Reece Lynch (she/her)
President
Reece is a senior studying Environmental Engineering with a minor in Urban Studies. She joined PBP her freshman year to get involved with organizations working to advocate for restorative justice. Outside of PBP, she’s involved with the American Society of Civil Engineers as outreach chair and backpacking club. In her free time, she likes to hike, read, go swing dancing, and attempt to keep her houseplants alive.
Katherine Lee (she/her)
president
Katherine is a junior computer science major. She joined PBP her freshman year, while looking for ways to expand her understanding of social and reproductive justice. She hopes to continue bringing awareness to those often overlooked and ostracized from mainstream concepts of inequality. Outside of PBP, she works with a team to design and manufacture open-source 3D printed prosthetic arms for children worldwide. She also works in machine learning lab researching computer vision tasks to improve brain tumor diagnoses. In her free time, she likes to paint and play volleyball with friends.
Zara Ahmed (she/her)
Director of communications
Zara is a senior majoring in Biology, Health & Society with a minor in Spanish on the pre-medical track. She is very interested in reproductive justice and its intersections with the incarceration system and healthcare policy. After joining the Prison Birth Project during her sophomore year, she learned a lot about the injustices that are prevalent but highly unrecognized in the U.S. prison system. She wanted to be a part of this organization to bring more awareness and change through a student-led initiative. Outside of PBP, she is a tutor for PALMA, president of the University of Michigan Undergraduate AMWA Chapter, and a graphic designer for MA:E magazine. In her free time, she enjoys baking, going on walks, playing basketball, and listening to music.
Maia Carlson (she/her)
Director of Finance & Grant writing
Maia is a sophomore studying International Studies and Economics on the pre-law track. She joined PBP her freshman year because of her interests in reproductive and restorative justice, and worked on the 2021-2022 Community Activism & Outreach Committee. Outside of PBP, she works as an undergraduate researcher for the Life Without Parole Legal Project, a team of University of Michigan Law School students and professors working to mount legal challenges to old felony murder cases. She also works as an assistant to a University of Michigan PhD candidate researching African political history. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, surfing, playing guitar, and hiking.
Emma Elmouchi (she/her)
Director of community outreach & activism
Emma Elmouchi is a senior on the BA track at the University of Michigan School of Public Health with a minor in Spanish. She joined PBP her junior year to advocate for her passion for both social and reproductive justice. After her undergraduate degree, she hopes to work to reduce barriers to healthcare access by studying health policies. Outside of PBP, she is a policy student worker at Viatris, a pharmaceutical company whose main mission is to bolster global access to medicines through generic alternatives to branded medicines. Additionally, she just finished her final semester as a research assistant for the Wellbeing, Health, and Interpersonal Relationships Lab (WHIRLab) in which she looked at stress in dyads. In her free time, Emma loves to spend time with her family, friends, and dogs.
Hannah Larson (she/her)
Director of PR & Marketing
Hannah Larson is a senior studying Biology, Health, and Society. She joined PBP her sophomore year to learn more about reproductive health and how it impacts those that are incarcerated. She was on the PR & Marketing Committee for two years before becoming a co-director. Outside of PBP, Hannah works as a lab assistant and clinical research coordinator assistant for a colon cancer study at Michigan Medicine. She is also an intern for the United Breast Cancer Foundation. After graduating in the spring, she plans on earning her Master of Public Health then going on to attend medical school to become an Ob-Gyn. In her free time, Hannah enjoys hanging out with her friends and working out at Orange Theory.
Sarayu Chaparala (she/her)
Director of PR & Marketing
Sarayu Chaparala is a Junior studying Psychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience on the pre-med track. She joined Prison Birth Project her sophomore year to learn more about and advocate for reproductive and restorative justice. Outside of PBP, she works as a patient attending at Michigan Medicine. She also works as a research assistant at the University of Michigan’s Anesthesiology department. In her free time, Sarayu likes reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
Hanna Erhardt (she/her)
Director of Research
Hanna Erhardt is a senior on the B.S. track in the School of Public Health, with a minor in biology. She joined PBP her sophomore year to explore her interests in improving health disparities, and passions for reproductive and restorative justice. After graduation, she is looking to pursue a Master’s in Public Health and wants to continue to advocate for those impacted by the carceral system. Outside of PBP, she works in a research lab in Michigan Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology, is in involved in the Public Service Intern Program (PSIP), and was the previous social media chair for Femforward Coalition, which PBP is apart of. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, hammocking, and playing soccer.
Gabby Ahearn (she/her)
Director of member education
Gabby is a senior majoring in public health and minoring in gender and health. She joined PBP her freshman year to learn more about the injustices within the prison system. She hopes to educate the new and current members on these injustices this year. Outside of PBP she works at Michigan Medicine, in a bipolar research lab. She is also the co-president of Parole Preparation Project, another student organization at Michigan. In her free time she likes to hangout with friends, read, and run.
Bhaavna Yalavarthi (she/her)
Director of policy initiatives
Bhaavna Yalavarthi is a pre-medical sophomore planning to apply to the School of Public Health to pursue her major and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy to pursue her minor. She is passionate about addressing health disparities and criminal justice reform, which is what led her to Prison Birth Project. Outside of PBP, Bhaavna works in the University of Michigan Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center and is interning in the Conviction Integrity and Expungement Unit of the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office. In her free time, Bhaavna enjoys running, reading, and hanging out with friends.