WAC Global Connections Club | Orca Conservation Utilizing Technology in the Pacific Northwest (For a Better World)

Join us in 2026 as we kick off the new year with our January WAC Global Connections Club session, where we explore how youth are leveraging technology to protect one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic species—the Southern Resident Killer Whales.

This event is part of our “For a Better World” series, which highlights youth in our community who are making a meaningful difference socially, economically, civically, or environmentally. Arihana will be the first of two featured youth changemakers this school year, and we are excited to uplift her work and support orca conservation in the Pacific Northwest.

We are thrilled to welcome Arihana Shah, an inspiring 8th-grade student in Redmond, WA, documentary filmmaker, and founder of Change in Current, a platform she created to raise awareness for the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas. Arihana’s documentary brings attention to the urgent extinction crisis facing this population; now only 74 individuals remain in the Puget Sound.

Through Change in Current, Arihana has also launched a donation campaign to support non-profit organizations dedicated to researching and protecting these whales. Her work showcases how young people can use technology, storytelling, and innovation to drive environmental change.

Come learn about Arihana’s research, her creative use of technology, and the actions we can all take to support orca conservation in our region.

CHANGE IN CURRENT | DOCUMENTARY | WATCH NOW

We hope you’ll join us and be inspired by the difference young leaders are making every day!