Argument, art, and advocacy.

I'm Mitali, a high school student who cares about law, politics and social justice — and who spends a lot of her free time with a paintbrush in hand.

My interest in law began in mock trial. I've led my school's team since 2023, learning to think and write like a lawyer: building arguments that persuade a jury, and knowing a witness's story well enough to bring it to life. That work earned me Best Witness and Best Attorney awards, and in 2025 my three-person team won North Carolina's state Moot Court competition. Afterwards, Chief Justice Paul Newby invited us for a private tour of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

I've taken that curiosity into college-level study, too: American Politics at Georgetown University in 2024, and the Philosophy of Social and Political Justice at Brown University in 2025, where I read Rawls, Douglass, Angela Davis, Nancy Fraser and others, and argued about what justice asks of us in our work and our families.

Art and argument are two ways of doing the same thing: helping someone see what you see.

Painting

I've made more than 50 paintings — originals and master studies in acrylic, oil and digital. My work has been shown at professional venues including the Halle Center in Apex, and I've painted pieces on commission. I now teach drawing to young artists at the Lune Spark Center for Creativity.

Advocacy

I advocate for South Asian women in America, raising awareness of cultural challenges, gender equity, immigrant wellness and community empowerment. I produced a short film, Where Knots are Undone, on the experiences of South Asian women here, because stories reach people that statistics can't.

I also co-founded my school's International Media Club, where we meet every two weeks to discuss films, books and media from around the world.

What I bring

• Argumentation
• Public speaking
• Legal research
• Critical thinking
• Acrylic, oil & digital painting
• Creative writing
• Storytelling
• Mentoring
• Event coordination

See my experience