About NJHSD

The New Jersey High School Democrats is a state-wide organization that serves to engage youth in the political process through organizing for, advocating for, and supporting the Democratic Party. In the past, we’ve hosted phone banking sessions, met with local and national leaders, canvassed for political candidates, and much more.

During the 2019 election, NJHSD members knocked on nearly 26,195 doors and made close to 14,250 calls in support of Democrats at the local level. During the critical 2020 Election cycle, we aim to elect Democrats up and down the ballot, and we need as much support as possible.

We want to ensure that our work represents all of the voices of our organization, through both grassroots activism and the election. As an entirely student-run organization, NJHSD elevates the voice of Democratic teens in all regions of the state. We can’t wait for you to join!

View the NJHSD By-Laws

The 2020-2021 Executive Board:

Rachel Gurevich - Chair

Rachel is a junior at East Brunswick High School. She first became involved in politics after the Parkland school shooting when she was in eighth grade. In response, she helped organize a town-wide vigil, which was attended by hundreds of members of her community, and started a Students Demand Action chapter in her town. During the 2019-2020 school year, Rachel served as both the Central Region Coordinator and the Membership Director for NJHSD. Having organized phone-banking, canvassing, and advocacy events for her local chapter and the state, she is so excited to serve as your chair this year. Rachel is also currently the National Vice-Chair for the HSDA Jewish Caucus. Please contact her with any questions you may have.

Lexi Abrams - Membership Director

Lexi is currently a senior at Millburn High School. She got involved in the Millburn High School Democrats Chapter and then attended the HSDA Summit last June, where she realized that high school students had the ability to make real change in politics. With that, she applied and was selected to become Political Director for NJHSD. Lexi also began to attend more political rallies: rallies for gun sense reform, women’s equality marches, and rallies against anti-semitism. She is also the New Jersey Lead for Generation Ratify, a youth-led organization that is fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment to be added to the US Constitution.

Ritwik Tati - Vice Chair

Ritwik is currently a senior at Haddon Heights High School. He had no interest in politics until President Trump was elected, which directly affected his family and the people around him. The 2016 Election results sparked a desire in him to create systemic change. Ritwik started his own HSDA chapter at his high school and subsequently became the Chair of the Camden County High School Democrats. Ritwik served as the South Jersey Regional Coordinator for this school year. This past summer, he entered the fight for climate action by leading the creative team of the Philadelphia Climate Strike, which turned out thousands of people. Subsequently, he started his regional hub of the Sunrise Movement.

Logan Richman - Comms Director

Logan is a senior at Ridgewood High School, in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where he is the founder and co-leader of his chapter. During Summer 2019, he interned on two State Assembly campaigns for the 2019 Election in New Jersey’s 39th and 40th Legislative Districts, where he knocked on doors, made calls, and developed the campaigns’ communications. He produced advertisements and designed graphics while managing social media for the campaigns. Logan helped bring together over 50 Ridgewood students to work for these campaigns using multimedia, promotional material, and outreach to develop interest.

The 2020-2021 State Staff:

Esha Peer - East Region Coordinator

Esha is currently a senior at South Brunswick High School. She was introduced to politics as a summer fellow of the New Jersey Leadership Program, a pipeline to her internship with NJ Assemblyman Dan Benson. She worked on some legislative campaigns at the start of junior year but became more involved after the COVID-19 pandemic. Esha became a founder and communications lead for Young Asian Americans for Biden. She later joined the first generation caucus at HSDA. Esha loves graphic design, bhangra (a Punjabi dance form), and yoga.

Alison Araten - North Region Coordinator

Alison is currently a junior at Millburn High School. Leading into the 2018 midterm elections, she was looking for a way to get more involved in Democratic politics and found the Millburn High School Chapter of HSDA. She then attended HSDA Summit in June 2019 where she met so many amazing leaders from across the country and saw how influential and powerful the voices of high school students can be. Ever since, she has continued to seek out more opportunities to become involved in HSDA and served as finance director for NJHSD during the 2019-2020 school year. Alison also started a Students Demand Action chapter at Millburn High School and served on a panel with national, state, and local officials to discuss gun violence prevention and gun sense reform. She has seen first hand that politicians care about what students have to say, and she is committed to helping as many students as possible have their voices heard.

Noble Avellino - West Region Coordinator

Noble Avellino is ecstatic to be this year’s RC for West New Jersey. An active advocate for Democratic causes, Noble is a member of Congressman Tom Malinowski’s Youth Advisory Council and a fellow on his congressional campaign, in addition to being the president of his local chapter and the Membership Director for the Somerset County High School Democrats. Reaching new people and forming connections is his speciality, and he can’t wait to assist the West region in achieving fantastic things for the upcoming school year and election cycle.

Gabriel Karl - South Region Coordinator

Gabriel is a homeschooled rising senior from Franklinville. He has always been interested in politics, but after the 2016 elections, he decided he needed to get involved. In the 2019 state and local elections, Gabriel participated in get out the vote phone banking with the Gloucester County Democratic Committee and in April 2020 founded the Gloucester County High School Democrats chapter.

Penelope Jennings - Finance Director

Penelope is from Madison and is a sophomore at Newark Academy. She first became involved in politics after the 2016 election and she then went to the 2017 Women's March in Washington DC. Since then she has been to many marches for women's rights, gun control, and other issues. She became more involved in social justice after the Parkland shooting when she organized her school's walkout and gave a speech at Madison city hall before the Morristown March for Our Lives. This past year she founded the Madison community chapter of HSDA and she phone-banked and canvassed for local candidates. She is very passionate about women's rights and is the policy director for NJ Generation Ratify.

Owen Duncan - Legislative Advocacy Director

Owen is a junior at Montclair High School. Owen first became interested in politics and government when he joined a Model Congress Club in sixth grade. His interest in politics and social justice led him to attend the first Women’s March and March for Our Lives in Washington DC. Inspired by the ability of all people to create significant change, he joined his high school’s Civics and Government Institute and co-founded a chapter of High School Dems. Owen is thrilled to be NJHSD’s first Legislative Advocacy Director and work with members across the state to advocate on essential issues of concern.

Siddharth Satish - Programs Director

Siddharth is a rising junior attending West Windsor Plainsboro High School North and is excited to be the first one on the state staff from his school district. Apart from activism, campaigning and canvassing; Siddharth has a whole host of other passions. He is involved in his school's marching band team as a flute and piccolo player. He also competes in model congress and debate tournaments like mock trial, moot court and NSDA; and is the state president-elect for the organization HOSA. When he has a few minutes to breathe you can find him running out to grab some Boba in downtown Princeton or eating an unhealthy amount of ice cream at Thomas and Sweets. Siddharth is beyond excited to serve as your state programs director and can’t wait to see all of you (hopefully in person) in the near future.

Inica Kotasthane - Political Director

Inica is a sophomore from Watchung Hills Regional High School. She became especially involved in politics after the decisive 2016 election, and advocating for social justice has become part of her daily routine. She has written various blog pieces and participates in podcasts with leading experts in politics, medicine, and education through the organization Next Generation Politics and has a focus in journalism and informative media. She is currently the co-editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, has volunteered for various local, state, and federal campaigns, and is the social media co-chair of the League of Women Voters of the Greater New Brunswick Area as well as an editor for HER:Empowered, a non-profit dedicated to supporting women in politics.

Partner Organizations:

New Jersey College Democrats

New Jersey Young Democrats

New Jersey High School Democrats