Student Board 2026-2027
Jack Cohen
President
Jack Cohen is a senior at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, New York. It is his fourth year with the NHSMC. He is deeply interested in business and exploring how microfinance creates real, measurable impact by helping people lift themselves out of poverty through entrepreneurship. Further, Jack serves as President of Zawadi by Youth, a microfinance club at Riverdale Country School that provides loans to female entrepreneurs. He is thrilled to serve as the President of the club this year to apply his knowledge and expand his expertise.
Alex Black
Vice President
Alex Black is a senior at Riverdale Country School, located in the Bronx, New York. He was first exposed to microfinance through the club Zawadi by Youth at his school, which emphasizes student-led discussions around global economics, financial empowerment, and counteracting the structural challenges of poverty. Once a member of this club, he continued to further develop his understanding of microfinance as an Intern of NHSMC, working in the Marketing and Social Media Cohort. The user focused, educational assignments he completed gave him a practical understanding of how small loans can drive outsized impact—especially when paired with community trust and long-term support. This past summer, he studied lean startup models in a Global Entrepreneurship program in Dublin and interned at ENSAF Capital, a workforce housing investment firm, where he evaluated multifamily deals and joined property management strategy calls. All his experiences, collectively, shape his belief in finance as a tool for innovation, equity, and long-term impact.
Rohan Varia
Director of Operations and Media
Rohan Varia is a senior at the Riverdale Country School in New York City. He serves as President of the Junior Economic Club of New York City, a nonprofit serving 250+ students across 70+ schools in New York City, as well as Treasurer of Zawadi By Youth Club at his high school, where he plays an active part in helping students make micro- loans for underprivileged areas. As a member of NHSMC, he is especially interested in providing people with access to education on microfinance and financial inclusion activities for high school students. At Riverdale, he is also involved in debate, the school newspaper, Science Olympiad, varsity tennis, and cross country.
Leyla Kalagoglu
Heads of Internship Program
Leyla Kalagoglu is a senior at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, New York, with a deep passion for exploring how microfinance can uplift small-business entrepreneurs and help close the gender gap in access to microloans. She first became involved with the NHSMC as an intern in its Research Cohort, where she studied how microfinance institutions in South America strengthened local economies and their development over time. She also serves as treasurer of Zawadi By Youth, her school's club focused on economics, financial literacy, community development, and microloaning to women small-business entrepreneurs across the globe. This past summer, she co-authored a research paper on microfinance in Bangladesh, examining the long-term benefits of microloans for families and economies and developing metrics to evaluate extreme poverty. She is excited to serve as the leader of the internship program to apply her experiences to help interns find their passions within microfinance.