Youth Researchers

Arun Nayakkar

Arun Nayakkar is an incoming high school senior at Scarsdale High School in Westchester County. He has been a member of the Leadership Board at the Localized History Project since February 2025. His research focuses on tracing how law has affected the inclusion and exclusion of certain communities from the United States.

Brian Chen

Brian Chen is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University, studying Political Science, and Writing & Rhetoric. He grew up between Brooklyn and Staten Island. He became a member of YAB in 2024 after learning the opportunities it provided to learn Asian American history and help shape a more inclusive curriculum for New York. Brian plans to stay in the city for law school and also pursue teaching.

Clarissa Kunizaki

A headshot of Clarissa

Clarissa Kunizaki is a sixteen-year-old rising senior at Brooklyn Technical High School. She has been a member of the Leadership Team for the Localized History Project since its founding. Her current research focuses on uplifting stories of solidarity in NYC’s Community Control movement and racial coalition-building in the 1960s.

East Kaufhold

East Kaufhold is a junior at Brooklyn Technical High School, majoring in Law and Society. He is avidly interested in the stories of community organizing and cross-racial political movements. His research specifically focuses on South Asian resilience and community building post-9/11, and he hopes to uplift the voices of those who could not express themselves authentically during an era of mass surveillance and racial profiling. As a youth researcher and a member of the leadership team at the Localized History Project, he hopes to continue to uplift meaningful South Asian stories across New York City. In his free time, he enjoys reading historical fiction novels, rock climbing, and going to the cinema with his friends. 

Inis Chen

Inis Chen is currently a senior at LaGuardia High School, majoring in fine arts. In the fall, Inis will be attending Harvard, concentrating in History and Government. She identifies herself as an “artivist” who enjoys exploring how creativity is a powerful outlet for change-making. At LaGuardia, she has enjoyed creating a community of “artivists” through her initiative, LaGuardia’s Equitable Arts Program (LEAP), bringing art to under-resourced communities through the means of sketchbooks, symbolizing the first step to their creative journeys. Her research is rooted in her artistic upbringing and the importance of visual storytelling to preserve memories that are often erased by gentrification. She hopes to spotlight the real-world impact of the arts, showing how artistic practices have connected Asian American community resilience.

Ravi Vora

Ravi Vora is a high school senior and has been a member of LHP for over a year. He enjoys collaborating with fellow researchers and learning about AAPI political movements. As Youth Co-Director of Policy Research & Advocacy, he looks forward to working alongside policymakers and teachers to ensure that the archival projects are taught effectively and critically.

Subah Sumaiiyat

Subah Sumaiiyat began this exhibit as a high school student at Brooklyn Tech, where she studied in the Law and Society major. She is currently a student at Harvard concentrating in government. She is interested in the digital humanities and archival history, with experience in making historical documentaries for National History Day.