Scholarship Winners - Innovation in Education

YOUSSEF MOUNIR EL-MANKABADY

Project Palette: Empowering Hope, One Drawing at a Time

After months of suffering, the cancer claimed my grandmother’s life. Amid her relentless battle against lymphoma, my drawings served as a source of hope and solace. As the disease took its toll, her smile when looking at my drawings was a testament to her empowered persistence, which prolonged her fight more than any treatment could. Intertwined with the emotional strain of her condition were the heavy financial burdens that weighed down upon our family. Medical bills piled up to afford her expensive treatments, and our family grappled with a difficult decision: our livelihood or her care.

Motivated to prevent any family from being forced to make this choice, I founded Project Palette. Project Palette is a non-profit organization that sells clothing featuring designs drawn by pediatric cancer patients. All of the proceeds from the apparel sold go toward assisting these families with their financial hardships which allows them to prioritize being there for their loved ones.

Heartfelt interactions with these patients and their families invoked empathy and a sense of responsibility for their prosperity. I seized every outreach initiative as it became my duty to help out as many families as possible. I managed the social media, designing promotional posts and editing short-form content to garner support from thousands. In collaboration with children’s hospitals across California, I met with young patients and captured their stories, especially their suffering. With the help of my experience in web design, I launched an online store that conveyed Project Palette’s mission statement and the organization’s roadmap. I negotiated with manufacturers to coordinate the production of hundreds of clothing pieces at a fraction of their retail prices.

Through these efforts, Project Palette has been able to impact hundreds of suffering families like mine, both locally and internationally. The official Instagram has amassed 300,000 followers and more than 60,000,000 views, becoming a platform where patients can share their journey and all that they have endured. Their storytelling has established a more compassionate and informed community and given them a therapeutic outlet. Additionally, Project Palette has given these patients a greater purpose and opportunity to be part of something bigger. This supportive community has donated over $15,000 to assist burdened families. Project Palette has empowered hope, one drawing at a time, and stands as a living tribute to my grandmother’s unwavering spirit.

https://www.instagram.com/prjctpalette

ELIJAH NEEDHAM

Last fall in 2023, my team at Florida Polytechnic University and I teamed up with Lakeland Regional Health on something pretty cool. We started working on a game that hooks up to an Incentive Spirometer, a tool that helps kids with breathing issues get better. This isn’t just any game. It’s one where you play as a dog diving underwater searching for treasures while dodging obstacles. The catch? The way you breathe through the spirometer controls how long our diving dog can explore under the sea. We’re wrapping this project up in May 2024, and it’s been an awesome ride making something that turns a bit of a drag for kids into something fun.

Why We Did It
We noticed that using the Incentive Spirometer felt like a chore for kids, which meant they weren’t too excited to do their breathing exercises. So, we thought, why not make it fun? That’s where our game comes in. By turning breathing exercises into a treasure hunt, we’re hoping kids will be more into their recovery exercises. They get to help a diving dog on a treasure hunt just by doing their breathing exercises. How cool is that?

The Challenge We Faced
The biggest hurdle? Making something that kids wouldn’t get bored of. The last thing we wanted was for our game to feel like just another task. Our solution was to make the game engaging and make sure it directly helped with their treatment. This meant getting creative with how we used the spirometer and ensuring the game was something kids would actually want to come back to.

What Makes Our Project Stand Out
There’s a bunch of health-related games out there, but ours is a bit different. It’s not just about having fun; it’s about making a real difference in these kids’ recovery. We made sure our game was something hospitals could easily use and that it wouldn’t get in the way of the important stuff. It’s been a blast figuring out how to blend technology and healthcare in a way that makes sense and helps out.

What’s Next for Me
This project has been a huge part of my life, and I’m not stopping here. I’m planning to go to grad school at Florida Polytechnic University to dive even deeper into how technology can make healthcare better. There’s so much more to explore, and I can’t wait to get started.

Wrapping Up
Creating this game has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. It’s shown me how much of a difference we can make when we think outside the box. I’m super excited to see where this project takes us and how it’s going to help kids in their recovery. It’s been an incredible journey from just an idea to something that’s going to make a real impact.

Our work: https://floridapoly.edu/news/articles/2024/02/022324-capstone-lrh-incentive-spirometer.php

Sofia Ongele

September 16th, 2018, one of my closest friends was drugged and raped. I desperately wanted to help in any way that I could, but all I had ever been taught were “preventative” measures: “Don’t wear this, don’t act like that, learn how to fight, and NEVER walk alone at night”. While I just rhymed there unintentionally, it’s as if these precautionary tales were like verses of a poem we had to internalise and live by. Unfortunately for us, these tales ended at prevention and left us in the dark following such a harrowing incident, where a light at the end of the tunnel would have made all the difference.

We resorted to vigorously googling everything we could in hopes of finding next steps. At this point, I couldn’t imagine what my friend was going through considering how painful and confusing the process had been and, a bit selfishly, I had no clue what I would do if something similar happened to me. Almost exactly 3 weeks later, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court. I quickly came to the realisation that the system as it stood was stacked against us. Overwhelmed with rage, fear, and confusion, I couldn’t wrap my mind around how the road for abusers was paved with yellow bricks, while the road for survivors was barren, and unpaved. I felt that it was more important now than ever to have something that would give survivors, their communities, and anyone with a yearn to learn a resource that would hopefully prevent things like this from happening again.

The population of app developers is overwhelmingly white males and … last time I checked, that’s not very representative of my experience and viewpoints. I truly believe that necessity is the mother of invention, watching something like this from the sidelines alone opened my eyes to a myriad of injustices survivors experience, and I felt that as a female software engineer in the making, it was my responsibility to use my skills to give back the community that fostered my interests in the first place. So, I decided to create an app.

ReDawn is an app that aims to solve the lack of resources and education available to survivors of sexual violence and the loved ones who would like to help them recover healthily. More specifically, only 19% of survivors receive victim services like information, emotional support, help finding resources, and other assistance. My theory is that both the cultural stigma surrounding the subject and the feeling of surveillance that googling imposes prevent survivors from reaching out. ReDawn solves this by serving as a platform to get 100% confidential advice in a conversational matter, with its primary functionality being a chatbot named Dawn. I felt like this was the most natural approach because people are just naturally conversational beings, and being able to talk to someone and knowing its impossible to get traced back to you can really make all the difference in a sensitive situation like this. Aside from that, I’ve included a tab that connects people to local resources that can help them in a time of crisis after the matter, a tab to log past incidents of abuse, and a tab dedicated to hotlines and 911, as those are always the most vital resources in times of immediate crisis and I felt it was important to lay that out in an accessible way while using the app.

To create this app, I used computer science and technology. For the Dawn, used the DialogFlow API, which essentially allows me to integrate the chatbot within my app’s code while allowing for it to be trained through the cloud. Simply, it uses artificial intelligence to identify an intent based on the user’s input and respond accordingly. Because of AI’s natural language processing abilities, it can identify the same intents regardless of varied phrasing, making this API much easier that creating all of the use cases from scratch. For the location data, I webscraped from Planned Parenthood’s and RAINN’s websites to find the information about health and community centers. With programs I coded in Ruby and Javascript, I parsed through them, converted addresses to longitude and latitude, organised and formatted information, and stored the information (i.e. name, description) in over 7,600 lines of JSON code. After collecting my data and training my chatbot, I dove into app development with Swift and integrated the aforementioned technology into the actual front-end and back-end engineering of the app.

When someone is faced with an incident of sexual violence, they can consult Dawn, who will walk them through various steps of the process and lend advice, giving the most relevant answers based on the responses to various questions. If Dawn suggests visiting a health center, one can easily navigate to the local resources tab and see what’s near them, as well as directions, their website, and contact information accessible at the click of a button. If Dawn suggests to call 911 (or another hotline) one can navigate to the hotlines tab and click the service they would like to contact. Lastly, if one would like to not necessarily report, but have the information handy just in case, they can navigate to the reports tab and document the type of incident, perpetrator, when it occurred, where it occurred, and details of what happened.

While this is the product currently released on the App Store, I’m consistently working on improving my chat bot to better understand the nuances of human speech, adding photo upload capabilities to the Reporting page, and increasing security with password protection and an escape button.

To circle back, my friends case was dropped, despite boundless evidence. A lot still needs to change institutionally (which takes eons), but until then, we must equip ourselves the knowledge and resources necessary to react appropriately in these dire situations. Every 98 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted; while survivors and loved ones may still feel in the dark, after dusk, there is always ReDawn.

Kevin Tyan

We often hear about tragedies in the news but feel powerless to help; the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was no exception. When I was a junior undergraduate at Columbia, my friends and I jumped at the opportunity to contribute solutions to this crisis. I helped invent Highlight, an additive for disinfectants that colorizes them blue to ensure full coverage on surfaces and then fades to clear to show real-time visual feedback for when decontamination is complete. Highlight ensures proper disinfection practices and empowers workers and patients to be confident in their safety. We recognized the potential this had not only for epidemic outbreaks, but for all healthcare settings, and founded Kinnos Inc. to bring Highlight to the world.

Through the rest of my time at Columbia, I helped secure a $650K grant from USAID, sold Highlight to the FDNY, traveled to Liberia and Guinea to field-test with Ebola aid workers, and was named to the 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 for Healthcare. Highlight Sprays has been used in Liberia, Guinea, DR Congo, and Haiti for Ebola and cholera disinfection training, and is currently used by NGOs, government agencies, and hospitals for routine disinfection.

My work has translated to tangible, life-saving changes in protocol. When I visited Ebola Treatment Units in Liberia for field-testing, Highlight’s color-changing properties allowed us to discover and correct grave errors in protocols, (eg. bleach being incorrectly prepared at overly diluted concentrations, and an unsafe non-waterproof type of HazMat suit being used), ultimately protecting the lives of countless patients and health workers.

Since then, I have devoted myself to combating healthcare-associated infections. After raising a $1mm investment round in 2017, I helped expand the Highlight technology to bleach wipes, which is currently being piloted in major hospitals. Highlight has also been adopted by major institutional customers, including Doctors Without Borders, which is currently testing the technology in the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo to protect its staff. I have also significantly contributed to this academic field, publishing five peer-reviewed papers in top infection control journals in the past year. I helped Kinnos file four patents on the Highlight technology, which was recently selected for the 2018 Patents For Humanity award, the USPTO’s highest humanitarian honor.

Through this entire experience, both my perception of the healthcare field and my self-expectations have evolved. Initially, I viewed the physician’s role as the important, yet singular task of healing patients. Now, I see that I can contribute to medicine not just by treating patients, but also by devising solutions to challenges in healthcare. Few are better equipped than physicians to live through and diagnose the shortfalls of the healthcare system. I hope to join the medical profession not only to treat people and save lives, but to also improve its methods and tools through entrepreneurship. As a first-year student at Harvard Medical School, I am eager to combine my entrepreneurial spirit with rigorous training in medicine to continue to innovate and improve the lives of those in low-resource settings.

Fred Koepp

The Teacher Recharge Podcast is a podcast designed to give educator’s strategies, tips, and stories to help make the greatest positive impact possible during the upcoming week. When designing the show, I wanted to bring on qualified educators who have made gigantic differences in their colleagues and students lives. Season one included 37 shows with 33 different guests who came from all walks of the education system. The show includes primary, secondary, and substitute teachers as well as various speakers, authors, and specialists. All guests are brought on with the hope of inspiring, educating, and helping teachers rediscover their passion so they can enter the week ahead “recharged” and with purpose. Season one gained 3,000 organic downloads and created a small community of educator’s who serve, relate to, and support each other every week.

The show is structured in a way that builds positivity throughout the episode and ends with a motivating or hilarious story which brightens the mood of any listener. Through season one, each episode began with an introduction of the days guest. Each guest is unique and brings a different viewpoint to the subject of teaching. Notable guests include Creator of Pocketful of Primary Michelle Ferre, Founder of LifeThatCounts.org John Williams, Jacqueline Torres, a teacher who participated in the Los Angeles teacher strike, and many more. Interviews always start off with the same question:

What do you to make sure you are ready for the week?

I have received answers ranging from taking Sunday to relax and hang out with family to utilizing Sunday to schedule the week, meal prep, and finish making sure everything is perfect for the week ahead. There has been one common answer, however, I have been surprised to hear consistently throughout the show and it is the idea of waking up Monday morning and practicing gratitude. Literally listing things we are grateful for before we start the day can jolt us into a positive outlook that we can then take into the week ahead. This podcast provides a platform to see similarities in successful educators such as practicing gratitude.

I ask two other things before breaking for a quick commercial:
What makes you a unique teacher?
What is something you have failed at and how did you react to that failure?

