.
I love debate because it challenges me in a way nothing else can. I believe that learning debate early is super beneficial in becoming successful later on.
I’m excited to teach debate where I can share my knowledge and experiences! I hope I can help everyone as much as possible!
​
Tasneem Mehdi
Instructor
Hi! My name is Tasneem Mehdi. I am a freshman at Leesville Road High School. I like to challenge myself, which is why I am taking a lot of difficult classes as a freshman such as AP World History, Math 3 honors, and Pre-calculus. Some things that I like to do in my free time are dancing, listening to music, and baking! I like to give back to the community in any way that I can so that is why I joined the Initiatives Program.
In this program, I am co-instructing 6th-grade math. I think this program is extremely beneficial to the students especially during a time like this with Covid-19 and not being able to attend classes in person, it's important that kids are still able to understand the curriculum, so they are not falling behind. I hope to teach in an engaging way and provide the best learning experience for the students I will teach!
​
Email: tasmehdi019@gmail.com
Grace Wang
Instructor
Hello! My name is Grace and I am a grammar teacher assistant at Initiative Programs! I am currently a freshman at Green Level High School. I have always gotten straight A’s as a student and enjoyed learning every day! Music has always played a big part in my life! I played piano for five years before learning the clarinet in the middle school band. I have taken band for three years ever since and started marching band this year!
I also learned Chinese for eight years and graduated from my Chinese school with high school language credits. I also enjoy traveling to China to visit family and learn more about my native heritage! Some of my hobbies include cooking, gaming, playing volleyball, and spending time with friends and family. I’m excited to help develop each and every student’s understanding of grammar as well as help Jean create lesson plans. I look forward to seeing you all soon!
​
Email: grace4wang@gmail.com
Siri Oehler
Assistant Instructor
Hi! My name is Siri, and I am a sophomore at Durham Academy. I love connecting to everyone, talking with them, and making new friends. I enjoy painting, drawing, and cooking in my free time. I also play field hockey and soccer, and swim. Another passion of mine is biking, you can always catch biking around Durham.
In addition to this I am on the debate team at my school, I do public forum. I am going to teach debate this semester, I think that it is a wonderful activity because you learn about things that you wouldn’t otherwise, and you also improve your public speaking. I have always loved learning new things and exploring unfamiliar topics, I hope to spread this attitude to my students!
​
Email: 23oehler@da.org
Joey Sun
Instructor
Hi! I'm Joey and I'm a freshman at Green Level High School. Some of my hobbies include gaming, fishing, playing clarinet, and hanging out with friends. I got all A's throughout middle school and won student of the year in 6th grade.
As the grammar teacher assistant, I will cater to students individually as well as help Jean plan lessons and activities. I hope my assistance in your grammar classes will be helpful, and feel free to ask any questions!
​
Email: joeysun05@gmail.com
Monica Chen
Instructor
Hello! My name is Monica Chen and I am a sophomore at Green Hope High School. I love learning new things and exploring a variety of different subjects, and I want to pass on my knowledge to other students. Aside from academics, I enjoy singing, both solo and with a choir, playing the piano, doing aerial silks, and creating art!
In school, I am involved in a few clubs, including Young Women in Bio, Key Club, and multiple STEM clubs! I love helping those around me and giving back to my community. I have co-founded my own branch of a volunteer service club as well, Cary AYLUS. I have put in over one hundred hours to better my community and make a positive lasting impact!
I strive to make the learning environment as interactive and accepting as possible, and I never want any student to feel lost or alienated. I am very excited to teach Math 1 (and biology in the future), and I look forward to meeting all of you!
​
Email: chenmonica2015@gmail.com
Rachel Yu
Instructor
Hi, My name is Rachel Yu, and I'm a freshman at Green Hope high school. I enjoy painting, playing volleyball, baking, and playing the flute. I took band for three years in middle school and I'm currently apart of the GHHS marching band. I was also a member of the all district and all county band. I had all "A"s throughout my middle school career and I was also part of the 2019 undefeated DDMS volleyball team.
​
I had previously tutored kids in Wuhan, China during the covid-19 breakout and I believe that I can make the leaning experience here at initiative programs as fun as possible! I'm super excited to be teaching pre-algebra this year and I look forward to meeting you all! Here is my email: yurachel04@gmail.com. Please contact me if you have any questions!
​
Email: yurachel04@gmail.com
Mariam Abdelbarr
Instructor
Hey! I'm Mariam and I’m a freshman at Durham Academy. I am a part of Initiative Programs because I love engaging with and helping my community. I have done this through social justice programming, volunteer work, and recently I’ve been helping tutor refugees during the Pandemic. I participate in various extracurriculars: I play basketball, tennis, run track, I am on my school’s debate team, and I am also a part of Made in Durham’s Youth Network, which helps promote racial equity.
