Neyha Naveed

About Neyha

Neyha Naveed is a first-generation American of Pakistani-Kashmiri descent from West Virginia. She is an interdisciplinary musician and writer interested in storytelling that empowers diverse voices and utilizes language as an integral tool for connection. She speaks Urdu, Punjabi, French, and Korean. During her B.A. she led awareness campaigns for Kashmir and Uyghur Muslims, volunteered with the Appalachian Prison Book Project to donate reading materials to prisoners, and was awarded for her undergraduate research on gender-based violence in Japan and Brazil. Selected among the top 1% of her graduating class as a WVU Outstanding Senior, she has gone on to spearhead UN youth programs in the Global South, participate in a South Korean exchange as one of 8 American delegates recommended by U.S. Congress, and furthered her education on gender-climate studies through coursework from the UN Institute for Training and Research. While working at the World Resources Institute, Neyha implemented climate action strategies to over 60 partners, including the World Bank, City of New York, Harvard University, and IKEA. Her work has led her to meet people from all walks of life: late-stage patients across rural Appalachia, UN ambassadors, North Korean refugees, and elementary school students in Pakistan, and strengthened her belief that everyone has a unique story that has the capacity to connect us more deeply with our own humanity. From an orchestral background, she plays a variety of instruments and has mentored under Grammy-winning musicians and Recording Academy members. Neyha is passionate about removing industry barriers through open music education and ultimately aims to create an arts organization that re-envisions the standard music label structure in favor of equitable practices and invests in the next generation through public arts programs. In her spare time, she works on a passion-project screenplay and uses her real estate license to explore architectural design.