The first question in this sequence gives the guest a chance to express themselves and why they are passionate about teaching. This is important for the listener to hear because it shows the credibility of the guest, a spark of passion, and a new idea for being unique they may take into their own classroom. The answer to the second question shows the imperfections all of us have despite the amazing and wonderful things we have accomplished. This causes listeners to relate easily to guests and empowers them to keep working toward great things when downfalls arise.

After a short break, every episode includes a segment called Story Time where the guest is invited to share a story with the listener. This story can be motivational, embarrassing, comedic, or anything else. This gives the listener the opportunity to hear a story that motivates or provides positivity to take into the rest of the day. Story time is considered the climax of the episode because it is an opportunity for the guest to talk without being guided by questions. Each story is a personal account of something that has happened in the guests life. This builds rapport between listener and guest and establishes relatable topics for listeners to feel empowered, positive, and motivated through the lens of the guests life.

Once Story Time is over, the guest is given the opportunity to provide listeners with a way to get in touch so the conversation can be continued. This is how a community of teachers is built that support, serve, and empower each other. The final component of each episode is a call to action where I give a weekly challenge for teachers to take into the week to help them make an even bigger impact. Weekly challenges are based on a topic brought up in the interview and urge teachers to go out of their comfort zone to serve their students and themselves. For example, Journalism Teacher Robin Montano writes short and positive personal notes to her students occasionally to offer encouragement and show appreciation. The weekly challenge for her episode (31) is to write at least one short letter of encouragement to a student during the week. This pushes teachers to see their students in a more positive light, go out of their comfort zone by acknowledging them, and build stronger relationships with them which leads to a bigger impact.

This podcast has not only helped me become a better educator and coach, it has become a way for teachers to help each other become great. Next school year I am looking forward to growing this community even more through creating new and more entertaining segments such as a Get to Know You Minute where the guest answers random rapid-fire questions about themselves until I decide I’d like to delve more into a particular answer. I also plan on beginning a small social media marketing campaign, establishing a Facebook community hub or email newsletter, and continuing to find amazing and inspiring guests who lead by example.

This podcast had a fantastic first season, and I believe the unique niche which it serves deserves to have a show dedicated to serving and empowering the people within it. As long as I continue to stay true to my mission of providing teachers with weekly tips, strategies, and positivity during the school year, this podcast will continue to grow and be successful.

Reetam Ganguli

“I hate Biology. This is the worst subject ever! All my friends with tutors understand what the teacher says, but I can’t. I feel stupid. Why can’t we pay for a tutor too?”

I was at a loss for words. All I could do was hold my 7-year-old sister as her eyes welled with tears of frustration. I held her tighter as my voice wavered from shame, reciting the same answer I always gave her: “We need to save money for Ma’s Taxol pills (breast cancer medication) – we can’t afford it”.

Although I’m fortunate to be in a far more financially stable situation now, I’ve never forgotten my sister’s tears and frustration from then. From that day onwards, I started tutoring my sister and her classmates, free of charge. Soon, local elementary school principals heard of my efforts and asked me to teach after school clubs throughout the year. I constructed a comprehensive 10-week biology curriculum and taught heavily through conceptual applications which connected with students from local elementary schools. Eventually, I grew this project into Junior Medical Academy (JMA), a registered nonprofit.

Over the course of the next two years, I focused on scaling. I developed a 50-page teacher guide document to aid other students with a similar desire to teach in their community. I began to make our lessons accessible to students in local homeless shelters and low-income apartment complexes. After teaching locally for nearly three years, I saw that educational inequality isn’t just confined to the bounds of Fremont. I proceeded to reach out to several international nonprofits to deliver our biology curriculum to students from resource-scare backgrounds. After establishing an online record of our work internationally, we were soon approached by nonprofits like the Zimbabwe Science Fair (ZSF) to help make our biology curriculum accessible to developing rural communities, starting in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Rural communities, like those in the outskirts of Harare, are rarely the recipients of educational aid due to language and accessibility barriers. In rare cases where aid is administered by Western initiatives, it’s often done in a vacuum, lacking potential for sustainability and perpetuating a cycle of dependency on external sources. Hence, the question arose: how can I deliver a fully online, English curriculum to students that live in Zimbabwean rural villages that have no access to the internet and exclusively speak Shona?

To address this challenge, I was invited by ZSF’s CEO, Knowledge Chikundi, (an appropriately fitting first name if you ask me!) to travel to Zimbabwe and personally meet with the teachers and students in secondary schools in Zimbabwe’s capital and set up several JMA chapters. After learning the JMA curriculum firsthand, the students became the teachers. I worked with these motivated students, who had access to the internet and were bilingual in both English and Shona, to translate our curriculum and teach to children in the nearby rural communities that were a 20-minute walking distance away from the capital.

Since then, I’ve scaled my lessons to reach dozens of rural villages, low-income schools, and orphanage shelters with little to no access to STEM education across Pakistan, Zimbabwe, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the UK.
This is just the beginning. With access to a college education, I want to expand our curriculum to encompass a broader depth of science subjects by working with like-minded classmates and supportive faculty to make our curriculum accessible to more low-income/developing communities.

I believe equal access to education is not a privilege, but a right. I am proud to have helped make this a reality for thousands of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. I hope to do the same for thousands more in the near future, so no older brother – in Fremont or Harare — ever has to listen to his bright little sister say “I hate Biology” and “I wish we had more money” in the same sentence.

Matthew Kaplan

When we were little, my brother, Josh, and I went on epic adventures, confined only by our imaginations and the walls of our backyard. Since I was older (by an entire year AND a half) and Josh was braver, I had the big ideas, and Josh carried them out.

Time moved on, and so did we – on to bigger ideas and bigger adventures and, eventually, to middle school. Our year and half age difference put us two grades apart. We stayed close, but developed different sets of friends. Then, in fifth grade, things changed for Josh. Kids he had once been friends with started bullying him. They sent him texts telling him he was stupid and worthless. Somehow, he believed them.

I knew the kids who were bullying my brother. They weren’t bad kids. Yet, inexplicably, once they were armed with cell phones and social media, they launched words at him that were far more harmful than sticks and stones. To Josh, their words were more like arrows, piercing right through him. Technology enabled these kids to be anonymous and removed from his reaction. I wanted somebody to make them understand the pain they were causing. By the time I finished eighth grade, I’d realized: the ‘somebody’ to do something would have to be me.

I created Be ONE: The Be “Open To New Experiences Project”, a community-building, peer-to-peer program for middle schoolers. It’s not enough to tell kids not to be bullies. Most kids won’t connect that you may be talking to them. Instead, I use games and guided discussions to foster empathy through shared experience. During the program, kids begin to see that they share the same struggles. They realize they are powerful, and that they can wield their power to build each other up, rather than tear each other down. I do a presentation, including slides of myself and of celebrities, then and now, to demonstrate the enormous amount of change that happens between the beginning of middle school and the end of high school. Be ONE provides a non-judgmental opportunity for kids conclude for themselves that they do not want to be the reason somebody else gives up before having a chance to reach their potential. Apologies are offered and accepted, friendships are repaired, bridges are built, and self-esteem grows.

Be ONE is changing middle school cultures in public, private and charter schools throughout Arizona. In just four years, more than 1,600 students have participated in Be ONE. I have taken Be ONE to schools in California and Virginia, the City of Phoenix Youth Ambassador program, local community groups, and libraries in Scottsdale and Glendale. Through speaking engagements and a PSA airing soon on The Disney Channel, I am reaching millions more. Someday, Be ONE will be in every Arizona middle school and The Be ONE Project will be a national non-profit organization based here in my home state. I may only be one person, but every person can Be ONE.

To learn more about The Be ONE Project, visit:

www.thebeoneproject.org

Lauren Maunus

January 18, 2002. One moment we were frolicking on the beach; the next, I watched in horror as my two-year-old sister nearly died from eating a cashew. Rachel was diagnosed with a life-threatening tree nut allergy, and our family was told that just one bite of a nut could be fatal. Rachel’s life became a minefield, and I could not merely hope that she would be safe. I had to stand up for her, serve as her advocate. This seminal moment prescribed my path as an agent for change.

I soon learned that there were six million other children just like Rachel, who lacked access to critical allergen information at school. Federal law mandates that all food items identify allergens, but shockingly, this does not apply to public schools. I was determined to seek solutions to the notion that they were destined to live their lives in fear.

As a freshman Youth in Government delegate, I drafted a bill to improve best practices in school food allergy management, and was awarded “Best Bill in the House.” After this success at the State Assembly, I began a grassroots campaign, engaging the support of local legislators, School Board Members, and medical and education organizations. I reached out to a national software company, and helped to develop innovative software which identifies allergens for all menu items. Despite much opposition, I convinced my school board to pilot this technology in my home district, making Martin County a pioneer in comprehensively labeling food allergens. However, I was not satisfied reaching merely .6% of Florida’s students; I aspired to take my voice to Tallahassee.

Eager to communicate a compelling argument to unreceptive legislators, I trekked to Florida’s capital only to encounter myriad special interests and red tape. These objections, however, only intensified my resolve and commitment. I quickly learned how to cultivate new ideas in a culture that rewards the status quo, and sought to elicit change rather than impose it. I ardently lobbied the Senate President, Commissioner of Agriculture, and the Governor to profoundly change our state’s current ineffectual policy. After two years of steadfast negotiation and collaboration, the Department of Agriculture introduced guidelines and implemented the software in all 67 school districts, benefiting Florida’s three million students. Additionally, the Senate sponsored a State Proclamation in recognition of National Food Allergy Awareness Week, and I received a letter of commendation from Governor Scott. Consequently, I was invited to speak at Food Allergy Research and Education’s Annual Teen Summit and was awarded their National Food Allergy Innovation Award for Making a Difference. The success in creating a safer school environment for Rachel and her peers motivated me to expand my initiative federally. Throughout the past year, I have joined forces with Members of Congress, the USDA, CDC, FDA, and Let’s Move! to work together to accomplish this goal. The pinnacle of my advocacy was meeting with Michelle Obama’s Deputy Chief of Staff in the White House, leading to a letter of commendation from the First Lady. I have also been invited to testify in front of the House Sub-Committee on Education to introduce allergen labeling as an amendment to the USDA Child Nutrition Act.

My experiences have opened my eyes to the privilege of democracy and the potential for positive change despite pervasive bureaucracy and opposition. I have learned firsthand that everyone’s story matters; no voice is too small. This concept became my call to action in my TEDx talk, “The Persuasive Power of Passion: From Love to Legislation” which I presented at the Miami Opera House to an audience of over 1,200 people last year.

Additionally, I was selected as a keynote speaker at Girl Power Day: “Model This: Girls, Leadership, & Making a Difference”, where I delivered a speech titled “Youth Advocacy: Transforming Passion into Action” to 500 teenage girls. The initiative is also featured in SafeKids Worldwide Blog, AllergyHome Blog, Allergic Living Magazine, and Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

What began as a labor of love ultimately empowered me to find my voice as an advocate and reinforced the principle that I cannot simply be a bystander to injustice. I am now driven to pursue advocacy in other arenas and am further inspired to champion my convictions. At Brown University, I envision broadening the scope of my activism to engender progress in the field of international relations, promoting human rights as a critical vehicle to transcend oppression and resolve global conflict.

Mary Grace Henry

My journey began at the age of 12 when I wanted to find a way to make a life-changing difference for one girl somewhere in the world. So, with determination and a bit of luck, I decided to create my own business and a foundation called Reverse The Course. I taught myself to sew and began making reversible headbands to earn the money needed to pay for one girl’s education.

Now 18, I’ve designed and sold about 12,000 hair accessories at boutiques, holiday fairs, through my website and through retail stores in five states. To date, from business profits as well as donations and grants to my foundation, I’ve raised over $80,000.

With the money we have raised, Reverse The Course Foundation to date has supported 45 girls and has paid for 115 years of education in Kenya, Uganda, Paraguay and Haiti. Education funding includes tuition, boarding, uniform and textbook costs. I partner with proven organizations with team members in the U.S. and on the ground in the countries we operate to ensure that the money is being used appropriately. Through these local partnerships I also gain insight into which schools in each country are strong and staffed by well-trained teachers.

The girls supported by Reverse The Course live in extreme poverty and face additional, horrific obstacles: early marriage, early childbirth, female genital mutilation, HIV/AIDS, rape and violence. Yet, give these girls just one chance – an education – and they will become their communities’ and their countries’ solution. Each girl’s education will help her earn an income, help her support her family and stimulate her community’s economy. By receiving an education, they also will have a greater opportunity to live longer, healthier lives and have fewer, healthier, educated children.

Reverse The Course was created as a sustainable charity. While our primary mission is to fund girls’ education in poverty-stricken countries, we also educate a large audience here in the U.S. about the issue of gender inequality. Through speaking directly with thousands of customers at event sales and speeches to high school students, women’s groups and service organizations, people young and old have become active participants in our movement to “reverse the course” of girls’ lives through education.

