Meet the Founder!

Sanya Ailawadi is the founder of Collegiate Connect, a peer listening initiative dedicated to making community-based mental health care more accessible, compassionate, and stigma-free for college students. As a Psychology student at New York University, she possesses a deep academic and personal interest in adolescent development, trauma, and youth mental health equity. 

Sanya created Collegiate Connect out of a recognition that many students struggle in silence, not due to the absence of support, but because it often feels out of reach, intimidating, or clinical. She was motivated by the gap between institutional mental health services and the everyday emotional realities of students navigating academic pressure, identity development, and social isolation.

Through her peer listening initiative, she aims to foster a culture of empathy, trust, and accessibility—where students can feel heard without judgment and supported without barriers. Her work is driven by the belief that meaningful mental health support often begins not in clinical settings but through simple human connections.

Sanya’s broader commitment to psychology and advocacy reflects her dedication to trauma-informed care and strengthening community-based systems of support for young adults.