Danville Teen Educates Foster Children On Life Skills

DANVILLE, CA - Monte Vista High School sophomore Rohan Goyal created a nonprofit to help underserved children learn about health, wellness, and other important life skills.

Goyal was inspired to start Wellness Wave after he got to high school and began to see how skills like cooking, eating well, exercising, and meditating were positively affecting his mental and physical health. He realized that he was able to learn about these skills due to his parents' encouragement and programs at his school, advantages that not all children share.

In early 2024, Goyal founded Wellness Wave, which hosts workshops on topics like nutrition, fitness, and meditation at libraries and schools using skills he learned at school and in online courses. To date, Wellness Wave has held over 20 presentations for over 100 kids aged 5-13. He also began partnering with Agape Villages Foster Family Agency, which put him in touch with foster children around his own age. He ran workshops on nutrition, exercise, and obtaining a driver's license and permit. Wellness Wave also raised $500 to help local foster homes purchase school supplies.

“Life skills education is a major need for kids in the foster care system, especially older teens and young adults who are preparing to live independently,” an Agape Villages foster care worker said of the program.

Goyal has also started a chapter of Wellness Wave called Healthy Habits at Monte Vista. Students participate in activities and discussions about physical, mental, and social-emotional health, and help out with presentations and fundraisers.

Goyal said he hopes to grow the program. “Alongside foster homes, it would be really nice to see our programs implemented free of charge in school districts where the kids don’t have access to the same educational resources that we do.”

For more information, visit wellnesswavebayarea.com or contact goyalrohan11@gmail.com.