Leading by example, Reverse The Course inspires people from all parts of life to take action in whatever way they can to make a difference in the lives of others. Please see the links below to learn more about this unique model of social entrepreneurship.

www.reversethecourse.org
http://www.worldofchildren.org/honoree/mary-grace-henry/
http://vimeo.com/reversethecourse/tumainitrailer

Sanzio Angeli

The idea of controlling over 30 pounds of solid rocket propellant instantly intrigued me. Since I developed a passion for model rocketry in elementary school, I have always wanted to do something more, something greater than launching modest model rockets. One evening when my friend Dylan was over for dinner, we thought it would be a cool idea to launch more than one model rocket at once, after all, how hard could it be? After some initial investigating, we found that the Guinness World Record for the most model rockets launched simultaneously was held at a staggering 3,130 rockets, all launched within a 5 second window. I immediately began to brainstorm creative ways on how to economically and physically break this record. Unfortunately, Dylan’s mother has been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. Dylan and I both have seen her struggle through countless rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries. With the struggles of breast cancer so ingrained in Dylan’s life, I decided to turn our event into a breast cancer fundraiser. Thus, Rocket4theCure was born.

>After the initial excitement wore off, I soon realized what we had gotten ourselves into. Luckily, as an Eagle Scout of Troop 1893, I was well prepared for the task at hand. I began in January of 2014 with preliminary emails and big picture logistics such as location and rocket suppliers. After what seemed like hundreds of phone calls, meetings, deals, and re-evaluations, I had all the details in place to start fundraising for this event. Donors, for a small fee, could “sponsor a rocket” and get a loved one’s name on the body of a rocket. By July, the project was rolling full steam as rocket assembly groups worked over eight-hundred man hours on rocket construction alone, and rocket sponsorships were coming in by the hour. Website, media outreach, and logistical planning consumed my days as other, last minute issues arose. Eventually, the two thousand total man hours spent on the project culminated as we began to make final preparations for launch at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds.

Launch day, 5:45 p.m., October 26th, 2014. The Rocket4theCure team had been wiring rockets together since 6:00 a.m., and our launch window was closing as the airspace clearance time dwindled. My knees trembled when I pushed the automated thirty second launch sequence. As the countdown reached zero, I knelt down in front of the launch control. That split second before launch, that surreal moment when time stood still and my surroundings fell perfectly silent, brought together every emotion experienced throughout the project. A sudden roar rumbled throughout the complex as 4,087 rockets flew into the air with smoke trails marking their paths. I could hear thunderous popping sounds when parachutes deployed. As the smoke cleared, 3,973 successfully launched rockets gracefully and silently fell about the pavement. After verifying the record had been broken, we let the 500-person crowd run out onto the field while hugs and high fives were shared by all. Besides raising $20,155.40 for breast cancer research and putting Rocket4theCure in the Guinness Book of World Records, I felt a strong sense of contentment knowing I directly contributed to finding a cure for my good friend’s mother.

www.rocket4thecure.org

Madison Badrawi

Meet Reese McKenna Donnay. Reese is just like any other typical eight-year old girl. She loves to draw, paint, and play soccer, but above all else, Reese loves to spend time with her younger brother Cade, and her parents Ryan and Sara. Unfortunately, Reese faces unique challenges that most girls her age don’t face. Reese has Juvenile Batten’s Disease, which is a disease that attacks the nervous system and causes blindness. Worst of all, this disease has no known cure and an average life expectancy of 19 years old.

When my fellow high school DECA members and I learned about Reese and her battle with Juvenile Battens Disease we knew that we had to do everything in our power to help her and other patients of JBD. Reese’s father, Ryan, is an influential teacher and coach at Rogers High School, and often helps with our DECA chapter. Ryan Donnay’s special connection to the Rogers community and Rogers DECA Chapter is the reason we decided to Rally for Reese. Our goal was not only to raise money for Reese and her family, but to also give hope. Hope for a brighter future, and hope that there will be a cure found for Juvenile Batten’s Disease.

The Rally for Reese fundraiser had four major components: T-Shirts and donations, a 5K fun run, a dinner benefit, and finally Rally for Reese week. From the T-Shirts and donations component of Rally for Reese, the Rogers DECA Chapter sold an outstanding 2,074 shirts at $15 per shirt. Additional donations were also accepted with each shirt and the Rogers DECA Chapter raised an amazing $60,504 for the Donnay family! Even troops overseas in Iraq sported Rally for Reese shirts, and gave their full support to the fundraiser.

We started planning the Rally for Reese 5K Fun Run and Dinner Benefit and decided that they would be held on September 21st, 2013. The 5K Fun Run began at 10AM and was held at a local church. Runner registration was $25 per runner, and there were over 550 participants raising an additional $13,075 for the Rally for Reese fundraiser! The dinner benefit was held immediately following the 5K Fun Run at a local country club with a spaghetti dinner served to guests, and a local band “Drop Tailgate” for entertainment. The Rally for Reese dinner benefit activities included face painting and crazy hair for the children attending, as well as a mystery wine event and silent auction for adults over 21 years of age. The Dinner Benefit had over 400 attendees, and helped raise and additional $5,316 for the Rally for Reese fundraiser.

The week following the 5K fun run and dinner benefit, our DECA chapter hosted Rally for Reese week to help give students and staff that were unable to attend the previous events the opportunity to support Rally for Reese. Rally For Reese Week consisted of four sub categories: Ribbons, Reese’s Pieces, Handprints for Reese, and finally the local business benefits. The ribbons, which we’re wearing now, are teal, for the color associated with Juvenile Batten’s Disease, and hot pink, for Reese’s favorite color and were sold during lunch along with Reese’s pieces candies. Students and staff were also given the opportunity to paint their hands teal and pink and place their handprint on the Handprints for Reese banner that would be displayed in the cafeteria. These activities helped strengthen the bond between staff and students at Rogers High School, including Ryan Donnay. Finally, Cherry Berry and local restaurant,Maynard’s, were generous enough to donate 100% of their proceeds on a designated day that would be directly donated to the Donnay family. In total an additional $16,449 was raised for the Donnay family, but more importantly Rally for Reese Week helped increase community involvement and support for the Donnay family.

This lead to the conclusion of the Rally for Reese Project, but not the end of the Rally for Reese story. A massive $95,504 was raised for the Donnay Family that would be used towards medical bills and a much-deserved family vacation on a Disney cruise to the Bahamas. Our Rally for Reese project raised something more important than money… it raised hope. Hope that one day there will be a cure for Juvenile Batten’s Disease. And hope for a brighter future. This Rally project also benefited our Rogers DECA Chapter by enhancing our skills in leadership, social intelligence, and understanding the importance of community service.

Josh Kaplan

In our ever-evolving digital world, it has become more important than ever to create technology geared towards social inclusion. Because of technology’s impact on the way we communicate with others, we have to consider those who do not have access to technology because they have no means of using it. One in ten Americans suffer from blindness or a severe visual impairment, and yet there are very few products on the market currently that are cost-effective and convenient to use. Smartphone apps do not provide the functionality a blind user would need to use their smartphone, while wireless Braille keyboards are not convenient and distract from the smartphone experience.

The BrailleBoard is a unique blend of practical design and portable functionality, while providing social inclusion for those who often face social disconnect. The BrailleBoard is a flip-open protective keyboard case connectable to smartphones via Bluetooth. However, what makes the BrailleBoard so distinctive is the patent-pending design: rather than featuring normal keys on the keyboard, the BrailleBoard is retrofitted with both Braille letters and large-print, contrasting letters. Its navy blue and white color scheme is suited for the individual requirements of a user with a visual impairment, while the clear Braille overlay provides blind users with the same sensory experience of a full-size Braille keyboard, in a compact design. The BrailleBoard grants both blind and visually-impaired users alike the ability to use handheld technology comfortably.

The BrailleBoard truly has the power to change the world and the way we view handheld technology. Unlike most pieces of technology, the BrailleBoard is equipped with the power to create inclusion. Both youth and adults are utilizing the power of the smartphone, both in social environments and the workplace. Ismael Herrera, a member of EmpowerTech and teacher of blind students, stated that the “BrailleBoard will open a whole new world of opportunities for blind people.” The BrailleBoard has the potential to positively impact the lives of every blind or visually-impaired teenager by creating a sense of normalcy for the teens using a smartphone.

And yet, the power of the BrailleBoard extends beyond teenagers. Dr. Michael Washburn, the former Vice President at Nestlé North America, who also has a severe visual impairment, said about BrailleBoard: “I think this idea deserves to be prototyped, fully-developed, and tested. I travel a lot, and would much prefer to use a BrailleBoard and leave the laptop at home!” He firmly believes that the BrailleBoard can impact the lives of blind and visually-impaired adults who don’t want the hassle of a smartphone application or a wireless keyboard.

As a patent-pending product with an initial prototype, the next step towards placing the BrailleBoard in the hands of every blind and visually-impaired smartphone user is the development of the keyboard case. I had the incredible opportunity to pitch the BrailleBoard to a group of investors through an organization called SEEDSPOT, a socially-geared business incubator based in Phoenix, Arizona, where I received first place, a monetary prize, and the chance to work with experts in the field of technology. In the next year, we will have created a finalized prototype of the BrailleBoard, which will have gone into production. For those who face social disconnect due to their visual impairments, the power of the BrailleBoard is undeniable. Although the goal of production in the next year is ambitious, the tangible social change as a result is far more encouraging.

Sydney Stepney

As a ninth grader, I was given the assignment to test which alternative growing method including: aeroponics, aquaponics, hydroponics, and traditional gardening would grow plants faster. During the second semester of my junior year, I used this assignment to develop my science fair project on the macronutrient retention rates between the same alternative growing methods used to enhance urban agriculture. Based on the results of both experiments, the aquaponic system not only grew the plants quicker, but also retained a higher percentage of macronutrients. Aquaponics is the growing of plants using only water and the fecal emission of fish as a natural fertilizer. Conclusively, the aquaponics growing model was the most efficient.

Using this information, my science teacher and I decided to design a larger scaled model in our school’s greenhouse. It was quite successful as within two weeks, the kale plants we grew had grown up to 12 inches. Subsequently, we grew other vegetables and within 6 weeks, had a greenhouse full of mature plants and herbs ready to be picked. We were contacted by our school system’s nutrition program and decided to distribute this food.

Since the greenhouse is property of the school, everything we grow is used for non-profit purposes. We give to school system nutrition program, and community members who exercise around our school and stop by to view the garden. We also conduct free pop-up farmer’s markets for the same. To date, we’ve started three public aquaponic systems for two local churches, a MARTA train station, and a local elementary school.

Since the debut of the aquaponic garden, it has given the school and myself a lot of publicity. In April of 2016, we were contacted by FOX 5 News to do a cover story on the achievement of the greenhouse project and its impact on the community. The article can be viewed by using the following link: http://www.fox5atlanta.com/good-day/132215678-story. With all of its success, we are now partnered with the school’s #1 food provider to grow fruits and vegetables for students of the Atlanta Public School community.

Whitney Scott

In May 2016, I wrote a book titled Nice Girls Club: New Best Friend. The novel tells a story about a young girl, Brianna, who is challenged to reflect on her mean behavior and accept people for who they are. She has some experiences that empower her to be kind to others and exercise empathy. All of these experiences help her to build positive relationships with her family and peers.

I was inspired to write this young girls book series after observing how the young girls within my community interacted with one another. I discovered that girls could possibly recognize their own limitless potential and appreciate themselves if they were exposed to a more positive lexicon and context. My observations forced me to reflect on my own childhood and some challenges that I faced with self confidence, body image and bullying.

I established Nice Girls Club to empower young girls to be kind and develop self-confidence and self-awareness. Through my book and organization, I encourage girls to love their own unique characteristics and build positive relationships with others. My ultimate goal is
motivate girls to discover the greatness they have within.

Nice Girls Club provides workshops and book readings to girls. Our book readings are followed by thoughtful discussions about challenges that girls face in everyday life. Our interactive workshops allow girls to interact positively with their peers and embrace their own unique qualities. These workshops challenge girls to view situations from multiple perspectives. This encourages them to empathize with others and become more compassionate and understanding.

Read my blog and obtain more information about me, the book and Girl Empowerment Workshops at www.nicegirlsclub.org.

Sharon Lin

BitxBit Camp was founded in 2015 after receiving a $3000 grant from the National Center for Women & IT AspireIT. The organization’s objective was to provide opportunities for students in inner-city schools especially minority middle school girls to learn computer science with students from a similar background.

