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You are Cordially Invited to SAYA’s 2025 Gala

SAYA’s Annual Gala celebrates the inspiring individuals who use their influence and resources to drive meaningful change in our society. This year, we are honored to recognize Anurima Bhargava, Founder and CEO of Anthem of Us, and  Beesham A. Seecharan, Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel, and Client Advisor at Matthews South.

We invite you to join us on May 10th at Pier Sixty for an unforgettable evening of celebration, where we will honor these distinguished individuals, reflect on SAYA's impact in the community, and uplift the remarkable youth we serve.

Your presence and support will help make this night truly special.

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Our Honorees

Anurima Bhargava

Anurima Bhargava is the Founder and CEO of Anthem of Us, a strategic advisory and consulting firm that centers dignity, justice, and belonging in schools, workplaces and communities. From 2010-2016, Bhargava led federal civil rights enforcement and policy in schools and higher education institutions nationwide at the U.S. Department of Justice. She directed the education practice at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where from 2004-2010, she advised and litigated seminal cases related to schools and higher education institutions, including in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bhargava has advised and executive produced numerous documentary films and projects; including the Oscar-nominated and Peabody winner, Writing With Fire, Peabody Winner While We Watched; Our Body Politic, A Shot At History, and The Vow. She is currently directing her first documentary chronicling the teaching of African-American studies in Arkansas, and co-raising a fund to support South Asian content creators.

From 2018-2022, Bhargava served as Chair and Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; her efforts to fix problems across political and ideological divides were profiled in the NYT.

Bhargava chairs the U.S. Board of Doc Society, co-chairs the National Advisory Board on Public Service at Harvard, and serves on the board of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Democracy House, and Big Thought. She advises numerous political campaigns and organizations, including South Asians for America; served on the DNC Platform Committee; and co-founded a multiracial PAC Anthem of America. She graduated from Harvard College and Columbia Law School and was born and raised on the south side of Chicago.

Beesham A. Seecharan

Beesham A. Seecharan is Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel, and a Client Advisor at Matthews South. Previously, Beesham advised the equity derivatives and convertibles businesses of Goldman Sachs for over fifteen years as a Managing Director and Senior Counsel, where  his other duties included serving as co-chair of its Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit and Executive Office Asian Professionals Network. Beesham previously worked as a vice president and assistant general counsel at JPMorgan Chase and in the New York and London offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell. Prior legal experience includes work at the New York and Paris Offices of Shearman & Sterling, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Department of Education.

Beesham is the current chair of the board for Sakhi for South Asian Survivors and also serves on the Board of the Orchard Project, on the Board of Visitors of Columbia Law School, on the Advisory Boards of the Center for Public Research and Leadership at Columbia University and the Center for Leadership at Florida International University, on the Legal & Finance Advisory Committees for the New York City Urban Debate League, and on the Private Sector Steering Committee of the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY). He previously served on the Board of Directors of South Asian Youth Action (SAYA), The Columbia Law School Association, and SABANY. Beesham also supports impactful arts that bring marginalized stories to larger audiences such as through BAFTA-nominated and DuPont-Columbia Award-winning film Beyond Utopia and Tony-nominated Here Lies Love on Broadway. 

Beesham received a JD and the Parker School Certificate in Foreign and Comparative Law from Columbia Law School and earned an MS in Mathematics and an AB in International Relations at the same time from Stanford University.

For corporate or in-kind sponsorship opportunities, please contact Saphia Najafee, Chief Development Officer.

Sponsorship Levels

    • Premier Seating

    • Placement of logo on Step & Repeat

    • Display of company name/logo on gala materials

    • Website recognition

    • 1 table - 10 tickets

    • Premium seating

    • Display of company name/logo on gala materials

    • Website recognition

    • 1 table - 10 tickets

    • Prime seating

    • Display of company name/logo on gala materials

    • Website recognition

    • 1 table - 10 tickets

    • Preferred seating

    • Display of company name/logo on gala materials

    • Website recognition

    • 1 table - 10 tickets

    • Display of company name/logo on gala materials

    • Website recognition

    • 1 table - 10 tickets

 

Additional Info

To pay by check, please make it out to South Asian Youth Action and mail to:

South Asian Youth Action
attn: Saphia Najafee
54-05 Seabury Street
Elmhurst, NY 11373

To send your donation through wire or ACH transfer, please email SAYA@saya.org.

South Asian Youth Action is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

Contribution beyond the cost of attendance may be tax deductible, as allowable by law. Acknowledgement letters will state the portion of the contribution that is tax deductible.

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