About us

Inspired by the courageous March 2019 congressional testimony of Ethan Lindenberger, an Ohio teen, about getting vaccinated despite being raised with anti-vax beliefs, Arin Parsa, a gifted sixth-grader from California with deep interests in history, law, science, and public policy, started researching the origin and evolution of the anti-vaccination sentiment.

Realizing the tremendous amount of misinformation online, Arin decided to dig into primary sources and spent his summer in New York at a historical research camp located in Columbia University, a few hours away from Rockland County, the site of a tremendous measles outbreak and dissonance on mandatory vaccination laws for school enrollment.

The summer had a lasting impact on Arin. From New York, Arin had his mother join a parent advocacy group, Vaccinate California, and sign the petition for SB276, a bill to ban fraudulent medical exemptions in California, which ultimately became law.

Arin started blogging and helping teens and young adults on Reddit find trusted vaccine sources from the CDC, VaccinateYourFamily.org, FamiliesFightingFlu.org, VoicesforVaccines.org, and worldwide immunization coalitions. Under the guidance of epidemiologist and public health educator Ms. Amylee Anyoha, Arin started his research on factors affecting adolescent vaccination rates in the U.S., particularly in California.

On Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, Arin connected with community vaccine advocates and organizations worldwide, notably in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Africa, and Australia. In June 2020, the Office of United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy for Youth recognized Arin's efforts in vaccine advocacy and combating disinformation.

With academic research interests and advocacy deeply aligning, Arin's mission is to build a global network of teen vaccine advocates working alongside science educators, school nurses, and health practitioners to educate teens and their parents on life-saving vaccines, schedules, and community immunity.

In Arin's words, "educating and empowering the younger generation is the only way to overcome vaccine hesitancy and eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases ultimately!"