Through a weeklong summer day camp, thirty underprivileged students from the greater New York City area learned the basics of website development in HTML and CSS, Javascript animations in web browsers, programming Sphero robots, and developing Android applications through MIT App Inventor tools. Their camaraderie helped bring success to the first session of the program, as well as inspiring the program to continue for the next year.

The next season, not only did the program receive yet another grant, but it was able to earn $10,000 in sponsorship from Microsoft, Intel, and Sphero, helping to bring the program to fruition once more, and to help expand nationwide into a school-year online mentorship platform for minority students interested in computer science alongside the annual summer camp program.

With a wide-ranging demographic pool, the students were able to engage in areas of discussion including race relations, feminism, and social justice, inspiring websites and mobile applications that were dedicated to combating prejudice and inequality. Mentors ranging from professionals in software engineering to high school and collegiate-aged students helped provide guidance to build dozens of creative and innovative projects throughout the year.

Furthermore, the first meetups and the annual end-of-year gala were organized in 2016, featuring panels and speakers ranging from CEO’s and entrepreneurs to data scientists and researchers. Ultimately, BitxBit Camp has garnered a network of more than 1000 students and educators, and has been profiled in Fusion Magazine, Fox News, ABC News, Sinovision, Imagine Magazine, Key Club Magazine, Women 2.0, and the White House Champions of Change.

Website: http://bitxbitcamp.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/bitxbitcamp

Campbell Weyland

In the spring of 2015, I was approached by one of my professors in the Civil Engineering department. He asked me to help him revive a previous research team in order to develop a composting plan for the school’s cafeteria food waste. That summer I stayed on campus (Lafayette College) with another student and began learning about the methods that would be needed to test the different nutrient values in the compost we would eventually create. Since the research had stopped in 2011, none of the methods were up to date and we had to make sure that they were still viable. After a summer spent developing a methodology book, I began testing that fall on compost batches we created from our own food waste at school. The funding we had received was from the Engineering department to help solve the Food Security/Nitrogen problem associated with runoff stemming from agriculture operations. Lafayette College was picked for an initiative program created by President Obama to solve 14 challenges that would help alleviate world issues.

Nitrogen and Phosphorous are added to agriculture systems to provide plants with the energy they need to grow. However, everyday we lose many of these nutrients in runoff. My project was a consideration of how we might enhance the nutrient value of compost – essentially engineer a compost with higher targeted nutrients. This was important because we used food waste from our own dining services to help form a food loop to help conserve our precious natural resources. The compost batches we had created originally were not even close to same value of nutrients as commercial fertilizers. However, many of these commercial fertilizers are petroleum based and result in the release of nutrients too quickly for the plants to actually utilize it.

In the spring of 2016, I began my literature review to figure out ways in which to increase the nitrogen content. Through this research, I discoverd that the compound struvite had been used as a fertilizer before in regular soil, but never in compost. That spring, I began creating struvite at a wastewater treatment plant. This is a compound that is nitrogen and phosphorous rich and acts as a slow release fertilizer. Over the summer, I added them to our compost and found that the crystals did not fully dissolve before 8 weeks. If we can implement this on a large scale at agriculture operations we could cut down on a lot of the waste. If agricultural operations collected their runoff and made their own struvite crystals, they could add it to their food waste and then use it as fertilizer on their own operations. Food is thrown away before it reaches the stores because it is not visually appealing. If farmers create this food loop, it would minimize the amount of phosphorous countries mine every year by reducing the need for it. As for nitrogen, it would be contained in the cycle and farms could create their own small scale nitrogen cycles.

The most exciting and enjoyable times of my two year research project was when I was able to present at local, state, and national conferences. I enjoyed networking with fellow environmental enthusiasts in the field and talking about the products they were developing. I was able to present my ideas to well connected and highly educated people in the field.

Albert Appouh

Community service and volunteerism are core to who I am as a person. In 2008, I was hospitalized in a mental institution with bipolar disorder comorbid with paranoid schizophrenia. After I was released, I stayed at home most of the time recovering, but I felt a sense of emptiness and misery. Then, during one of my therapy sessions, my case worker told me a phrase that would forever become my philosophy of community service: “The happiest people are not those who are getting more, but those who are giving more.” She explained that there have been studies that prove that volunteering helps alleviate depression. Therefore, I made it my 2009 New Year’s resolution to perform more community service. Little did I know that I know that I would ultimately become a leader in service work.

Since 2009, I have been heavily involved in service work and leadership within several organizations and community initiatives. Through my involvement, I had the opportunity to collaborate with various charitable groups and 501(c)(3) organizations in the metropolitan Newark, NJ area. Over the course of these relationships, I noted a profound gap between the resources dedicated to addressing issues such as hunger, disease, and poverty in Newark and the actual need levels of those fighting on the front lines. In response to this, I founded a nonprofit organization, Newark Cares, which seeks to address directly the most serious social, healthcare, and educational problems facing low-income residents and homeless citizens in Newark, NJ as well as to provide assistance to other charitable organizations who lead this fight on a daily basis. I have developed initiatives to drive targeted daily traffic (at least 500 visitors) to NewarkCares.com to raise awareness and donations, which have resulted in a threefold increase in the number of volunteers and donations to these Newark-based charities and nonprofits over the past year alone. Newark Cares represents my effort not just to serve and lead, but to innovate.

My philosophy of education is that the key to happiness is to selflessly help others. Following this philosophy, I have made a remarkable influence as lead manager through my hard work in my non-profit organization, Newark Cares. I can attest that I have saved many people’s lives and in the process, I saved myself.

Leisha Armijo

While working on an academic research project at the University of New Mexico, I became interested in using my knowledge of materials engineering to revolutionize the electromechanics industry. The manufacturing industry is presently responsible for the production of a significant amount of toxic waste which must be disposed of properly, often by incineration, which releases these products of combustion reactions into the atmosphere. The EPA has introduced a standard for green chemistry which is not enforced, at present, but should be used if we are to conduct responsible research. I began this project in the interest of extending environmentally sound green chemistry procedures to produce a novel material that could be used in electric vehicle motors. This will reduce green house gas emissions, and lower “carbon footprints,” which has beneficial implications for all life on this planet. Another motivation for this project is reduction of our dependence on foreign child labor, which is inherently unethical. The results of this project will not only alleviate child labor, reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and mined minerals, but eventually reduce overall green house gas emissions and toxic waste!

All motors require magnetic materials for their operation. The strongest magnets in production today rely on cobalt-iron or iron and rare-earth metals; however, continued use of these elemental compositions in large-scale manufactured materials raises serious concerns, which are becoming more apparent as their use continues to increase. More than half of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where it is mined, often by the exploitation of children to labor in unspeakable work conditions, making most of the cobalt trade highly unethical. In addition, analysts at Macquarie Research project cobalt deficits of 885 tons by next year, 3,205 tons in 2019 and 5,340 tons in 2020; corresponding to a deficit increase of 503 percent! Magnet producers use rare-earth metals such as neodymium, dysprosium and terbium, mined primarily in China. Supplies of all three of these rare earth elements are vulnerable not only due to the increasing demand, but also the likelihood that China will restrict exports in response to the limited supply. The U.S. Department of Energy projects worldwide production of neodymium oxide to total 30,657 tons in 2015, with the most conservative estimate showing that the demand for neodymium will exceed the supply by about 2020. This project seeks to solve many of these aforementioned problems.

Under this project, I have developed a green chemistry procedure for the synthesis of a novel magnetic material. This highly-magnetic iron-nitride powder, free of rare-earths and cobalt, is produced from abundant, low-cost materials which are ethically mined and traded in the U.S. The use of this material in electric vehicles (EVs), for example, will significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the U.S. each year by encouraging the use of clean alternatives to oil and coal. Developing alternatives to the use of rare earths will also reduce our dependence on these materials and will have a positive impact on our national economic and energy security. The transportation and electric power sectors account for nearly 75 % of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions each year. Better magnets would support the widespread use of EVs (not to mention their contribution to the wind power industry), significantly reducing these emissions. The U.S. spends nearly $1 billion every day on imported petroleum; improvements in magnet technology would enable a broader use of EVs, which would help insulate our economy from unexpected spikes in the price of oil and dependence on imported petroleum.

The commercialization of this material is now underway, and its incorporation into electric vehicle motors and other devices will no doubt result in the numerous benefits to mankind that led to its realization. Completion of my degree will hopefully help me to achieve this goal and to influence other synthetic chemists and materials engineers to popularize environmentally friendly green chemistry methods. I also used the opportunity afforded me during the development period to mentor numerous students, describing green chemistry, the material, the process of invention disclosure, and to provide overall instruction to students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, and to spark the interest of younger students in STEM. Over 20 high-achieving high school interns were selected to assist with this project, and talks on this project were given to over 100 middle school and numerous elementary school students. Through this project, I spent many hours above my normal work requirement volunteering for outreach to encourage students in STEM. Therefore, this project has had, and will continue to have far-reaching impacts on all-levels of students as well as professionals in the field.

Shyanne Massie

It is estimated that 397,122 children in the United States are without a home due to abuse and neglect. Consider that half of the population of Alaska is living through the foster care systems, switching family to family. Over 23,000 of these kids age out of the systems without ever having experienced a permanent home. The consequences for these children are grim, they are more likely to experience homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration as young adults. Royal Family Kids Camp works toward providing support for foster children throughout the nation.

Royal Family Kids Camp (RFK) was created in 1990 with the mission to create life-changing moments for foster children of abuse. In 2012, RFK served over 6,000 children in 160 camps in 35 states and 11 international countries. Eighty thousand children have been enrolled in the camps in the last 25 years with no end in sight.

After watching the movie “Camp,” which is based on a true story from a RFK camp, I fell in love with the purpose of the program. In 2014 I contacted Rachel Olson, a three-year foster parent. She had attended the Anchorage, Alaska RFK camp and saw the effect it had on dozens of children at one time. She loved the idea of helping so many kids at once. When she and her husband, Trevor Olson, heard there was a need for a camp in the Mat-Su Valley, they jumped at the opportunity to establish RFK Mat-Su in 2014. Now, three years later, Olson’s Mat-Su RFK camp hosts 45-65 kids each year between the ages of 6-12.

While talking to her, she told me how some of the children at camp had never had a birthday, so every year the staff would have one big birthday party for all the campers. With eight months until camp, I started raising money through photoshoots by asking clients to donate to my cause rather than paying for the photos. My goal was to create a miniature birthday cake and custom backpack filled with gifts to give to each camper when the camp held the birthday party.

I raised over $2,500 and collected donated supplies, which included chap sticks, toothbrushes, books, and nail polish. Each of the 52 campers had their own birthday cake that matched the theme of the party, the Summer Olympics, and a bag of goodies that had their name embroidered on the outside. As I handed out the cakes and bags, the children made comments saying “I have never had a birthday cake!” Seeing their smiles brought me the greatest joy. Since then, I have remained partnered with the program and plan to continue to do so with the goal to help show these children the compassion they deserve but didn’t always receive.

John Baldwin

There was too much oxygen. I was attempting to record the gas exchange for a single culm of Everglades sawgrass, Cladium mariscus, but the numbers did not seem right. As part of a high school internship, I was working in the Florida Atlantic University greenhouse after school, under the guidance of Professor Brian Benscoter. I was attempting to measure the levels of gas exchange under different hydrological conditions. As the level of water available decreases, plant life becomes far less productive, leading to an unhealthy foundation in the ecosystem and directly affecting the health of the surrounding areas and the human population beyond that.

The environment I grew up in was based around nature and the outdoors. Being born and raised in South Florida, explanations for the vitality of the ecosystems around me were ever present. In school, there were field trips to go trekking through swampy wilderness and chapters of textbooks devoted to understanding the Everglades. Growing up learning about the value of wetland ecosystems to Florida, I felt obligated to find a solution.

I was using the most sophisticated pieces of technology available to me: trash cans, bungee cords, garbage bags, and a finicky old gas chromatograph. While providing rough preliminary data, this lacked for a more rigorous and expanded experimental application. I needed a better system — one that was not too expensive. Unfortunately, there were no readily available inexpensive technology and no funding to purchase high-end equipment to measure gas exchange at the sensitivity that was needed. The idea was to build a large airtight chamber that could be automated to open and close at set time intervals while measuring carbon dioxide concentration, humidity, temperature, and other environmental variables. Confident that collaboration would increase the likelihood of the project’s success, I recruited two knowledgeable students from my high school’s Environmental Science Magnet Program: one engineering student and one biology student.

Under my direction, our team immediately went to work in the lab on new designs for our system — an inexpensive but reliable measurement chamber that could be deployed in the field for several months at a time. In only a few months, we developed a prototype and are on the road to making my old job completely autonomous.

