Lauren Kashefi

Staff Writer

Michelle Nabati ’11, Milken co-chair of this year’s AIDS Walk Los Angeles, led and organized Milken’s team for the walk in West Hollywood on Sunday, October 17.

As a freshman, a friend signed her up for the walk, and her interest in being an essential part of the cause peaked due to her participation.

“I realize it is more than a walk that helps raise money to cure AIDS. It is something that shows that we are accepting of the LGBT community” Nabati said.

The following year, as a sophomore, Nabati volunteered to chair the walk for the Milken team, but never expected to represent the school as the leader of the AIDS Project Los Angeles.

Feeling so empowered and passionate about the cause, Nabati decided to make the event more compelling and exciting to students in addition to getting more people involved.

This year, Nabati was once again a co-chair, with Ethan Kraft ’12 and Sophie Golub ’12.

To date, she has single-handedly raised over $7,000 for the cause this year. Along with  donations from family members and friends, Nabati also received large donations from companies such as Microsoft and Sony to show their support.

Due to Nabati’s efforts, the AIDS Walk has turned into a bigger event at Milken. More than 175 Milken students signed up to participate this year and are still working towards a goal of $10,000.

“This year’s event was an improvement from last year’s because people are really getting committed to the cause,” Nabati said. “[They] aren’t just doing it for community service. It is starting to be talked about more and more, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”