I have always had a passion for public speaking and Debate; I cannot wait to start teaching Debate! I am certain that my students will have a lot of fun while also learning a lot.
​
Email: 23abdelbarr@da.org
Arya Kumar
Instructor
Hi! My name is Arya Kumar and I am currently a sophomore at Durham Academy. Some of my hobbies include chess, piano, and debate. I will be teaching debate and chess for Initiative Programs.
Last year, I competed in the Novice section of Public Forum Debate, and my partner and I placed very well in quite a few tournaments. I love debating because it gives me an opportunity to share my knowledge and analyze arguments in short amounts of time. Debate is not only fun and informative, but it teaches the life skills of public speaking and advocating for what you believe.
In addition, I have been playing chess for almost five years. Some of my achievements include being a three-time state championship and placing very high in national chess tournaments. In addition, I represented the United States at the World Youth Chess Championship in Greece and placed 22nd in the whole world. I love chess because it’s a beautiful game with hidden intricacies at every corner. It teaches you to think analytically and it also teaches you patience. I’ve always had a passion for the game, and I look forward to sharing this passion with others.
​
Email: 23kumar@da.org
Tahalia Nira
Instructor
Hello, my name is Tahalia! I am a Sophomore at Leesville Road High School, and I will be a Latin instructor for Initiative Programs! A few of my hobbies include debating, reading a good book, and watching crime shows.
At school, I am involved in various extracurricular activities. Few include Key Club, Paper Bridges, and Latin Club. I've spent over 75 hours helping and giving back to my community. I have spent the majority of that time working with children and tutoring kids with math. For my volunteering service, I have received the Presidential Medal. I am also the Treasurer of the Latin Club. I have a passion for learning different languages and exploring cultures, which is one of the reasons why I personally took Latin. Overall, Latin is very beneficial and useful for future careers, and I am very excited and honored to teach it.
​
Email: tahalianira@gmail.com
Malkaan Mehdi
Instructor
Hi! My name is Malkaan Mehdi and I am a sophomore at Leesville Road High School. I am an active member of my school's Sophomore Council and Executive Council, and I am also a member of Key Club and Math National Honor Society. My favorite subject in school is math and I also enjoy CTE classes. Outside of school, my hobbies include dancing, listening to music, and spending time with family.
I am teaching Intro to Spanish after completing three years of Spanish classes throughout middle and high school and having received As in every course. Spanish culture is very fascinating, and I will incorporate it into my Intro to Spanish class, which I believe to be a very interactive course. I am excited to have the opportunity to teach Spanish and am looking forward to meeting everyone!
​
Email: mhmehdi@students.wcpss.net
Sujay Reddy
Assistant Instructor
Hi, my name is Sujay and I am a freshman at Green Level High School. Some of my hobbies are biking, playing the piano, and gaming. I also swim as a sport. I have gotten straight A's in middle school and got the principal's award for it. I am a part of the Programming Club and FBLA. I am 2 grade levels ahead of my current grade in math.
In Initiative programs I will be teaching pre-algebra along with some of my fellow teachers. I will do everything I can to help my students learn everything they need to. I hope to see you in my class and feel free to ask me any questions regarding class.
Email: sjay2006@hotmail.com
Veer Prakesh
Instructor
Hello!
Fiona Hu
Assistant Instructor
Hey! I'm Fiona Hu and I'm a freshman at Cary Academy. I'm going to be making the lesson plans and drills for debate, as well as private tutor too! I love debate and I do public forum. Some accomplishments I've had was co-champing at Novice Champs, getting 3rd in the Grey Matter Invitational, getting 10th in speaker awards at Villiger and getting 11th in speaker awards at the Cavalier Invitational at Durham Academy. In addition to debate, I also love to dance. I have been dancing since I was five and have done multiple styles like Chinese Classical dance, ballet and jazz. Feel free to contact me whenever!
Email: fiona_hu@caryacademy.org
Chaitanya Cathey
Instructor
Hello!
Ella Simmons
Assistant Instructor
Hi! I’m Ella Simmons, a sophomore at Durham Academy. I’m passionate about math, space, physics, engineering, and computer science! I also have a love for robotics, which I get to bring to life on Durham Academy’s FIRST Robotics team, DARC SIDE. During time I don’t spend in school or with the robotics team, I’m probably reading, messing around with code or a mini circuit project, or exploring my passion of flying by working towards my pilot’s license! I’ve always been an avid learner and love to share my excitement with others through teaching. In fact, after college I want to pursue a career in education.
I love the challenge involved in programming something. I used to love riddles as a kid (and still do!) and coding is a bit like that; how do you get the computer to do what you want it to do? And I love the thrill of solving that challenge successfully - I can’t wait to share my passion for computer science!