In the coming months, we plan on field trials of our prototype and writing up our results for a peer-reviewed journal manuscript. Sharing what we have learned in this format will provide many wetland researchers with an inexpensive and robust monitoring system and the ability to conduct their experiments without draining their budgets. Increased access to affordable technology can and will enhance research productivity and quality. As a result of my team’s efforts, precious ecosystems all over the world, including the Everglades, can be better understood and better taken care of.

Cheyanne Perry

A cacophony of noise was audible from my position in the reclining hospital bed. The beeping IV pumps signaled the cessation of another infusion. The racket muffled the monotonous phrases that exuded from the mouth of the specialist. He quickly rewrote my intended plans on a prescription pad, editing them to read a life of misery with a medical diagnosis. However, I never intended on filling that particular script. The best medication is thinking innovatively to transform adversity into purpose.

It was the summer before high school when I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and its comorbid conditions, Mast Cell Disease and Dysautonomia. The mind-boggling terms that most have never heard of did not foreshadow the extent of struggle to come. I knew my life differed from my peers. They engaged in late nights of studying, participated in school sports, and had endless fun in the four years determining life success. They did not have to complete homework between doctor appointments or require a feeding tube and a central line for nutrition and medications. Eventually my health progressed, and the summer following high school, I spent eight months out of the entire year in the hospital. The sum of my experiences resulted in a series of blog projects on the website, http://www.hospitalprincess.com. The goal of Hospital Princess is to mentor others and to serve as a reminder to embrace full potential and happiness regardless of the adversity.

Hospital Princess connects people from across the globe. Healthy or sick, male or female, it guides those on unique journeys of their own. The site is comprised of relatable blogs, vlogs, tutorials, and devotionals. It gives a raw glimpse of my personal story. Navigating life with a chronic illness is challenging, especially in adolescence and young adulthood. There is no handbook on understanding chronic illness, whether directly taking on the role of a patient or experiencing it with a friend or family member. I did not have a mentor to calm my fears surrounding an uncertain prognosis or how to react when even medical professionals lack the necessary knowledge of my conditions. Hospital Princess offers YouTube videos on a patient’s perspective, like in “Central Line Resources” and “All About The Continuous IV Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) Infusion,” which is about being one of the few people in the entire world surviving on a rare IV treatment administered daily at home. It is a platform to further my aspiration of becoming a counselor with a specialty in chronic and terminal illness. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTQWXqMrlkhde32dRq3IRkw).

The blog receives the publicity to host online campaigns to contribute to research or patient advocacy, the most recent being a t-shirt fundraiser where all proceeds profit the research for Dr. Lawrence Afrin’s 20/20 Study. By implementing the skill of knitting acquired during an eight-month hospital admission in 2015 and early 2016, I was able to startup a small Etsy business affiliated with the website where some of the products are donated for hospital care packages.

Life rarely transpires according to original intentions. Mine surely did not on the day the man in the white coat denounced my dreams with a diagnosis. That does not suggest that crafting future is insignificant. In comparison to previous winners of the LA Tutors Scholarship, these efforts are probably miniscule. Nevertheless, it is my intention to exemplify that it is still possible to have some sort of an impact amid isolating circumstances. The website and blog, Hospital Princess, was initially a coping mechanism during an arduous hospital admission. Since then, it has become so much more. It emphasizes the importance of persevering despite hardship to achieve all aspirations. Whether at a desk or in a bed in the intensive care unit, my aim is to positively benefit others enduring their own struggles. I am forever grateful to Hospital Princess for giving me that opportunity.

Natalie Hampton

In middle school, I went through a severe bullying experience in which I was verbally bullied, cyber bullied, and physically attacked. Apart from the violence, one of the worst things was having to eat lunch alone and the embarrassment of having others see me eating lunch alone. After I changed schools, and landed in a much kinder community, I would always invite people to join my group whenever I saw someone eating lunch alone. Some of these kids, one girl in particular, are now my best friends, whom I never would have met if I had not invited them over. I later learned that one girl who I had invited over had been struggling with self-harm and thoughts of suicide at that time. Finding new friends changed her mind and changed the course of her high school path for the better. I saw firsthand that one small act of kindness — something that may not have meant much to me at the time — made a huge difference in her life.

I decided that I wanted to effect this kind of change on a larger scale, so I created a free lunch-planning app called Sit With Us (http://www.sitwithus.io) that helps kids find allies in their schools and safe places to sit at lunch. I believe that every school has upstanders like me who want to take an active role in improving their community to make it more warm and welcoming. Something as seemingly small as lunch can make huge strides in making a school more inclusive because if kids are more kind to each other at lunch, then they are more likely to be kind in the classroom and outside of the classroom.

The way Sit With Us works is that users download the app and create a profile page with a photo, bio, and list of interests, like any other social network. Users must input their school name and address, so that lunch events are sorted by that geographical location. They are then offered the opportunity to be a Sit With Us Ambassador for their schools in which they sign a pledge to post open lunch events from time to time in the app and to make anyone who joins the table feel welcome. If a kid is looking for a place to sit, he or she can simply open the app and find a table to join under the “featured events” tab without any fear of rejection. Instead of holding up a sign that says “lonely kids eat here,” it is all very discreet, and no one will know the difference. At my former school, if I had been able to find one ally, I believe I would have had a different experience.

I released the app for iOS in the Apple Store in September 2016 and the Android version in February 2017. Since inception, I have gained over 100,000 users in eight countries worldwide, and it continues to grow every day. Sit With Us is the largest club on my school campus, and I see so many smiling faces in the lunch area every day. To my surprise, the app is being used for lunch and meeting planning by adults in colleges, places of worship, conferences, and large workspaces (such as nurses in hospitals). The app has been featured by under “New Apps We Love” in the Apple Store, has been covered in international media (print, TV, and radio), has garnered numerous awards, and is included in three museums (including the Smithsonian). I was named 1 of 25 Women Changing the World by People Magazine in the November 13, 2017 issue.

I have been invited to speak at many large conferences, including the UN Youth Assembly (from the podium in the Great Assembly Hall) and TEDxTeen. I also speak at local schools and in public libraries. I receive messages frequently from people all over the world, either saying that the app is helping them make their lives better or thanking me for providing an effective tool for kids to make their school communities more kind. Recognizing the effectiveness of my solution, six prominent anti-bullying organizations are partnering with me, including PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, Champions Against Bullying, and United Against Bullying. I formed a nonprofit (Sit With Us, Inc.), and my company has received grants from Samsung, Disney, Youth Service America, Ryan Seacrest, and others. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have met so many teenagers who have similar stories to mine, and my goal is to help make exclusion a thing of the past for all of them.

This pivotal experience of my life has taught me several important lessons that I try to share with others when I am doing community outreach. The first lesson is that you are never too young to make a difference. When I initially presented the idea to my parents, they looked at me like I was crazy. And yet only one year later, I am running a global nonprofit and leading a movement to spread kindness. Sometimes what may seem impossible at first is truly very possible if you put in the effort to make it succeed. Second, I want people to know that whatever they are struggling with, they are not alone. When I was being victimized, I thought that nobody else in the world understood what I was going through. But now that I have been able to connect with people through my app, I have found that so many others out there have stories so similar to mine. We are living in a world filled with humans seeking a connection, so no matter what, people need to know that they are not alone. My third and final point is to remind people to choose kindness. It’s up to us to make a difference in our communities — to leave the world a better place than how we found it. Having been on both sides, the person who was excluded and the person who invites anyone sitting alone to join the lunch table, I know that my app can make a difference. I believe that if we spread kindness out into the world, it comes back to us. Even if you don’t use the app, you can embody the spirit of Sit With Us by inviting someone who is sitting alone to join you. You never know — your future best friend might be sitting at the next table, and Sit With Us can help you take the first step.

La-Chelle Dickenson

La A.M.I.D. (The Association of Minorities In Dance) is an online organization that educates and advocates for those who are underrepresented in the dance world. I have seen firsthand how the lack of opportunity in dance can affect a dancer’s success. Amidst the competiveness of the field, there is a celebration of the human spirit and the power of movement that unites all dancers. Based on my personal experience, I wanted to create an organization that brought together a community that was already existing but needed to be connected. The organization defines minority as something that is not limited to just race. We believe that a minority in dance is anyone who feels underrepresented in the dance world. In addition to race this includes gender, religion, performance style, and physical ability. La A.M.I.D is a place that will connect these individuals to one another, education, and performance opportunities. The purpose of the organization is not to single anyone out but rather highlight those who are successful and inform those who are coming after. The dance world is evolving, and the door is wide open for change. Now is the time to embrace diversity.

Why is this important? As a child, I remember having this love for ballet but realizing that none of the ballerinas looked like me. I began to think ballet was not possible for people of my skin color. Thanks to my collegiate experience, I am gaining my confidence back. However, no person, let alone a child, should feel like their appearance or who they are will hinder them from achieving their dreams.

In the past five months, La A.M.I.D has been reaching people primarily through Instagram and Facebook. The laamid.org website was developed this past June. Working in conjunction with me, I have a team of two editors and four brand ambassadors. These individuals are passionate about dance and want to see other minorities be successful in dance.

My vision for La A.M.I.D is that the organization will have a strong social media presence, as well as an interactive website. Through social media, viewers can comment and communicate with one another in response to a La A.M.I.D post. In the near future, our website will focus on one topic, which changes every month. Based on availability, professional dancers will be able to log on and communicate with members, answering questions and giving advice. We will support our brand ambassador by advertising their successes, performances, and achievements. Every year students will have a chance to apply for a scholarship that can be applied to a colligate, studio, or summer program or tuition.

La A.M.I.D is a living project; dance is a part of every culture and can be a vehicle of freedom. Regardless if dance is something done recreationally or professionally, no one should feel like who they are will prevent them from success.

https://laamid.org/
Instagram & Facebook – laamid4life

Cole Scanlon

In American public schools, factors such as geography and socioeconomic status are unjustly determinative of who attends college and who doesn’t. The 56 million students that attend a U.S. K-12 school each year can have drastically different learning opportunities and educational resources. For instance, per-pupil spending across public school districts ranges from $9,794 in Chicago Ridge School District to $28,639 in Rondout District 72 (adjusted for regional cost differences) . The diversity of educational experiences culminates in grade 12, as students consider what to do after high school. Even though college is not the only pathway for greater opportunities, attending college can serve as an economic equalizer for disadvantaged students.

During the confusing and even overwhelming process of applying to college, access to information and resources also varies greatly. The average student-to-counselor ratio in a U.S. public high school is around 491-to-1, which presents some inherent constraints on the quality of advising individual students get in deciding what to do after high school and, if college is their desired path, how to navigate the process. For those that can afford it, college consultants often provide personalized assistance for thousands of dollars. Approximately one-third of college applicants pay for such services. However, expensive college consultants are not an option for a substantial number of students. As a low-income student attending an urban public school with one counselor for nine-hundred students in my senior class, I was disturbed that chance occurrences – like finding the right mentor – determined which students had the information and resources they needed to apply for college and financial aid.

The objective of my service project, FairOpportunityProject.org, is to improve the likelihood that young people in underperforming schools have an equal opportunity to attend college. I co-founded the edtech nonprofit in April 2016 and, since, have worked with college students, high school counselors, and advisors to write a free 70-page college admissions and financial aid guide including successful college essays, free online videos, scholarship websites, and much more. The guide was sent to 64,000 public schools, translated into Spanish and Mandarin, awarded Forbes 30 under 30, and featured in Thrillist, the Harvard Gazette, and the Harvard Ed Magazine. Most importantly, website traffic and user stories have supported the substantial need for our student-facing resources. Approximately 25,000 users have visited our website over the past two months and, besides being hosted on 49 other websites and downloaded in 35 countries, our ‘FOP’s Guide’ has been printed and distributed by superintendents across the country.

However, my experience leading Fair Opportunity Project has also made me recognize that much more can be done to address persistent educational inequities. It’s been a challenge to make our resources more accessible to students. Translating our guide into multiple languages was a step in the right direction, but I also realize that the text-rich guide can be overwhelming for many who might prefer more diagrams and videos. The most pressing problem at the moment is actually financial. Since its founding, Fair Opportunity Project has been operating off of a one-time $2000 grant from Harvard, our own out-of-pocket contributions, and hundreds of volunteer hours. Our financial circumstance constrains our ability to best serve students.

I believe that my work, through Fair Opportunity Project and through my other initiatives, exemplifies my deep passion for public service. I’m energized at the prospect of growing the impact of Fair Opportunity Project and, in doing so, mitigating a problem that is both pressing and personally meaningful. As the son of a high school English teacher and the grandson of a high school counselor, I’ve spent considerable time thinking about education and its role as a ‘great equalizer’ in our society. I’m proud of my contributions thus far and have been deeply touched by hundreds of stories I’ve received from counselors, parents, and students. For instance, I recently received an email from a counselor in Idaho Falls who thanked our team for “not only being aware of a very relevant issue, but taking the time to do something meaningful to work toward a solution.” Through the LA Tutors 123 Innovation Scholarship, I’d be empowered to strengthen my current efforts and deepen my passion for service.

