ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2025
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. This year, 60,000+ young leaders applied to join the Class of 2025 on 7,000+ campuses across 170 nations. 290+ campuses worldwide (less than 5%) were selected to host the 4,500+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT HARINI THIRUVENGADAM, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2025.
Columbia University | New York, United States | Advancing SDG 5 & UNAI 5
" "I care about this work because I know how hard it can be to feel alone while dealing with health challenges. Sent With Love is my way of reminding young patients that someone their age understands what they are going through and is thinking of them. Being a Millennium Fellow will give me the chance to expand this kind of peer-to-peer care globally and strengthen my campus health initiatives, and hopefully grow into a leader who bridges science and social impact to make healthcare more compassionate." "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Sent with Love
Sent With Love is a youth-led global initiative providing personalized care packages to adolescents and young adults in hospitals navigating eating disorders, body dysmorphia, menstrual health challenges, reproductive health concerns, or trauma. Each package includes a handwritten peer-to-peer letter, journaling prompts, and small supportive items tailored to each hospital’s cultural and emotional needs. What makes this initiative impactful is its focus on connection rather than clinical advice. By centering culturally responsive emotional care and empowering student volunteers to contribute, Sent With Love builds global solidarity, reduces isolation in clinical settings, and expands access to compassionate support.
About the Millennium Fellow
Harini Thiruvengadam is an undergraduate student at Columbia University studying Biology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. She is deeply engaged in health equity and wellness advocacy, serving as the Undergraduate Health and Wellness Representative, through which she has spearheaded initiatives such as creating campuswide menstrual product maps, working with NAH to promote safe disposal of nicotine on campus, and hosting events for sexual assault awareness. Harini is also the co-founder of Sent With Love, a nonprofit providing care packages and handwritten letters to hospitals, specifically for patients struggling with eating disorders, body dysmorphia, reproductive health challenges, or menstrual health challenges. In addition, she conducts HIV-1 RNA research at NewYork-Presbyterian, focusing on novel small-molecule therapeutics that target RNA ensembles to disrupt viral activation. Harini aspires to bridge her scientific work and social impact projects to advance equitable access to healthcare globally.
