Anjani Sharma

As the daughter of immigrants, Anjani grew up understanding education not just as a personal opportunity, but as a powerful responsibility. At age 16, she founded Minds Without Borders, an international non-profit that has since connected over 3,500 students across 30+ countries, empowering young people through mental health education, advocacy, and culturally adapted peer support.

What began as a local awareness project in her community quickly grew into a global youth movement. From slum communities in Delhi to rural schools in Nigeria and classrooms across the US, Minds Without Borders has provided storytelling-based curricula, trained peer mentors, and facilitated digital platforms for young people to share their experiences. The organisation’s Global Storytelling Exchange – an online archive of youth voices – has become a centerpiece of this mission, breaking stigma and building solidarity across continents.

As a Student Senator at the University of Florida, Anjani has championed systemic change on campus, pushing for increased mental health resources, launching volunteer programmes at counselling centres, and advocating for more inclusive, culturally sensitive support systems. Her advocacy extends beyond campus – she has lobbied in Tallahassee and Washington, DC, calling for youth mental health funding, equitable education policies, and expanded healthcare access.

Academically, she maintains a strong record as a Dean’s List scholar majoring in Psychology and Public Policy, and has received accolades including the Prudential Emerging Visionary Award and the University of Florida’s Emerging Gator Award. She conducts research at the intersection of mental health and education equity, and has co-developed mental health toolkits tailored to underserved and climate-vulnerable communities.

Her impact is not only policy-driven but deeply personal. From helping middle school students navigate mental health stigma to supporting first-generation college applicants and mentoring young leaders globally, Anjani leads with empathy and purpose. Many of her peers credit her support with helping them stay in school, find mental health care, or start initiatives of their own.

Anjani has promoted global cooperation through international student partnerships, peer-led workshops, and storytelling campaigns. Minds Without Borders’ decentralised, youth-led model has trained student leaders worldwide to become mental health advocates in their own communities – creating ripple effects that continue to grow.

Despite limited resources and cultural resistance, Anjani has overcome scepticism, financial barriers, and burnout to build a sustainable movement. Her creative leadership – integrating arts, poetry, and culturally relevant practices – has redefined how mental health education can look and feel in underserved settings.

If awarded the Global Student Prize, she plans to launch a Youth Mental Health and Climate Resilience Fellowship, develop mobile mental health toolkits for low-resource communities, and expand digital platforms that foster global youth storytelling. She will also seed a microgrant programme for grassroots mental health initiatives led by youth.

Anjani believes young people are not the leaders of tomorrow – they’re leaders now. Through every story shared, every student trained, and every barrier broken, she is proving that youth-led mental health innovation can change the world – one voice, one community at a time.