Nicole Steiner

I am the founder and president of two community service programs, A Game for You and A Journal for You. I launched A Game for You in June 2014 to collect board games, puzzles, and books for hospitalized children, veterans, special needs kids, low-income school libraries, the homeless and the elderly in assisted living facilities. I hold citywide and school donation drives, and organize delivery events with student volunteers. I also write grant proposals and speak at community events to raise funds to purchase additional items. I am so thankful for grant money provided by ABC Television, Disney, Start a Snowball Foundation, Karma for Cara Foundation, Festival of Children Foundation, Youth Service America, Daisy Button Believes, and generationOn. So far, over 8,500 people in Colorado, Georgia, and Quespos, Costa Rica have received a gift from my programs to help them through their difficulty. My most recent grant winnings from Disney were donated to the Counseling and Psychological Services Department at Emory University to provide journals for students that could benefit from writing to assist them through their healing process. Journaling has proven to help reduce stress, aid in mental health and increase creative activity in the brain.

In 2016 I was selected (through an application process) by Youth Service America to represent Colorado for a yearlong term as an Ambassador for National Child Awareness Month (NCAM). I was flown to Washington D.C. to receive service training from Youth Service America, where I was honored to meet personally with United States Senator Cory Gardner to discuss my programs. After returning from D.C., Susie Wargin interviewed me on live talk radio 850KOA, where I explained the initiatives and goals of my programs. I was also so humbled, but delighted, to receive the Channel 7 Everyday Hero Award during a delivery of games to the Ronald McDonald House. There I met Kori Rae, a precious 10-year-old who has battled Leukemia her whole life. We spent an afternoon together at the Ronald McDonald House playing UNO. I was privileged to watch how the magic of playing a game helped Kori Rae forget about her troubles. Playing games also helps those who are hurting to feel loved and connected to others.

I was inspired to begin collecting games, puzzles and books for those in need because I grew up with a physically challenged mother. Playing board games together helped us connect and stay bonded. Empowering at-risk people by providing them with an educational gift of a board game, puzzle or book, helps mitigate further health risks by increasing their cognitive function and social interaction, and helping them to relieve their loneliness and boredom. Remarkably, loneliness and physical pain stimulate the same part of the brain that lights up on fMRI scans; loneliness is quite literally painful. This breaks my heart. I have both witnessed and experienced loneliness. This is why I have aimed my service projects at alleviating such a crippling feeling. When a veteran feels lonely and is given a board game or book, he/she feels remembered and appreciated. When a memory care resident works on a puzzle, his brain is stimulated, and his confidence can grow. When a sick child feels lonely, and her friends do not know what to say or do, a board game provides a connection that helps to maintain that friendship.

I have learned that sometimes the seemingly small things in life (like board games, or a journal) can greatly improve the quality of someone’s life. My mission with my service programs is to ease the suffering of individuals by providing them with a reprieve from their pain.

Other links providing more information: Youth Service America’s Everyday Young Hero http://ysa.org/everyday-young-hero-nicole-steiner/
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards – Colorado’s Top High School Youth Volunteer Award
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160209005148/en/Colorados-Top-Youth-VolunteersSelected-21st-Annual
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160502005525/en/ColoradoYouth-Honored-Volunteerism-National-Award-Ceremony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaolVigB41M&feature=youtu.be
http://parkerchronicle.net/stories/Legend-students-efforts-garner-national-award,213384?
https://spirit.prudential.com/honoree/2016/co/nicole-steiner
Congressional Record Certificate from The Honorable Ken Buck, United States House of Representatives https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2016/2/10/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E157-2
Douglas County School District article https://www.dcsdk12.org/high-school-author-learns-to-lose-fear-dream-big-at-disney-dreamersacademy?utm_source=Newsline+-+April+8%2C+2015
Denver Post article – Young Author Plots Path http://parkerchronicle.net/stories/Young-author-plotspath,184807?
Founder and President of A Game for You and A Journal For You community outreach programs (2014 – present) https://www.facebook.com/AGameForYou/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4oNGJ0Gxgs&feature=youtu.be
Karma for Cara Grant http://parkerchronicle.net/stories/Parker-teen-collects-toys,201550?
Parker Chronicle article http://parkerchronicle.net/stories/Giving-games-spreading-smiles,186658?

Vilmarie Ocasio

I am a 19-year-old young woman. I have grown up in scouting for 10 years, and I have stood out throughout my life for serving others, to the point that I have received my silver and gold award from the Girl Scouts (GS) and the 2017 National Young Women of Distinction GSUSA.

At the age of 16, I decided to work on my GS Gold Award project in order to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer; it was titled: Create Awareness for MS and Cancer. These conditions are intimately close to me, since my mother was diagnosed with MS and my grandfather and great grandmother died of cancer. The love that I have for them and the desire to help other people facing a similar diagnosis motivated me, to put into effect my project. I was determined to find a way to help people get easy access to resources and information, so I could influence awareness and be a helping hand for anyone in need.

I advocated for the approval of the Senate Bill 1180 to create a mandatory registry of people diagnosed with MS in Puerto Rico (PR). To achieve this, I worked tirelessly on the project for three consecutive months, obtaining a unanimous approval by both Legislative Assemblies of Puerto Rico, until it was converted into Law 85 July 22, 2016. This is the first law requiring registry regarding MS in the world. Thanks to this law, genetic studies are already being carried out at the University of Miami to research the incidence of MS in the Hispanic population.

I helped build and create an alliance with The Association of Medical Directors in PR to continue sponsoring educational conferences on MS for primary doctors and medical directors of PR. For the first time, I was able to coordinate an educational conference where primary doctors of the island were educated on what MS is and how to apply treatments. An MS neurologist specialist offered the training and spoke on how the symptoms are misinterpreted with other diseases. Furthermore, I promoted the celebration of the first “Orange Jean Day” in Puerto Rico, and the School donated funding to the MS Foundation of PR. I created brochures and presentations on MS and Cancer and distributed them at schools, hospitals, medical offices, government offices of Puerto Rico, and in social media.

Also, I made a collaborative agreement with VOCES Vaccination Coalition of Puerto Rico, Comprehensive Cancer Center of Puerto Rico, and Caribe Girl Scouts, where we coordinated the first girl scouts weekend camp under the slogan: VOCES Ambassadors, Healthy Young People. This was aimed at conducting educational talks on HPV (Human Papillomavirus), so that the information continues to disseminate. This agreement will continue to educate young girls about how to prevent diseases that may lead to cervical cancer. In addition, I included a link in the Health Department’s web page to facilitate the registration process of people with cancer and MS. Also, I was able to meet with lawmakers and officials at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., such as the Congressman of South Carolina, Tom Rice, and Congressman of Illinois, Luis Gutierrez, with the intention of submitting for approval the Senate Bill 849, The Neuro Data Bill, for patients with MS in the United States.

My project was presented as part of the audit of the school, Piaget Bilingual Academy, as their re-certification to the Puerto Rico Higher Education Council. Also, the Education Department of Puerto Rico will distribute the brochures that I created to 335 schools making impact on 106,011 middle and high school students in Puerto Rico. In my graduation trip in the “Adventure of the Sea Cruise Ship,” the staff announced on every television on the cruise ship “The MS World Day.” I wrote an autobiography of my work to the major newspaper in PR “El Nuevo Día,” and they posted my column as “The Letter of the Day.” Also, I participated in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina MS activity, where many people asked many questions on all my community work.

For the second consecutive year, in 2017, I created an innovative campaign with the theme “Wink for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness,” where people around the world were able to participate. I integrated important agencies and involved key school districts and hospitals to disseminate the message to the world. A year after, I created a worldwide Multiple Sclerosis Campaign that had over 114,000 people; specially it impacted many students across the island. I can continue with my vision of educating and supporting people, family, health professionals, and the general public to learn about MS and cancer.

I am the founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization, Community Organization of Multiple Sclerosis and Cancer, Inc. The main focus for this organization is to support and educate patients, family members, students, professional health, and general public about these two conditions. Also, it is focused on cancer prevention specifically on cervical cancer and how to prevent the Human Papilloma virus especially in young people. I have received donations where I am using these funds to help people with MS that have been affected by the Hurricane María in Puerto Rico by sending them mini portable air conditioners that will help them keep cool in these hot weathers were the electrical power is a major issue.

I created a Facebook page: Community Organization of MS and Cancer, Inc.:
https://www.facebook.com/MSandCancerINC/ and a Twitter where about 2,300 followers worldwide communicate and clarify doubts. In fact, my project achievements didn’t stay in the ground it went up in the air and overseas. I had the opportunity to visit, in personal trips, different states where the airlines staff announced my project on various occasions and in a Caribbean cruise. My work has been highlighted in several newspapers, radio and television. I was the first Girl Scout to appear on a front cover of the national newspaper, “El Nuevo Día.”

I have received several awards for my work for the benefit of the community such as Youth Service America on Everyday Young Hero, Girl Scouts USA as a 2017 National Young Women of Distinction GSUSA, the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, the Gold Medal from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation of Puerto Rico, and the President of the Health Commission of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. In addition, Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, NASA, and the White House — Barack & Michelle Obama — gave me recognition from the United States Congress. Also, the Commissioner of PR (2012-2016), Pedro Pierluisi, gave me the opportunity to visit the White House in Washington, D.C. In addition, Hon. Alejandro García Padilla, Governor of Puerto Rico (2012-2016), recognized me as the young woman who was able to obtain the approval of Law 85 that will help people with MS like my mom and friends. Also, JCI Puerto Rico recognized me as one of the ten young people, and I was selected as one of the Women of Worth by L’Oréal Paris Puerto Rico.

One of my very important lessons learned is to never let anybody crush our dreams, or to say that we cannot do it. I have this statement: Anything is possible if we focus on what we want or need to accomplish. A person with a dream is a machine that will always go forward. I recognize that in such a young age, I am a woman with leadership and dedication. I have been able to promote many important initiatives and establish alliances that will continue to benefit children and adults with MS and cancer. I am a leader, an inspiration, and it is a great honor to receive this scholarship award.

May Wang

I grew up in a hotel. The hotel was a magical place where luggage carts became playsets and pillow forts were abundant. While Dad worked in the lobby, I reveled in constructing tents by draping the hotel’s bed sheets off dining tables. The bed sheets came in boxes marked “discard,” but I didn’t mind. They were excellent fort-building material.

Only when I turned fourteen did I realize that the sheets I played with were meant for the trash. Linens that have slight imperfections, including coffee stains, pen marks, and holes, have to be discarded to maintain franchise standards. I believe that these blankets, sheets, and pillows deserve better homes than landfills, so my sister and I created Linens N Love to repurpose them.

We began collecting discarded linens from the hotel that Dad worked at and donated them to the local animal shelter. As an added bonus, a volunteer took us on a tour of the kennels, explaining how the dogs and cats use the towels and sheets to burrow into and feel secure. Realizing that other charities in need could utilize discarded hotel linens, we visited women’s homes, veteran charities, and more.

By having the opportunity to tour different charities in need, we grew aware of the world around us and become immersed in socioeconomic diversity. It was a powerful experience and we wanted others to share in it, too. So Linens N Love expanded to include friends who wanted to join the movement.

Today, our club has grown to include over 200 members at the Valencia High School chapter. We emphasize service-based leadership to create meaningful educational opportunities by training student leaders to coordinate their own deliveries. Students gain professional insight by communicating with hotel managers to request donations.

Students manage collecting donations and coordinating with shelters for deliveries. To ensure each volunteer experience is unique and memorable, we go on tours of the shelter after we unload donations, followed by a reflective session in the form of an article or question-and-answer session with volunteers or victims at the shelter. We believe in volunteerism with a purpose.

Our goal is to donate 100,000 linens to charities in need. Together, we have witnessed how clean bed sheets provide a sense of security and self for a victim escaping domestic violence or a family who’s lost everything from Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey.

Our mission has evolved to inspire a program that can quickly and efficiently respond to natural disasters by establishing networks dedicated to connecting hotels with relief organizations including the Salvation Army and Red Cross. Linens N Love has grown to include hotels across the country and establish a new procedure where linens go to charities instead of landfills. One man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure.

100,000 linens is a dream. It is a dream born out of neglected boxes in a storage shed. It is a dream that my team and I believe in. It is a dream that Disney believes in when they recognized our efforts with the Shining Star Award and gifted us with a grant to continue our explorations into the world around us.

