First Time Voter: Shriya Dharmapurikar
This is part of a series of voter profiles celebrating Kids Voting youth leaders who are casting their first adult vote. Check often at KVD First Time Voter Gallery for more new voter profiles!
Shriya Dharmapurikar with her I Voted sticker, March 3, 2026
When & where are you voting? Election Day
What’s one thing you are excited about for your first vote? Getting to finally have representation in an election!
How has your experience with Kids Voting Durham prepared you for your first vote? I used the Kids Voting Durham Election Guide to inform who I voted for at the polls.
What issues are most important to you this election? Teacher retention, school safety, economic issues.
What characteristics do you most value in a candidate? Honesty, integrity, experience
Anything else you’d like to tell us? I was excited to see the sticker I designed.
KVD Program Coordinator Carolyn Kreuger adds: “Shriya has been a long-time youth leader, starting when she was in middle school. She has worked on election guides, facilitated candidate and elected official forums, helped at KVD events, and even independently organized voting for her entire school, something usually done by an adult coordinator. She has always been one of our most enthusiastic leaders, sometimes joining meetings and activities virtually from time zones 10 hours away while traveling! I am thrilled to have Shriya now be part of the adult electorate and using her civic skills and enthusiasm to help us choose our leaders wisely. Congratulations Shriya!”
