Building Bridges of Hope
"As a student growing up witnessing wars, divisions, and hatred, I believe it is vital for us to collectively reclaim our shared humanity"
Zara Bharadwaj, Founder.
Meet Zara
Founder of Together We Rise
Zara Bharadwaj is the founder of TWR. She is a 17-year-old senior at Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, California, originally from India, and passionate about bridging divides through grassroots storytelling. Zara is passionate about social co-existence and conflict resolution. She believes that kindness is more powerful than division. We just have to choose it first.
The Vision
The vision behind the movement
Zara’s vision is to grow TWR into a global movement where young people become storytellers of empathy. Through the student ambassador program she has launched, her message is urgent yet simple: before race, religion, gender, or class, we are human—and far more connects us than divides us. In a world fractured by conflict, TWR shifts the conversation from division to connection, reminding us that empathy is a powerful force for peace.