Etasha Donthi
Etasha Donthi: From Origami Fundraisers to Berkeley Technologist
UC Berkeley EECS student, AI entrepreneur, and advocate using technology to solve humanity's greatest challenges. Featured in Forbes, NBC News, TODAY Show, and Seventeen.
Etasha Donthi is a UC Berkeley undergraduate whose path so far has been shaped by equal parts curiosity, ambition, and a genuine desire to make things better. Growing up in Short Hills, a close-knit community in Millburn Township, New Jersey, she came of age in an environment that valued both academic rigor and giving back — and she took both seriously from a young age.
Etasha Donthi's Early Life and Roots
Now studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at one of the world's top research universities, Etasha has built a reputation that extends well beyond campus: as a technologist, podcast host, public speaker, and advocate who has been featured in Forbes, NBC News, the TODAY Show, People Magazine, and Seventeen.
But none of that happened overnight. It started, as most remarkable stories do, with a single moment that changed the way she saw the world.
The Moment That Changed Etasha Donthi's Perspective
The moment that seemed to set everything in motion came when Etasha was just eight years old. On a visit to New York City, she found herself struck by the jarring contrast between the gleaming towers of the financial district and the people sleeping on the streets nearby. It wasn't an abstract lesson about inequality — it was something she saw with her own eyes, and it stayed with her.
Rather than filing it away as one of those uncomfortable things you learn to look past, she let it push her forward. That instinct — to respond rather than ignore — would go on to define her entire trajectory.
How Etasha Donthi Turned Empathy Into Action
By sixth grade, she'd turned that feeling into something real. In 2016, Etasha founded Hope and Joy for Children (HJC), a student-run charity that did exactly what you might expect from a creative middle schooler: it sold origami. She organized over 100 of her Millburn classmates to fold, craft, and sell handmade goods, channeling the proceeds toward children living in poverty.
$16K+
Raised for Charity
100+
Student Volunteers
300+
Event Attendees
A major fundraising event at the Bauer Center drew more than 300 people and raised significant funds for Save the Children, an organization supporting refugees, orphans, and kids in crisis around the world. The project caught the attention of Disney and Youth Service America, which awarded HJC a $500 grant to continue spreading awareness about poverty among young people.
For Etasha, it was an early lesson in what's possible when you combine a skill you love with a problem you care about — and it laid the groundwork for everything that came next.
Etasha Donthi Finds Her Voice in Tech and Media
As Etasha moved through high school, her interests expanded from community organizing into two new territories: technology and media. She launched She The Change, a podcast centered on amplifying the voices of young female changemakers who were challenging the status quo in male-dominated fields.
Technology is the great growling engine of change.
— Alvin Toffler, quoted by Etasha DonthiEach episode featured a different guest with a different cause, diving into their background, what inspired them to take action, and how they were making change on a local or global scale. The show grew to reach listeners across more than 50 countries, and Etasha handled everything herself — booking guests, recording, editing, and distributing across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
She describes the most rewarding part as receiving messages from girls who decided to start their own initiatives because of something they heard on the show. That ripple effect — one conversation sparking another person's courage — became the whole point.
Apple Recognition and Computing Excellence
Around the same time, Etasha was making serious strides in computer science. Her Swift coding submission was named one of the winners of Apple's 2021 Swift Student Challenge at the Worldwide Developer Conference, a prestigious competitive program that draws thousands of student developers from around the globe.
She was also invited to Apple's beta testing team for a new version of Swift Playgrounds and got to speak directly with Apple executives about the importance of computer science education. On top of that, she received the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award, sponsored by Bank of America, recognizing her standout contributions to computing as a young woman in the field.
Etasha Donthi Takes the Stage — and the World Listens
By the time Etasha was a teenager, she wasn't just building things — she was being invited to talk about them on major platforms. At TEDxYouth@Manalapan, she delivered a talk exploring how Generation Z is using technology to solve problems others consider unsolvable, drawing on her own experience growing up in the digital age and using an online platform to fight for change.
She also appeared as a panelist at the United Nations Science Summit during the 77th General Assembly (UNGA77), where she spoke on topics including ethical AI, tech policy, and activism — putting her in conversation with global leaders and policymakers on some of the most pressing issues of our time.
Etasha Donthi Builds Technology With a Purpose
Perhaps the most defining chapter of Etasha's story so far is Livity, an AI-powered venture she began developing before starting at Berkeley. The inspiration was deeply personal. A close friend had tragically passed away from suicide, and Etasha found herself asking how she could build something that could make a positive impact in the mental health space and potentially save lives.
Apple Swift Student Challenge Winner
Recognized at WWDC for innovative coding submission
United Nations Speaker
Panelist at UNGA77 Science Summit on ethical AI
Diana Award Recipient
Most prestigious honor for young humanitarian leaders
UC Berkeley & NCWIT Collegiate Award
Continuing Livity development while studying EECS
Her answer was an algorithm. Livity uses natural language processing and sentiment analysis to identify signs of suicidal ideation within social media posts — analyzing text from platforms like Twitter and Reddit to detect emotional distress and connect users with free resources. It's a technical solution to a deeply human problem, and it reflects the throughline that runs through all of Etasha's work: technology isn't the goal, it's the tool.
I've come to realize that many people use social media as a platform to express their mental health struggles and emotions. However, amid the vast sea of posts, these expressions often go unnoticed.
— Etasha Donthi on Livity's missionSeventeen Magazine named her a "Voice of Change" for the project, and the recognition kept coming. Her work as an activist and entrepreneur earned acknowledgment from President Biden in the form of the Gold Presidential Service Award, recognizing over 400 hours of volunteer work.
Then, in 2023, she received The Diana Award — established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, it is considered the most prestigious honor a young person aged 9 to 25 can receive for social action or humanitarian work, and has the support of both Prince William and Prince Harry.
Recognition and Awards
The Diana Award 2023
Most prestigious global honor for young humanitarian leaders, supported by Prince William and Prince Harry
Apple Swift Challenge
WWDC 2021 Student Challenge Winner recognized among thousands of global developers
NCWIT Aspirations
National Center for Women & Information Technology award sponsored by Bank of America
Presidential Service
Gold Presidential Service Award from President Biden for 400+ volunteer hours
TEDx Speaker
TEDxYouth@Manalapan speaker on Gen Z technology and social change
UN Panelist
Science Summit at UNGA77 speaker on ethical AI and tech policy
Etasha Donthi's Vision for What Comes Next
Now studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley, Etasha is continuing to scale Livity while staying rooted in the advocacy work that started it all. She brings to campus the same energy she brought to that origami fundraiser in sixth grade — a refusal to accept that problems are simply too big, and a belief that the right combination of skill, community, and persistence can move things forward.
What makes Etasha's story compelling isn't just the list of accomplishments. It's the consistency of intention behind them. From folding paper cranes to presenting at the United Nations, she has always been motivated by the same question: "How can I use what I have to help?"
Your voice matters. You matter. Have faith in yourself. Imposter syndrome is an incredibly real feeling, but realize that you are not alone.
— Etasha Donthi's advice to young women in STEMAt twenty years old, she's still asking it — and the answers keep getting bigger.