OUR TEAM

Ilina Jetley
Co-Founder

Sophia Rodriguez is a Junior at Hunter College High School in New York City, USA. As leader of her school’s Rock the Street, Wall Street chapter, she introduces girls to careers in finance and facilities connections with industry professionals. She continues this mission as director of Girls for Econ’s ambassador program, where she manages a multinational team dedicated to delivering economic education within their communities. Driven by these experiences, Sophia aspires to advocate for women’s economic independence through a career in public policy.
Sophia Rodriguez
Ambassador Program Director

Izabella Wan
Co-Founder

Katelyn Su
Social Media Director
Izabella Wan is a senior at Hunter College High School in New York City, USA. She is a gold medalist and 4th place overall finisher at the Economics Olympiad, a high school economics competition with over 160,000 global participants. She has also earned accolades at Harvard and Northwestern's economics tournaments. Having competed in economics competitions throughout high school, Izabella witnessed firsthand the gender gap in the field, inspiring her to create Girls for Econ to empower more young women to pursue economics. In the future, she hopes to work as a development economist and continue in the economics education space.

Vitalia Sun
Director of Finance
Vitalia Sun in a senior at Waterford School in Utah, USA. She is the President of her school's FBLA and DECA Club and earned a Silver Medal at the Economics Olympiad International Final Round, placing 17th out of over 160,000 participants. Vitalia has also taken part in the High School Fellowship held at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where she analyzed pressing real-world issues through the lens of economics. She enjoys being part of a team of girls at GFE who hold similar interests and is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them for a shared goal of expanding economics education. Vitalia is an ice skater, loves cooking, and has two cats.

Ella Olugbodi
Director of Educational Resource Development

Esther Echendu
Operations Coordinator
Aeshel Cheema
Educational Resources Developer
Eleonora Fusi
Director of Educational Resource Development
Eleonora Fusi is a senior at Hunter College High School in NYC, USA, with extensive experience in teaching through one-on-one sessions and lectures. As Educational Resources Development Co-Director, she has expanded that experience to new audiences and formats, and has especially appreciated the chance to teach students about the economics necessary for self-sufficiency in a time when climate instability increasingly threatens individuals' independence from the vicissitudes of the economic system. Although outside of school she has most frequently encountered economics as an application of mathematics, she finds that advanced, abstract mathematics can help explain simple, concrete concepts, and vice versa. There, she has also noticed the gender imbalance in STEM fields (like economics); her experience with language barriers has led her to believe that addressing the gender-gap barrier, too, must begin with accessibility to the youngest students. She plans to study physics, and, throughout her studies, to remain involved in the responsibility of education. In her free time, she constructs languages and scripts, repairs watches, and enjoys any other puzzle.

Sanvi Jha is an 12th grade student from Folsom High School in California, USA. She is interested in economics because she wants to work in the finance field in the future. Through Girls for Econ, Sanvi has enjoyed teaching basic economics and financial literacy courses to students. Outside of school, Sanvi enjoys hanging out with friends and playing pickleball.
Sanvi Jha
Program Coordinator
Joey Yeong
Web Designer

Jacqueline Urena-Bernabel
Ambassador Program Director Assistant
Jacqueline Urena-Bernabel is a sophomore at Hunter College High School in New York City, USA. She is interested in economics and finance because of their influence on public policy and her aspirations to become a lawyer working in the insurance industry. Outside of Girls for Econ, Jacqueline competes nationally in Public Forum debate, earning placements including 8th-place speaker at the University of Pennsylvania, semifinals at Princeton, and finals at the Marist Ivy Invitational. She also helps coach Hunter's middle school debate team, is involved in student government, and volunteers with the Bronx Defenders. As Ambassador Program Director Assistant for Girls for Econ, she helps organize events and coordinate with other ambassadors internationally, and she enjoys being part of a team working to make economics more accessible to young women.
AMBASSADORS

Shakhriniso Kholboeva
Kashkadarya, Uzbekistan
"Shakhriniso Kholboeva is an 11th grade student at Karshi Presidential School in Uzbekistan. She is interested in how economic policies and labor markets affect women’s opportunities. She founded the Central Asia Economics Prize, an essay competition for high school students. Outside of school, she enjoys playing table tennis, swimming, and online journaling.

Dorothy Lueken
Phoenix, AZ
Dorothy Lueken is an 12th grade student from Xavier College Preparatory High School in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. She is interested in economics because she wants to work in a career with international ties later in life, and economics plays a huge role in that whether it be policy or business related. She is a president of her school's Students for Social Action Club, a senior Writing Center Consultant, and a member of its Business club as well. Outside of school, Dorothy enjoys running, rock climbing, and spending time with her friends and cats.

Adelyn Nu
New York, NY
Adelyn is a 12th grade student at Bronx High School of Science in New York City, USA. She is interested in history, economics, and finance, particularly how these fields intersect with law. She is the Head of Marketing and Media Manager for her school’s Women in Business & Leadership Club and a member of her school’s Investment Society club. She is also involved in Varsity Public Forum Debate, where she has placed at numerous state-level tournaments. Outside of school, Adelyn enjoys playing violin, going thrifting and shopping, and going out to concerts with her friends.

Veronica Decerbo
Bedford, MA
Veronica Decerbo is a Junior at Bedford High School in Bedford, Massachusetts. Girls For Econ has helped her meet so many new people and she loves how economics is something that really explains how the world turns and connects people from different countries. She also participates in Destination Imagination, Model UN and is on the school tennis and rifle teams. Veronica also loves to bake and paint outside of school.
Dhrithi Arunesh
Bracknell, United Kingdom
Elsa Petrillose
Bedford, NY
Vera Anderson
Berkeley Heights, NJ
Izzy Coutts
Scotland, United Kingdom
Aashrita Bhagawatula
Livingston, NJ

Gianina Denisa Andras
Aragon, Spain
Gianina Denisa Andras is an IB student at The British School of Aragón in Zaragoza, Spain. She placed 2nd nationally in the 2026 Spanish Economics Olympiad and represented Spain at the International Economics Olympiad in Greece. She is also the CEO and Co-Founder of TerraLoop, a circular economy project, and is passionate about making economics more accessible to students who do not study it at school. Through Girls for Econ, she hopes to encourage more young women to explore economics and discover the opportunities the field can offer.
Aaradhya Vijay
New York, NY
Adithi Yeggoni
Reading, United Kingdom
Hallel Rotstein
Bedford, MA
Mia Pojarlieva
New York, NY
Shree Vardhan
Roseville, CA

Mahathi Vavilala
Ellicott City, MD
Mahathi Vavilala is a 12th grade student from Marriotts Ridge High School in Howard County, Maryland. She is interested in economics because she loves learning about money, psychology, and how financial concepts can be applied in the real world and on a larger scale. Mahathi would like to work in financial advising or wealth management in the future, and she is a current member of her school's FBLA, DECA, Key Club, and GirlUp. Outside of school, she loves to bake, spend time with her family and friends, and watch movies.
Sahana Kohli
Fremont, CA
Meher Jetley
New York, NY
Lakshmi Deepthi Kandikatla
Plainsboro, NJ
Naz Yıldırım
Istanbul, Turkey
Eliana Bassey
Lagos, Nigeria
Aya Zibar
Casablanca, Morocco