Who We Are
Committed to Enriching the Lives of Youth
Unity in Diversity is a student-run non-profit organization established in Parkview High School. Acting as a catalyst for the student body, we showcase individual voices on our platform and establish a personal connection with each and every single one of our members to generate a greater sense of understanding between all of our peers.
Amongst the diversity present in our community, we want to show that no matter where you come from and what you believe, your opinion matters.
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We educate our members on controversial, universal morality (a beautiful aspect which is attained from having a large number of different people under the same roof), and political matters. From there, we bring community leaders and personalities involved in local government to our organization and provide active discourse, acting as the proxy of our members' voices. Finally, we form our own opinions on these matters and bring our various views onto the table for open discussion. We stress open-mindedness and personal opinion.
Conventional, maybe not.
Effective? Yes.
Akhil Turaga
Co-Founder, President, Graphic Designer
My name is Akhil Turaga and I am a current First-Year at Georgia Tech. In middle school, I co-founded my own business, Sri Dutt Raga Dance Academy, and have worked with over 50 non-profit organizations across the country. As my dance academy promotes primarily Indian Culture, western styles such as hip hop help me branch out and provide me with the open-mindedness I need. Needless to say, this is the catalyst that helped me start Unity in Diversity with Lokesh. Apart from dance and UD, I am a physics enthusiast and love to research e-commerce in my free time.
Lokesh Joshi
Co-Founder, Senior Member, Communications Advisor
My name is Lokesh Joshi and I’m the co-founder and senior member of Unity in Diversity. I am a Second Year at Georgia Tech and am majoring in Neuroscience. Being heavily involved in the community from a young age, the idea of UD sprung up through conversation between Akhil and I. Today, we are a leading force in Georgia working towards bringing all communities under the banner of Unity in Diversity.
Jalen Pettus
Vice President, Communications Head
My name is Jalen Pettus and I am the Vice President of Unity in Diversity. I am a Freshman attending LSU. I have passion for music, politics, law, and outdoor activities, such as hunting, fishing, and hiking. I love to unwind by playing jazz, reading a good book, and/or watching C-SPAN, which somehow is not boring to me. I have some pretty high career aspirations and hope to be calling shots in the future. I look forward to contributing everything that I can to UD this year, and I look forward to working with all of you to make this club prosper.​
Joshua Baham
Community Event Coordinator, Financial Advisor
My name is Joshua Baham, and I am the Community Event Coordinator and Financial Advisor. My father is from New Orleans and as such I love the culture that city provides, such as Mardi Gras, beignets, and Saints football. I am very passionate about pushing myself, whether that be in school, the weight room, or in this club learning about different cultures and people and how I can help solve problems we face. I also believe that my generation of peers can help push the world in a positive direction, one of prosperity, love and unity.
Reshma Hakani
Parkview UD Co-Coordinator
Hi, my name is Reshma Hakani and I’m the Parkview UD Co-Coordinator for UD. I’m a 17 year old Indian Muslim woman and I’m currently a Freshman at UGA. My passions include working with children and teaching at my mosque. I love to write about current events and topics that interest me, so I am apart of the Newspaper staff as well. Above all, I like to be involved within the community and prioritize participation in voluntary service. America is a country of immigrants, and that’s what makes it so amazing and diverse. I am apart of UD because I believe that learning about other people’s backgrounds and cultures is so important to build a pluralistic society.