Sheila Menon has a diverse work experience that spans various fields and organizations. In 2021, they served as a District Co-Lead for the student-led nonprofit organization Diversify Our Narrative, where they worked on increasing diversity and inclusivity in schools. In 2022, Sheila worked as an intern at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, assisting with research on childhood depression and the parent-child relationship. Sheila also participated in the UCI Medacademy program at UCI Health. In 2023, they held roles such as a Civic Innovation Fellow at Civics Unplugged, a CIRM SPARK Intern at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and a Live Well Youth Leader and Intern at the County of San Diego. Sheila also served as the Executive Director of Partnerships at GENup, a member of the Youth Advisory Council at the California Department of Education, and a Junior Academy Member at The New York Academy of Sciences.
Sheila Menon attended Canyon Crest Academy from 2020 to 2024. During their time at the institution, they did not obtain any specific degree or field of study. Additionally, they completed the CITI Program Course: Social & Behavioral Research Investigators at the CITI Program in July 2022. Sheila also acquired the Yellow Badge Certification for In-Training MRI Scanning at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research in 2022.
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GENup
GENup is California’s largest youth-led education policy organization, engaging over 4,000+ student leaders from across the state that come from 85 K-12 public school districts as well as University of California and California State University institutions. GENup’s successes include working with the State Board of Education to create the State Seal for Civic Engagement, championing the historic ethnic studies bill (AB101) through the legislature & into law, fighting for equitable education funding during COVID, advocating for statewide mental health reform through legislation, successfully authoring/advocating/passing a bill into law on student board member rights (AB 824), campaigning for the U.S Department of Education’s first youth-advisory council, and passing (Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified, and Fresno Unified) first student bill of rights, collectively representing over 1.2 million students. In all, 47 education bills GENup sponsored, authored, or wrote have been signed into law by Governor Newsom, including legislation requiring a mental health curriculum in all high school health education courses. GENup has become an influential youth-voice representing California’s students in the most pressing conversations on education policy, and our more than 100+ local chapters are one of the most effective platforms for grassroots student-led activism in our state. From top to bottom, GENup is for youth and by youth!