Though our educational adventures are supported by organizations including Disney, City National Bank, Choice Hotels International, WE Foundation, and Allstate Insurance, it is the fiery passion of our members that keeps the organization thriving. Recently, Allstate Insurance Foundation has reached out to Linens N Love to feature us in the Good Starts Young Campaign. Our story will be on a nationwide campaign in a documentary-styled film to be published by Allstate Insurance.

I am proud to be a part of the team of youth living a philosophy of compassion, purposeful volunteerism, and leadership. With every delivery, I can see our 100,000 linen dream growing into a reality.

We are dreamers and doers. All it takes to get started is a little bit of love.

http://www.linensnlove.org/

Dorian Hollingsworth

Growing up, I found myself a victim of bullying and I did not like the way it felt. Like many young people, I often went into a semi-depression where I resented myself and everyone around me. I figured one way or another, it had to be my fault that this was happening. However, it took a while for me to extract the blame from myself and push it on those who so wrongfully targeted me because I am not like everyone else. After gaining the strength to understand that it wasn’t my fault I was being bullied, I became an Anti-Bully student activist! I created multiple activities throughout Middle School and helped to facilitate a Bullying Awareness Day. I also worked with my fellow Student Government Cabinet members to ensure we kept our school bully free for all those who attended then and for future generations. In the current climate we are in, it seems as if the world requires a special kind of healing. We have bared witness to school shootings such as the ones in Parkland and Santa Fe, bully-induced suicides labeled bullycide, and so much more. These events sparked movements such as the March for Our Lives and #Enough movements. Upon analyzing, it was found that up to 1 in 5 kids living in the United States alone show signs or symptoms of a mental health illness in a given year. This means that in a school in a classroom of 30 students, 10 students may be struggling with the same mental health issues that many adults deal with (i.e depression, substance abuse, schizophrenia, anxiety, etc.) and collectively, over 14% of High Schoolers have considered committing suicide. These students have no support system whatsoever to get them through it.

For this reason, I created The Teen Care Network, a program that supports those in need. The Teen Care Network (TCN) is for teens, ages 13-18, who have fallen victim to bullying and may be on the verge of bullycide (suicide from bullying). The program incorporates Mental Health First Aiders that are tailored specifically to adolescents. The goal is to create a “network” of individuals to allow students who have been bullied to have a voice. It doesn’t stop there though, the TCN desires to use a restorative justice approach to focus on the rehabilitation of bullies through reconciliation with the victims of bullying. The suicide rate for teens has skyrocketed since 1988 reaching 19.3 per 100,000. Studies have shown that those who commit suicide have admitted to not being “heard” at one point in their lives. Not to mention, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people only being surpassed by Unintentional Injuries or accidents. The Teen Care Network strives to represent those voices unheard and offer them space and time to speak their truth regarding the stigma and shame associated with being bullied. The TCN will supply them with sessions, check-ins, art therapy, group therapy, and many more resources to create a community that will help to build their inner strength to live on!

The Teen Care Network serves as a catalyst to bridge the gap between students all over and the care that they all rightfully deserve! When you head over to teencarenetwork.org, you will find resources that will assist you on your way to healing, find volunteer opportunities, and even chat with someone via our site by clicking the chat icon. The Teen Care Network is here to provide care for teens ages 13-18 and genuinely provide for those who are in need! Together we can make bullies extinct and create a bully free environment for all – #makebulliesextinct! Join the movement on social media also – just follow us at @TeenCareNet on Instagram & Twitter!

https://www.teencarenetwork.org

Sophia Greenwalt

My selected project is one that I have been coordinating for the past seven years, which has been successful in philanthropic efforts. When I was in sixth grade, I created and founded a program that strives to help others in the community by the support of the area. My program is called Helping Hats, which has raised over $70,000 in total for multiple charities in the past six years. Once a month, my program would give a chance for students in the Reeds Spring School District to raise money for many good causes by just donating one dollar. By donating one dollar, students and even staff could wear a hat all day during that school day. Each month, the fundraising would go to a different need, which would be a charity of my choice. By doing this, each need in the community would be helped.

My program has fundraised for many charities, including the local Backpack Program, Ozarks Honor Flight, Joplin tornado victims, and the Red Cross. The Backpack Program is an organization that gives our district’s needy students backpacks filled with food and healthcare supplies on the weekends. This is a significant need because there are students that rely on the meals of the schools, but on the weekends, they won’t have access to these meals. The Ozarks Honor Flight is an organization that provides flights for retired veterans to Washington D.C. to be able to see the memorials dedicated to their service. There was also a day devoted to the Joplin tornado victims, which raised over $10,000 and even collected bus-loads of supplies to help support the victims. Finally, Helping Hats spread awareness for the Red Cross, which was the most significant fundraiser yet, raising over $20,000! This was a special day for my program because it took place on Giving Tuesday, which is a world-wide social media event that inspires people to give back to their community or help others.

Unfortunately, I came across one of the most significant turning points of my life: being diagnosed with leukemia. I was diagnosed when I was fourteen and had to go through cancer treatment for almost three years. Because of this, I missed most of my high school years, and instead of living life as a teenager, I had to fight for my life. The most crucial chemo I had to be injected with gave me a lot of symptoms because I was deathly allergic to it. Not only did I have to go through a regular treatment program, but I also had many rare complications that lengthened the time of my treatment. I had to have open heart surgery, had seizures, a stroke, neuropathy, toxicity in my neck and brain, and had to have major surgery on both my legs. Even though I went through all of this, I continued Helping Hats, with the help of my family, friends, and community. If it weren’t for their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Today, I strive to be a role model for students and teaching them that they can help others, no matter the age. My Helping Hats Program gives a chance to let students be the ones to give to others and inspires them to be giving at a young age. I hope to help people see that anyone can make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small the gesture.

http://ksmu.org/post/reeds-spring-student-helps-those-need-through-hats#stream/0
https://www.npr.org/sections/participationnation/2012/08/31/160191458/helping-hats-in-reeds-spring-mo
http://www.ruralschoolspartnership.org/archives/704
http://cfozarks.org/rural-heroes-celebrated-at-reeds-spring-rendezvous/
http://cfozarks.org/reeds-spring-teen-named-national-spirit-of-community-award-finalist/

Aditya Ramachandran

I woke up to 4 inches of standing water in my basement.

Again.

It had rained hard that night, keeping the dogs whimpering and the wind howling, but nothing my
trusty sump pump couldn’t handle, right?

The sump pump’s innate job is to battle against the flood of water attempting to enter a basement, to relieve pressure and fluid buildup outside the walls of my basement by expending electricity to aggressively pump that water up and out. A power outage, thus, is any sump pump’s Achilles Heel – and was apparently the cause for my not so ‘Great-Lake’ that morning.

My community too was heavily affected by this storm and many others in the past few years, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage from basement flooding alone. My two friends and I decided to take action – to look for a solution to basement flooding that wasn’t reliant on electricity. We scoured the internet, searching for, assessing, and analyzing different methods people had previously used to fight basement flooding, from high-tech sandbags to pressure buildup-inducing sump pump caps. After weeks of searching, we finally put two and two together, applying an idea previously used for drainage lines, the standpipe, in a new way with Pascal’s Principle in mind. The Anti-Flood Device, or (AFD), works by simply allowing water to reach its own equal level within the basement and in the soil outside of it.

The simplicity and effectiveness of the the idea was surprising at first blush, but we decided to continue redesigning and improving to make the AFD user-friendly and ensure low failure rates. Using a dual-chamber design with two distinct superabsorbent polymers (SAP’s) to absorb excess water and add to the pressure on the seal, the AFD contains the water in a small space and offers an electricity free solution to basement flooding as a failsafe or backup for the sump pump.

Reaching out to a chemical and environmental engineering company, CETCO, we didn’t know what to expect – but leaving our meeting, we had 7 new samples of completely different SAP’s to study and experiment with. We designed experiments for and conducted in-depth scientific testing of the 7 different SAP’s to study characteristics like volumes, masses, absorption times, and densities prior to and after
complete fluid absorption. We completed all this testing in order to optimize ratios, quantities, and locations of the absorbing agents within our dual chamber design.

Our efforts placed us as National Champions in the eCybermission Science competition and brought us to the White House Science Fair, where we got the chance to meet dozens of other innovators and scientific thinkers our age, as well as learn from their projects and experiences. While our trip to the White House Science Fair was very inspiring, we decided not to stop there. I personally find value in giving back to the community through scientific innovation – it is always a fantastic, enjoyable, and highly productive learning experience. Our efforts are slowly paving the way for a world with less basement flooding – which seems trivial, but can make a difference nonetheless. Often, low-lying areas and floodplains are home to higher percentages of low-income residents, and natural rains, basement flooding, and property damage only exacerbate poverty and struggle in the midwest. I learned that on top of working collaboratively, when we take small steps, set clear, well-defined goals, use every tool in our arsenal of experience, and are always open to new perspectives, we have a serious leg up when solving complex community problems.

We are still testing and investigating patenting opportunities as well as working on the logistics of a large scale implementation with our city council, Mayor’s office, and industry mentors. And I hope to use the LA Tutors Scholarship to help enable further research into more unique projects, because my mind is always bristling with new ideas and projects. Thanks to generosity of donors like the LA Tutors, I will truly be able to be the change I wish to see in the world around me.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-ecybermission-st-0527-20150525-story.html

Nicole Balbuena

Background:
Last spring quarter, through the UCI career center, I had the opportunity to obtain a one-day internship opportunity at Laura’s House, a non-profit organization that offers emergency shelter and resources to domestic violence victims. Throughout my internship, I learned about the organization mission and how the organization operated on the daily basis. Towards the end of my internship, I was introduced to the “Healthy Emotions and Attitudes in Relationship Today” (H.E.A.R.T.) program that was initially designed for high school and middle school students to promote awareness of teen dating violence. The H.E.A.R.T. objectives inspired me to start the first college H.E.A.R.T. mentoring program in Orange County.

In summer of 2017, I decided to launch the H.E.A.R.T. at UCI mentoring program in two low-income neighborhoods: Higher Ground Family and Youth Services in Anaheim and Lighthouse Community Center in Santa Ana. Through this mentoring program, UCI students will educate children and teenagers the common signs of abuse and how to formulate a healthy relationship with their relatives, community members, and other individuals. Our mission is to encourage children to value gender equality, safety, respect, and to reject violence and coercive behaviors in their current and future relationships. As the president of the club, I am in charge of developing the curriculum of the program, executing daily tasks to 13 board members, and formulating partnerships with non-profit organizations that concentrate in providing medical and health needs to the local community. Under my direction, the H.E.A.R.T. club has grown from 13 to 50 members and has formulated indirect and direct partnerships with Laura’s House, Higher Ground Family and Youth Services, Lighthouse Community Center, and recently with Planned Parenthood of Orange County. I am proud that the H.E.A.R.T. club is continuing to grow and help more youth and families each year.

Project Title: Cross-Cultural Health and Individual Learning Development (C.H.I.L.D.)

Project Overview:
The Cross-Cultural Health and Individual Learning Development (C.H.I.L.D.) project aims to bring culture awareness in the lives of children through interpersonal communication and positive mentorship. The C.H.I.L.D. project will match UCI students with children, between the ages of 8 and 12 years, from Higher Ground Youth and Family Services (Higher Ground) in Anaheim. UCI students will encourage the children to develop a healthy, positive self-identity and self-awareness. The project wants to expose these children to various cultural perspectives that they would not otherwise experience in their community due to socioeconomic situations and lack of diversity. Through this mentorship, children will understand how to form relationships with a diverse community based on trust and respect. Based on this, children will be able to overcome stereotypes and biases that would otherwise be detrimental to their current academic and social performance, as well as future career opportunities.

Detailed Project Proposal:
The C.H.I.L.D. project aims to provide cross-cultural activities and two culturally enriching field trips in the Orange County area that will increase the children’s cultural awareness and sensitivity within themselves and among others. The C.H.I.L.D.’s mission is to help the children formulate healthy relationships by teaching them to connect and build trust with people from a different culture, including those who we assume are from our culture or identity groups: race, culture, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. Moreover, the project will encourage the children to develop a positive self-identity and self-awareness to help them appreciate their individuality and realize their values.

The proposed location will be at Higher Ground, a non-profit organization that offers mentoring programs for youth and their families who live in low-income, at-risk communities in Anaheim and surrounding areas. Higher Ground is working closely with low-income youth between the ages of 8 and 12 years. Most of these children have experienced hardships in their daily lives such as poverty, discrimination, language barriers, abusive situations, addiction, low self-esteem, unstable homes, difficulties in school, and peer pressure. Alternatively, these same children are rarely exposed to what is outside of their city’s invisible borders and only know what is close to home. These children live in high poverty neighborhoods where there are high rates of crime, gangs, violence, and physical and mental health issues. Some of the events and activities will be supplied with resources from three organizations: (1) Higher Ground, (2) Healthy Emotions and Attitudes in Relationships Today at UCI (H.E.A.R.T. at UCI), and (3) Laura’s House.

