Raina Kadavil – Author, Activist, Adventurer

Raina has been part of the White Plains Youth Bureau since she was two years old. Over the years, Raina’s love for service to her community flourished, in large part thanks to the programs she encountered at the Youth Bureau.  Raina participated in the chess program, tutored math, volunteered at the Bits N’ Pieces Camp and participated in the WP READS and the Summer Employment. The Youth Bureau helped her perfect her innate ability for leadership and civic engagement: She was an active member of the Youth Council throughout high school and served as President for two years, was a member of the Mayor’s Youth Board and represented the Youth Bureau at leadership and lobbying conferences in Albany.  Raina organized Students Rebuilds art service challenges at the Youth Bureau after school programs, educating them on global issues related to the water crisis, poor education systems, and natural disasters and raise funds at the same time.

In May 2019 Raina graduated from Boston University and in June 2019, joined MasterCard as Global Product Marketing Specialist managing Loyalty and Engagement products.  There she serves as the Philanthropy Chair of the Women’s Leadership Network and volunteers with Girls4Tech. Raina also serves as the CEO of Urban Refuge, a nonprofit that breaks barriers by mapping aid for refugees and immigrants living in large cities. Raina has spoken about her work and experiences across the United States and at the UN General Assembly Hall. Raina has been recognized for her work by the Coca-Cola Foundation, Zonta International, the Walt Disney Company, Claes Nobel, and more.  Raina is the author of a fictional novel, “The Voice of Thunder,” published in 2015.