Our Story
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
We are a group of high school students from Palos Verdes High School striving to fund research for kidney disease. Having learned about the prevalence of kidney disease and the desperate need for research funding, we decided to take action by creating a fundraising campaign. The 1-in-7 Campaign aims to raise awareness and funds for kidney disease research. Our goal is to support scientists working toward better treatments while educating our community about the impact of this widespread condition.
Meet The Directors
Lena Peresztegi
Co-Founder & Director
Grace Booth
Co-Founder & Director
Lily Booth
Co-Founder & Director
Meet the One-in-Seven Teams
This year, seven student teams have come together with a shared mission: to raise awareness and critical funds for kidney disease research at the USC Kidney Research Center (KRC). Through student-led outreach, community engagement, and creative fundraising initiatives, these teams are learning to translate science into impact—educating their peers and local community while directly supporting innovative research aimed at improving the lives of the 1 in 7 Americans affected by kidney disease. Together, their efforts demonstrate the power of youth leadership in advancing health, advocacy, and discovery.
NextGen Nephrology
Bella Sachar
Olivia Jaco
Suri Acharya
Gemma Finazzo
Team Fight CKD
Lena Peresztegi
Lily Booth
Grace Booth
Seviane Botiller
Annie Sherry
Filtered Futures
Quinn Tamashiro
Laira Toney
Emily Rupp
Khloe Johnson
Team ISAAA
Irene Kim
Shreeya Sambangi
Amy Wen
Aira Lee
Aria Giti
TMEEA Research Group
Trinity Ueda
Malia Holman
Evalyn Yu
Erin Sung
Ahana Mehta
Next Nephrologists
Benjamin Gelman
Colette Jassy
Kelly Jiang
Izzy Daniel
Kidney Kids
Andrew Chan
Kaden Cole
Desmond Fu
Joshua Koretzky
Kidney Research at USC
The core mission of the Vito M Campese MD/UKRO Kidney Research Center at USC is to support, perform, and advance state-of-the-art kidney and related cardiovascular, hypertension, and metabolism research by bringing together investigators from multiple disciplines to work collaboratively toward improving the understanding of the intricate functions and mechanisms of the kidney in health and disease. Visit the USC KRC website to meet all 16 investigators and learn more about their research.