Neil Navin Verma is a student at Sanskriti School, New Delhi, with a strong interest in economics and mathematics, particularly in understanding how economic systems, incentives and inequality shape people’s lives.

His interest in working with underserved communities has been shaped by the inequalities he has observed around him in Delhi, particularly the vulnerability of people whose access to food, income, shelter and basic security can be disrupted by something as immediate as extreme weather.

One encounter in particular stayed with him. While walking through a market in Delhi one evening, Neil was approached by a street vendor selling large maps of India. Though he was in a rush, Neil stopped to speak with him after noticing his circumstances and asked about his work and situation. The vendor explained that heavy rainfall throughout the day had prevented him from making enough sales and, as a result, he did not have enough money to purchase his daily rations.

What struck Neil was not simply the immediate hardship of the situation, but the fragility behind it. A mere day of rain, a phenomenon completely beyond the vendor’s control, had effectively determined whether he could afford to eat that evening. The experience highlighted the tangibility of the relationship between climate vulnerability and economic insecurity and pushed Neil to think harder about how extreme weather disproportionately affects people already living with limited financial security.

It also reinforced a belief that has become central to Civitas Initiative: that access to food, shelter, security and opportunity are matters of great inequality, and that meaningful change requires not just awareness but action. For Neil, it created a personal sense of responsibility to use the opportunities and resources available to him to contribute meaningfully and responsibly to communities facing far greater insecurity. 

Through Civitas Initiative, Neil hopes to translate that conviction into practical action by supporting efforts to address homelessness, food insecurity, climate vulnerability, and related economic hardships in New Delhi.

Neil is also actively involved in Model United Nations, having participated in six conferences and received awards at multiple conferences, including Outstanding Delegate at Harvard Model United Nations, Bengaluru, while representing the United Arab Emirates in the UNDP. He has also participated in the Climate Justice Summit 2.0 and regularly volunteers across different initiatives and causes.

Outside Civitas, Neil spends much of his time pursuing his interests in economics, finance and mathematics through reading, courses and competitions. He is also a multi-instrumentalist who plays the drums, guitar, piano, and bass, is a member of his school’s U-17 football team, and enjoys writing, gaming, and working on personal development. Looking ahead, he hopes to study economics and mathematics and continue exploring how economic systems and institutions can be used to address inequality and expand access to opportunity.