Three alumni featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for 2025 for their contributions to social media, marketing and advertising.

Forbes on Tuesday released its annual list, which highlights achievements of 500 young professionals across 20 different career fields including healthcare, venture capital and artificial intelligence. Three alumni landed spots on this year’s list for their social media and marketing work in the mental health, technology and advertising spheres. 

Last year’s cohort included four alumni who earned spots on the list in categories like finance, energy and entertainment, and the cohort for 2023 featured three alumni for their accomplishments in e-commerce, education and retail.

Digital wellness advocate Arielle Geismar, creative strategist Ellie Artone and executive Ashwath Narayanan made Forbes’ list for 2025. Here’s a glimpse at what they’ve been up to:

Arielle Geismar 

Geismar, last year’s Student Government Association president, earned a spot for her work in youth mental health and technology policy after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs in May.

Geismar ran for SGA president in 2023 on a platform of highlighting and expanding mental health resources for students on campus and raising awareness of the University-Wide Programs Fund. During her time as SGA president, she advocated for affinity housing for the LGBTQ+ community, hired a gynecologist in the Student Health Center and brought a mental health focused clinician to the SHC.

In 2022, she co-founded the Design It For Us campaign with American University alum Zamaan Qureshi, an innovative multimedia effort led by young activists fighting for safer social and online platforms for kids, teens and young adults, according to the organization’s Instagram. In 2022, youth-led organizations LOG OFF and Tech(nically) Politics united and formed the “Design It for Us” campaign in support of the bipartisan California Age Appropriate Design Code.

“Working on Design It For Us with my co-chair Zamaan Qurshei has been incredibly meaningful and fulfilling, creating policy and advocacy initiatives to form a safer internet for the well-being of young people,” Geismar said in a message. 

Geismar served as an adviser for President Joe Biden’s transition team in 2021 and interned with the British Parliament in 2023, according to her LinkedIn. She received the Young Innovator in Behavioral Health Award in 2023, according to her resume.

Geismar said she is currently working to pass protections from AI-generated or deepfake explicit material. 

Ellie Artone

Artone graduated from GW in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and affairs. She co-founded a social platform with alum Ashwath Narayanan called Social Currant, which matches creators with “impact brands and nonprofit organizations,” according to their Instagram profile. Artone serves as chief creator officer at Social Currant and leads the accounts and creator teams.

During her time at GW, Artone was a member of the Humanitarian Mapping Society and a part of the Women’s Leadership Program — a selective program designed to promote academic excellence, cultivate a strong sense of community and provide a foundation for students to develop their leadership identity, according to her LinkedIn profile. 

Ashwath Narayanan

Narayanan, another Social Currant co-founder, received a bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism in 2022. He is currently the chief executive officer.

While at GW, Narayanan was involved with Alpha Kappa Psi – a professional business fraternity — the GW Chapter of March for Our Lives and the South Asian Society, according to his LinkedIn. Narayan has also volunteered for eight years at the Concern India Foundation, a nonprofit that empowers disadvantaged communities by supporting education, health and community development programs. 

Jennifer Igbonoba, Brooke Forgette, Ann Duan, Gianna Jakubowski and Hailey Prunier contributed reporting.