Meet the Team
YARI is completely student run! If you are a young animal lover, please consider joining our program!
Sienna
President
Sienna is YARI’s President, and the backbone of our organization. An avid animal lover and activist, she works hard to ensure that every aspect of our work runs smoothly so that we can be as successful as possible. After rescuing her first dog, Coco, at 4 years old, Sienna’s passion for animals was sparked, and since then, she has been incredibly active in helping animals in need. She is an extremely dedicated leader, and she hopes that YARI will be an outlet for her to change the lives of countless more pets in the future.
Arik
Development Director
As YARI’s Development Director, Arik manages our finances and ensures that the money raised from our work goes directly to helping animals in need. He loves animals, and not having any at home, YARI is an opportunity for him to interact with them and make a difference in their lives. Arik hopes that his work with YARI will help pets find loving homes, and he’s proud to create change in his community.
Anya
Secretary
Anya is YARI’s Secretary, and she is incredibly passionate about helping animals in need. By keeping track of our meetings and plans, she helps to keep the initiative organized and efficient. Anya has always cared deeply for animals, and her love for her dog Loki exemplifies that. By helping run YARI, her ultimate goal is to help other pets live a happy and healthy life like hers does, and her dedication is integral to making that possible.
Natalie
Director of Merchandise
Natalie is YARI’s merchandise director, which means that she designs our amazing t-shirts and sweatshirts, and gathers handmade items to be sold at events. Her work helps promote YARI in fun, fashionable ways. She helps ensure that a wide range of people will have the opportunity to hear about us and hopefully be inspired to take action themselves. Natalie has always had pets in her life, and she hates knowing that there are other animals who don’t have loving homes to support them. Because of that, she is very passionate about helping animals in need, and she hopes that her work with YARI will have a positive impact on their lives.
Dani
Director of Research
As YARI’s Director of Research, Dani is in charge of researching everything that we need to know about rescues, rules, and regulations so that we are able to achieve our educational goals as successfully as possible. Dani is passionate about helping animals because she believes that it is incredibly important to stand up for the creatures of the world that can’t stand up for themselves. Her dog JJ constantly inspires her to have an impact on the lives of other animals, and she’s thrilled to be helping YARI teach other teens how to do that as well.
Gigi
Director of Communications
As YARI’s Director of Communications, Gigi creates informational content about the initiative and works to facilitate communication between our members and partnered organizations. Gigi has always loved animals, and her two dogs, Gibson and Luna, motivate her to help other pets find equally loving homes. She strongly believes in the importance of young people taking action in their communities and fighting for the change they want to see, and she hopes that her work with YARI will inspire other teens to make a difference - both in the lives of animals and in the world as a whole.
Chris
Photographer
As YARI’s photographer, Chris documents our projects and helps spread the word about the work that we do. Chris’ primary interest is photography, and for him, YARI is an opportunity to grow as a photographer and gain professional experience in the field. Chris has also always loved animals, and his three pets at home are a huge reason for that. His loving pets and his deep-set compassion fuel his desire to help animals in need, and he hopes that his work with YARI will help even more of them find safe and loving homes.
Saya
Outreach Director
As YARI’s director of outreach, Saya works to partner YARI with businesses and rescues who share similar goals in saving animals. By contacting these organizations and organizing collaborative events, Saya helps to ensure that YARI reaches as many people and animals as possible. Saya is passionate about making a difference in the lives of animals through organization and outreach and is overall interested in helping make the world a better place for everyone that inhabits it.
Gabi
Director of Programs
As YARI’s Director of Programs, Gabi is in charge of overseeing the independent and group projects that we undertake! She has always loved animals, but after getting her puppy JJ, she became especially passionate about helping animals find safe and loving homes. Gabi is focused on making sure that people are educated about rescue animals, and she hopes that her work will help encourage more people to both adopt and get involved in animal activism.
Jianling
Graphic Designer
As YARI’s Graphic Designer, Jianling creates art for the initiative. She designed our logo and will continue to help promote our work with her incredible drawings as we become more involved with partnered organizations and begin hosting fundraising events. Jianling has grown up with cats, and her current pet Honeypaws inspires her to help other animals find loving and nurturing homes. Ultimately, she hopes that the art she contributes to YARI will inspire people to advocate for animals and animal rescues. Jianling believes that art has the power to profoundly impact people’s perspectives and emotions, and she hopes that her art moves people to take action.
Emmy
Event Coordinator
Emmy is YARI’s event coordinator, which means that she organizes our outreach events and makes sure that everything looks good and runs smoothly! Emmy has always been passionate about helping animals, and her two rescue dogs, Gib and Luna, constantly inspire her to keep making a difference. Ultimately, she hopes that her work with YARI will help animals find their forever homes, and she’s excited to help coordinate our impactful events!
Diana
North Hollywood Coordinator
As YARI’s North Hollywood Coordinator, Diana is in charge of organizing and hosting all of our North Hollywood-based events. She has adored animals since she was a child, and she is so grateful for the opportunity to help spread information about animals in need to raise their chances of finding a forever home. Diana is incredibly passionate about her advocacy work, dedicating so much of her time to volunteering with pets, and she hopes that by working with YARI, she will be able to continue to contribute to giving animals the lives that they deserve.