In 2005, Armaan’s mother, infant brother, and grandparents were trapped in New Orleans the day before Hurricane Katrina struck. Hours before it hit, his mother managed to rent a car and narrowly escaped disaster. Learning about their experience kindled Armaan’s interest in preparedness. The 12th grade student from Wisconsin is now working to help make his local community better prepared for disasters.
After a train derailed and released toxins in East Palestine, Ohio in 2023, Armaan was struck by the community’s lack of preparedness. Armaan lives near train tracks in his own city and has partnered with residents, city officials, and first responders to raise awareness of preparedness for a similar emergency. Information about his work was published in the local newspaper.
Armaan has a particular interest in public health. For the last two years, he has volunteered at a Milwaukee inner-city soup kitchen in an area with little access to fresh fruits and vegetables. To help combat obesity in his community, Armaan conducts walks at parks near farmer’s markets. He serves as is a youth advocate for PATCH (Providers and Teens Communicating for Health), a statewide organization committed to advocating for the health of underrepresented communities. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic Armaan created an online fundraising platform that was accessible worldwide; his efforts helped to raise more than $17,000 for medical supplies and oxygen concentrators in hospitals in India.
Outside of his preparedness and public health work, Armaan provides music therapy to residents at a nursing home. He is on his school’s varsity tennis team, and one of his favorite pastimes is cooking. Armaan is fluent in English, Hindi, and Spanish and conversational in Punjabi. He also enjoys translating Caesar’s and Ovid’s works in Latin class.