Looking up at the Willis Tower, John Hancock Center and Tribune Tower,  Naiya Daswani (’25) took a deep breath as she prepared for the INCubatoredu National Pitch Competition in Chicago. Lugging five suitcases filled to the brim with Shlurp — a vegan and gluten-free instant ramen business — into the conference room, Naiya and her business partners, Emily Mitnick (’25) and Siddhi Jain (’24), ran through their script over and over again.

The loudspeaker announced their names as they walked onstage to “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore, facing a panel of five judges with the fate of Shlurp in their hands.

Holding a healthy snack stand on the side of the road was where it all began. Then it became a slime stand. Later a rainbow loom bracelet business. Naiya’s interest in entrepreneurship began long before enrolling in the Incubator class at Harker, founding Shlurp or taking home a $5,000 check from the national competition.

“I was always creating different things and experimenting with entrepreneurship and selling, and that has definitely carried forward with Shlurp,” Naiya said. “I used to make sparkly rainbow loom bracelets and set up a little shop on Chestnut Street in San Francisco. I had my American Girl doll as a model and would sell all my bracelets on the street. I realized later on that I wasn’t there for the money, but more to make people happy, because I really liked seeing these little girls come over and put on a bracelet and feel really pretty and confident.”

The joy of creating something meaningful stayed with Naiya through high school. Her struggle to find foods that met her dietary restrictions — being gluten-free and vegetarian — inspired her to evolve a childhood snack stand into something much bigger.

“Just last year, we only had an idea of a product, and later that June, we had 200 ramen cups sitting in my garage,” Naiya said. “It’s been really cool to see how we can develop our product, fulfill orders and work on partnerships, because so many of our customers have loved our product and have been excited about repurchasing. Seeing other people reflect the same excitement I have has been one of the greatest things for me.”

Along with the excitement of launching Shlurp, Naiya also faced challenges like manufacturing delays, experiences that helped her develop resilience beyond the business setting.

“I learned to be persistent and not take no for an answer, and I realized that change applies to whatever I do in life,” Naiya said. “Having that mission-driven spirit and being able to help empower other people to make the world a better place is a goal and value that I want to carry with me in everything I do.”

Business and entrepreneurship teacher Michael Acheatel, who advised Shlurp through the Startup Incubator course over the past two years, observes Naiya’s growth firsthand.

“She’s a super hard worker and such a disciplined student,” Acheatel said. “She’s able to see the end vision and the end goal and really utilize that as a source of motivation to get through the drudgery and the suck of it all. I’ve only seen her continue to develop and fine-tune those skills and make that a part of her personality as she’s grown.”

Close friend Rushil Jaiswal (’25) met Naiya in eighth-grade during their Spanish class. When they returned to campus in frosh year, their friendship quickly deepened. Rushil highlights Naiya’s resilience both academically and personally.

“No matter what challenges are thrown her way, whatever rejections she gets, she’s able to get over them,” Rushil said. “Even when she just started at Harker, as a new student over Zoom, I can’t imagine how hard it was to find people you can create a connection with that’s actually valuable and meaningful, but she’s one of the few people I’ve been able to develop that with.”

Naiya’s strong will and sense of purpose also led to her founding Be The Change, a nonprofit that encourages students in Zambia, Argentina and Nigeria to create social impact within their communities. Through virtual meetings — no matter the time zone — Naiya has helped lead workshops designed to give students the tools to take initiative in their own environments.

“It’s been really special to be able to work with students in rural countries because they have so much potential, and it’s really inspiring to see what they can create and do with the lessons that I’m teaching them,” Naiya said. “If they have the resources, and if we can provide different opportunities for these students, they can create so much and become such inspirational change-makers.”

Naiya’s impact extends beyond the programs she leads — it’s deeply reflected in her relationships. Close friend Isabella Lo (’25) shared how Naiya’s personal growth has inspired her own.

“Through my friendship with Naiya, I’ve definitely changed as a person after seeing her grow so much,” Isabella said. “In ninth grade, if something happened, she could be put off balance and be surprised, but she’s grown to be a person who can take on these challenges and is determined to push through, which inspired me too.”

Whether she’s making an impact in her own community or across the globe, Naiya’s passion for uplifting others shines through. Seeing the excitement of her students, her customers and those around her fuels Naiya’s desire to lead through learning and positivity.

“I want to be seen as someone who was able to just spread positivity and a love of learning within the community,” Naiya said. “Through Honor Council, TEDx, Be The Change and Incubator, my biggest goal is to get people excited about learning and knowledge and about being supportive of one another.”