Mercer junior and Albany native honored as Newman Civic Fellow

MACON, Ga. (WALB) - The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes college students who are dedicated to bringing about constructive change locally or worldwide.

Yash Jani, a junior at Mercer University, has been selected out of 154 student civic leaders to represent the 2023-24 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.

Jani is majoring in neuroscience and Stamps Scholar hailing from Albany. He will be alongside students from 38 other states, along with Washington D.C. and Mexico, to form the cohort.

“Growing up in Albany, I recognized the widespread issues in my community, particularly obstacles to attaining adequate health care resources for indigent, underserved populations,” Jani said. “I recognized the value of preventative measures in bettering the lives of these individuals as well as the health of my community, which not only fueled my passion for community engagement but also led me to Mercer.”

During Jani’s high school years, he founded a nonprofit organization called Ray of Hope Foundation for Grieving Children. He personally had a tie with grief through the loss of a cousin who developed a terminal illness. Because of this, it impacted him and his loved ones.

Ray of Hope was established by Jani in 2019 and has now grown to three sites and raised more than $25,000 to offer grieving services to kids whose parents are receiving hospice care.

The expansion of the organization to provide aid to youngsters throughout the State of Georgia is his next objective. A successful expansion that would strengthen the local community’s ability to help the mental health and well-being of kids who are grieving.