Aarna Dixit

Aarna Dixit is a 18-yr old activist, writer and speaker from Mumbai, India, currently living in New York City. Her journey in activism began when she founded Students Against Sexual Oppression, a youth-led sexual violence advocacy coalition, during her sophomore year of high school. Since then, she has worked in mental health, sexual violence and political advocacy, from being a peer-led sex educator with Planned Parenthood, a crisis line volunteer at the Oregon Youthline to working with various political campaigns and non-profit initiatives. In November 2019, Aarna gave a TedX Youth Talk on the importance of sexual violence allyship, and later became a 2020 HERLead Fellow on merit of her advocacy. In 2021, Aarna was featured in Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21. Currently a senior in high school, she is the Managing Editor of Parachute Media and a columnist with More Color Media. She continues her work in advocacy and education working with organizations like Next Up Oregon, PAVE and ASHA International. Beyond her activism, Aarna loves writing, whether it be OP-EDs and articles about politics, culture and identity, or poetry inspired by her own experiences.