Youth Advisory Board
Congratulations YAB members for passing A3793 and S2789 bill in the Assembly & Senate Transportation Committees!
The mission of the NBF Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is to empower youth to make a difference by providing a viable, established channel for students to express their ideas and develop recommendations for traffic safety projects. This program is currently offered to only students attending West Orange High School.
Participants in the YAB will evaluate community traffic safety issues, generate ideas for productive change, develop specific traffic safety improvement plans for consideration, and work with the NBF and the West Orange Township and relevant organizations to implement an approved and finalized version of the plans.
- Three-time winners of the U Got Brains Champion Schools Program presented by Brain Injury Alliance of NJ
- Recognized by the Traffic Officers Association of Essex County Timothy Larney Memorial Traffic Safety Education & Enforcement, named Graduated Drivers License Champions by the Teen Safe Driving Coalition of New Jersey
- Advocating for Bill A3793/S2789 – mandates 50 hours of supervised practice driving, 10 in darkness
- Collaborated to create a street mural to reduce speed in West Orange roadway
- Educated over 400 Freshmen students on safe driving practices and 200 elementary school students on pedestrian and bike safety
- Hosted two Traffic Safety fairs
- Launched Distracted Driving Awareness Campaign in West Orange; created a powerful PSA
We are very proud of our Youth Advisory Board members who come from diverse backgrounds, but with one passion: to make our streets safer for all!
Gina Graziosa - Faculty Advisor
Ms. Graziosa is the Faculty Advisor for the YAB. She is a Physical Education, Health, Driver Education, & Project Adventure teacher at West Orange High School, as well as the coach of both the Girls Volleyball and Girls Softball teams. This is her eighth year in education and second year as the Faculty Advisor for YAB. In her spare time, Ms. G enjoys spending time with her family, her friends, and her chocolate lab puppy, Louie.
Anay Badlani - President
Anay Badlani is a Junior at WOHS. He is an enthusiastic learner and an active member of his community. Some of his hobbies include playing soccer, spending time with family, and playing the piano. His passion for traffic safety stems from the loss of his brother in a car crash and his desire to save lives.
Stephany Andrade - Vice President
Stephany Andrade is a Junior at West Orange High School and the Vice president of the YAB. Stephany is self driven and motivated to make a change. She is involved with the AFJROTC program, Mountaineer mentors, and drill teams all while having a job, AP and honors classes, and leadership positions on her plate.
Evan Correa - Secretary
Evan Correa is a Junior at WOHS. He is a dedicated student and an active member of the school community. Some of his hobbies include reading, research, and playing basketball. His dream is to attend a well-renowned research university and study Bioengineering, and later on earn a doctorate in the same field. His passion for traffic safety comes from his desire to make a lasting impact on his community and state.
Kennedy Morgan - Marketing
Kennedy Morgan is a Junior at West Orange High School. She is an active volunteer in her community and loves politics and foreign policy. In her free time, she plays soccer, dancing, and travelling around Europe meeting new people. She hopes to one day study politics and foreign policy in college as well as play soccer,, and go on to pursue that career in New York City,
Ashwin Anand
Ashwin Anand is a Sophomore at West Orange High School and a hard working student. He is very enthusiastic about trying new things. His hobbies include lacrosse, playing the trumpet, spending time with his friends and family. He enjoys learning new things and hopes to be able to give back to the community.
Austin Cowley
Austin Cowley is a Junior at the West Orange High School. He is involved with Mountaineer Mentors, Air Force JROTC, and Student Council. He plays lacrosse and wrestling. He enjoys spending time with his large family, watching movies, and traveling within the country. He hopes to attend the United States Air Force Academy and be a fighter jet pilot in the United States Air Force and after that, serve as a politician.
Andrew Gart
Andrew Gart is a Senior at West Orange High School. He enjoys participating in a wide variety of sports, clubs, and community service organizations. Outside of school, he enjoys playing sports and watching movies with friends and family. He hopes to study medicine and become a pediatrician or public health specialist.
Ashton Kittur
Ashton Kittur is a Senior at the West Orange High School that strives to create positive change in his community. He is involved in the West Orange Young Democrats, the SAMHA (Student Advocates for Mental Health Awareness), the Pioneer Newspaper, and Jazz Band II, among others. When he grows up, he aspires to be a national cybersecurity analyst and official.
Zoe Gilson
Zoe Gilson, is a Sophomore at West Orange High School and a new member of the YAB. She has been an active member in the WOHS community, taking parts in clubs such as student council, glee and colorguard. This year she hopes to become an advocate for traffic safety, and the well-being of members in not only the community, but communities all over the state. Zoe is very excited to have been chosen for the board, and cannot wait to work together, and make a difference!
Owen Hagstrom
Owen Hagstrom is a Senior at West Orange High School. He is a well-rounded student, Mountaineer Mentor, and member of the Nikhil Badlani Youth Advisory Board Municipal Committee. He enjoys playing baseball in his spare time and is a member of the West Orange High School Varsity Baseball team. His dream is to attend a four-year college or university.
Yara Mohammad
Yara Mohamed, a Senior at WOHS. The Nikhil Badlani Foundation Youth Advisory Board is a place where I use my voice to contribute to society and help improve our traffic safety. As per our slogan, “One unsafe step is one too many,” this organization is my way of advocating for change and contributing towards a better future.
Emma Renwick
Emma Renwick is a Senior at WOHS. Emma is very interested in the humanities and social aspects of life. She loves to write and discuss politics, social issues, and even simply books. In the future, she wants to go into child psychology as well as potentially political science.
Nicole Rojas
Nicole Rojas is a Senior at West Orange High School who enjoys helping her community. In her personal life, she enjoys playing sports and spending time with friends and family. Her dream is to enter the STEM field and become an engineer.
Lance Zeligson
Lance Zeligson is a Sophomore at West Orange High School and a new member of the YAB. He is very active in the high school, taking part in numerous clubs including: class council, italian club, glee club, the fall play, spring musical, and the varsity swim team. While being a member of the YAB, Lance hopes to spread traffic safety awareness to others, and create change throughout the community.