Meet the Team

Aishu Narkar is currently finishing her IGCSE's at Garden International School in Thailand. She is interested in designing and learning about different types of clothing from around the world and is passionate about encouraging people of color to contribute in more fields of art. Fun fact: Aishu's favorite show of all time is "Brooklyn 99"... she has watched it 9 times! Her favorite character is Amy Santiago. 

Anya Shukla (Co-Founder) is a gap year college student and has been an artist for as long as she can remember. A proponent of racial equity in the arts, she co-founded The Collective to create space for teen artists of color who, like her, may feel underrepresented in the art community. Fun fact: Anya enjoys reading romance novels and eating Molly Moon's chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (preferably at the same time).

Dilinna Ugochukwu is a writer and artist from Southern California. He has been involved in art for all of his life, and making space for people of color in creative fields is important to him. Fun fact: Dilinna’s favorite Christmas movie is Tokyo Godfathers by Satoshi Kon and one of his favorite snacks is cinnamon rolls.​

Kathryn Lau (Co-Founder) has been a performing artist for all her life, training in classical ballet before transitioning into musical theater and acting. She strives to make the arts inclusive for all audiences and artists regardless of race, and promote authentic representation. Kathryn is currently a student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Fun fact: Outside of the arts world, Kathryn is a springboard diver and casual hiker, and her favorite way to have eggs is over-easy.

Izze Peña is a junior at Kamiak High School. She has been involved in art from performing to visual for the majority of her life. Izze is currently a running start student hoping to transfer into an environmental science degree with plans to study art post-graduation. Her passions are accessibility, sustainability, and racial justice. As a neurodivergent Hispanic person, she joined The Collective to represent intersecting identities like hers. Fun fact: Izze is currently learning Latin to understand pretentious book quotes and has had personal beef with Peter Parker (aka Spiderman) since she was seven.

Mulki Ahmed is currently a junior in high school. Her enthusiasm for all things arts and culture and passion for social justice drives her to make the arts scene more diverse and inclusive. Fun fact: Mulki is currently learning how to sew her own clothes to make her closet more unique and sustainable.