Higher Ground will supply physical resources such as kitchen supplies, classroom space, desks, electronic devices, sports equipment, and art and school supplies. They will also provide one-hour tutor training to UCI students who will mentor elementary school students. I will insource my student organization, H.E.A.R.T. at UCI, to recruit UCI students and current club members to volunteer at Higher Ground. H.E.A.R.T. members will then employ their extensive educational knowledge, (hard and soft) skills, and physical abilities to facilitate cross-cultural activities that would encourage creativity and motivation to the child’s academic success and social life. In contrast, the project will utilize Laura’s House’s resources such as non-violence training for youth and families to help establish a general understanding of violence in intimate relationships, which these children often endure.

Engagement:
Twice a week, the C.H.I.L.D. project will incorporate productive learning activities and workshops for Higher Ground youth to actively participate with UCI students and Higher Ground staff members. Mentors and mentees will interact in a team-based learning environment, and will receive individual tutoring from UCI mentors. Notably, the advisor of H.E.A.R.T. at UCI, Dr. Valdez, has provided an opportunity for H.E.A.R.T. members to take an optional four units of upper division course work in the department of social science, called 198 Group Studies. As the president of H.E.A.R.T., I will incorporate the C.H.I.L.D. project to the organization curriculum. Based on this course, UCI students will volunteer four to ten hours per week at Higher Ground. At the end of the course, UCI student will write a reflection paper on how their experience has emotionally impacted them, the community, and the child’s life; what they have gained from participating at Higher Ground; and lastly, what improvements need to be made to enhance the quality of the C.H.I.L.D. program.

Reflection/Evaluation:
My goals are to (1) teach both mentee and mentor the importance of healthy relationships; (2) expose at-risk youth to cultural awareness, diversity, and inner peace; and (3) facilitate personal growth, empathy, compassion, and leadership within the life of the mentee and mentor. I will conduct bi-weekly reports and surveys from mentors, mentees, and Higher Ground staff members by asking carefully a series of questions that pertain to the program activities as a way to measure the project progress. I will also review and analyze the ten-page reflection papers—the qualitative research—of the members who took the 198 Group Studies. Higher Ground will provide monthly reports on the educational and social progress of the children from the beginning of the project to the end of the project. I will then gather all yearlong data and write qualitative research paper based on my findings.

https://clubs.uci.edu/heart/

Yohan Kim

Hepatitis is one of the leading causes of liver cancer in the world. One of the sadder things is that it’s a totally avoidable process with management and treatment. There’re many different “types” of hepatitis (for example, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C), and they all have different properties and mode of transmissions. This is a good thing in that we can utilize this information to see which populations are “high risk” groups that can carry hepatitis. As a medical student, one of my main objectives is to serve others and be a solution in making a healthier community. After learning more about the hepatitis disease and how it’s preventable, I made it one of my goals to start up our school’s very own hepatitis screening event, where we would go around the Fort Worth area and provide free screenings and follow up care. I started school’s first Infectious Disease Interest Group and have successful been able to organize and execute hepatitis screenings for my community.

The two big populations I focused on were refugees (Hepatitis B) and homeless (high risk for Hepatitis C). Hepatitis, in general, can be spread through unprotected sex, vertical transmission from mom to baby, sharing needles, and more. People can have it and not even know about it until symptoms start and it’s too late. I was motivated to start this project and make a difference in people’s lives so that they can avoid horrible outcomes. Through trial and error and a lot of planning and organization, I was able to obtain the equipment, funding, and volunteers to host my organization’s first hepatitis screening back in late 2017. Since then, we’ve reached out to many communities and provided them with hepatitis B and C screening and follow up care for those who tested positive for the disease.

I was able to partner up with local hospitals that agreed to help take in patients that were tested positive for further care. This was based on things such as insurance, income, and living situation. I wanted to make sure that from start to finish, the student volunteers and I would be able to guide our patients through the whole process. Our partnerships with these hospitals really do make a difference. The people we help either can’t afford extra hospital visits or just don’t know that they needed to get a checkup. It’s great that we were able to set this up so that even after our time with the patients are over, they’re not left in the dust and have more options to help them with the newly diagnosed disease.

In the end, I must have spent 100’s of hours trying to get this organization and project started. Now, we’ve screened over 200 people and even had a ~5% positive rate. Even though that number is low, about 10 people, that’s still 10 people we’ve been able to help diagnose hepatitis and even prevent potential liver cancer! In the end, this project was unique because it’s students actually make a difference in the lives of others. It’s a joy seeing the delight on people’s faces as we come in and actually take care of any unknown problem. Though it isn’t a physical entity, I believe that the hepatitis screening events that we hold do make an impact to our society. It not only helps our student volunteers feel empowered that we’re making a difference, but it was a unique and innovative way for us to give back to our community.

My goal when I started this project was that I wanted to reach out to those that needed it. To me, that was the refugee and homeless population. By helping even just a handful a people made it feel like I achieved what I initially wanted to do. The hard work, dedication, and hours put into this project has not only taught me a lot about the benefits in serving others, but it gave me enjoyment and fulfillment of doing what’s right for the society.

Kristen Postiglione

My project addresses the missing connection between STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) students and professionals in those fields. I used LinkedIn to create a mentorship program to help high school students gather information, have support, and get ahead in their chosen STEM career path. Targeted students began with Hunterdon Central High School but quickly spread to other students in my community and eventually nationally. We now have over 75 students registered on the STEM Linkedin Mentorship group and the group grows daily.

For students to be able to achieve their goals they need the right support and guidance. The best support is from other people and through relationships. The problem is many students do not have those supportive relationships. Therefore, by creating the STEM LinkedIn Mentorship group people could create these connections. There is a real need to develop relationships between people who are novices and those that are experienced. Through my site, kids can connect with professionals in the field in order to help them plan their futures.

My first step in the Gold Award project was creating the online LinkedIn group. I then reached out to STEM professionals to join the group to act as mentors. This was done through personal connections in my neighborhood and through my family members. I also spoke with curriculum heads at Hunterdon Central High School in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. I contacted my current teachers and reached out through email and phone to local technical schools, colleges, and corporations. I also connected with FIRST Robotics advisors and mentors at competitions.

Once a core group of mentors was invited into the online mentorship group, I then concentrated on recruiting students. I handed out fliers, held mini presentations at robotic events, and spoke to students in my STEM classes. I also hosted a Meet and Greet session at my home where I was able to get student and professional speakers to explain the importance of networking and encourage high school students to join the group.

As the group develops, other students and professionals will be invited to join. Eventually, the program will be self supportive in that students will invite students and professionals will invite professionals so that the community is sustainable. The STEM LinkedIn site itself will remain active and growing indefinitely as students and professionals dialogue throughout the years. As well as manage the online group, I have also trained and inducted an underclassman to take over the managerial tasks at school so that the network from Hunterdon Central Regional High School will continue after I graduate.

Through my Girl Scout Gold Award, I have gained interpersonal and communication skills. My confidence as a leader has developed as well as my ability to make school and career decisions. I now have successful relationships with mentors in my field of interest and look forward to developing opportunities for internships in the future. Most especially, I am proud that I have been able to encourage others to make connections and feel more at ease with the school and career decisions they make now and in the future!

Grace Schuler

Snake bites. Plane crashes. The dentist’s drill. Death.

These are on the Top 10 list of things that terrify Americans most AFTER public speaking, To quote comedian and noted observer of human nature Jerry Seinfeld, most people would “rather be the guy in the coffin than the one giving the eulogy.”

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Through qualitative and quantitative research, I learned that the best presenters are those who got comfortable speaking publicly at a young age – before the fear set in. Oprah Winfrey, John F. Kennedy, and Brad Pitt are just a few examples of people who learned the power of public speaking through their school speech clubs.

I also discovered that at some point in their life, nearly everyone is called upon to speak publicly, yet only about 10% of the world’s 7 billion people actually enjoy it. That 10% group experiences no fear and is genuinely excited about talking in front of a large crowd. However, for the remaining 90% of those in the world, public speaking is a problem. I wanted to make a difference and help solve this issue by teaching ‘tweens and early teens to conquer their public speaking fears at a young age before entering high school when active participation becomes a requirement for most students. Helping young people develop a skill that will last a lifetime and make a difference in all aspects of their lives is how I have given back to my community.

With that in mind, I developed the free public speaking training program called Speak Out! for low-income middle school students four years ago. Speak Out! combines a kick- off presentation with a six-month after-school public speaking club that culminates in an end-of-year speech competition.

The goal of Speak Out! is for all participants to walk away more confident, more articulate and enjoying, not fearing, public speaking. A secondary goal is to help students with a financial need earn speaking scholarships to the school of their choice.

I knew the program had to be fun so that the students would be engaged and continue to attend. I also knew that the more young people I reached, the more would benefit.

I developed a logo and brand to make it memorable. I sent an overview to principals of schools I wanted to participate and got them to commit. Speak Out! is now promoted on schools’ web sites, newsletters and local media. Word of the program has reached more than 25,000 people since the beginning and I’ve grown it from one school to three.

I’ll share one of many examples that made me realize I was able to affect positive change in other’s lives by providing a community service: Aaron was a great, joyful kid, with a natural speaking style. But like most young students, he was unable to channel anxiety—his legs shook like crazy. “OK, this might be a little weird,” I told him,” as he gave his practice speech in front of the class, “but keep speaking and roll with me.” I crouched behind him, and held his legs still, just above his ankles. He laughed when he realized he had been unaware of his wiggling legs. He never again swayed like a reed in the wind. That year, he won 3rd place in a high school speech scholarship competition. I was ecstatic to help someone do what I loved. More so, I was able to help him discover a talent that would help his parents pay for his education.

I’m in my fourth year leading Speak Out!. I’ve devoted 500+ hours to this program, training more than 100+ middle-school participants and helping six earn scholarships. In the spirit of succession planning, I’ve groomed a number of younger members of my high school speech and debate team to take the program over after I graduate.

Speak Out! has meant a great deal to me as it exemplifies my ability to recognize and tackle hard issues by creating solutions that work. It also proves that anyone can make a difference and affect positive change, simply by sharing your time and talent with others who have less.

Betty Ngo

Growing up as part of the lower socioeconomic class, I was able to see and experience the lack of accessible programs that prepare students for the upcoming influx in STEM careers. As a first-generation college student, I understood the value of receiving an education, but also understood how difficult it can be to afford or have access to these advantageous programs. Thus, I founded and continue to direct STEMY Academy, an educational workshop program that aims to fill this gap in the Louisville community. I’ve had the privilege of building this program since its inception.

After analyzing published statistics, I contacted three local underserved middle schools to implement this project. STEMY Academy is a two-pronged educational workshop which aims to show students that (a) STEM is fun and engaging—it doesn’t have to be memorization from textbooks, and (b) despite your personal background or barriers, it is possible to pursue a career in STEM. Many underprivileged students are in a state of learned helplessness—my program aimed to ignite passions in STEM and show that how tangible pursuing a career in STEM can be. Additionally, I sought to provide these middle school students a rudimentary segway into scientific research. Collaborating with the local science center, I designed a Microbiology lab—over the course of a month, the students learned how to culture bacteria, build an incubator, and learn the conditions for bacterial cultures to grow.

In a broader scope, this served as an avenue to empower underprivileged students—just like me—to break socioeconomic, racial, and gender barriers through transformative STEM education. Since its launch, the program has touched over 200 middle schoolers in the past year with students reporting more interest in STEM and fueling their curiosity to pursue careers that they initially thought were impossible. From metric surveys, I found that 90% of students felt more interested in STEM, 62% felt more comfortable with the peer-to-peer technique than the traditional teacher-student classroom setting, and there was a 40% increase in performance from a STEM assessment after the program ended.

Although the quantity of students I have worked with is relatively modest, I’ve been able to see the depth of my impact. The program and students have helped me build my compassion and motivation to create change. Being the founder and director of STEMY Academy has built my passion for bridging the disparity my community faces which fuels my motivation to be a proactive member in resolving it.

Read more at: https://stemy.org/stemy-academy/

Noah Covey

In the future, artificial intelligence will allow us to predict many events, but this power can be used both to harm and to help. This past year, I collaborated with a friend on a project called 50Fifty that exemplifies how computer science, and machine learning specifically (a type of artificial intelligence), can be leveraged for good in almost any field. 50Fifty is an application, available online at www.50fifty.us, that generates predictions for upcoming elections for all levels of government — Congress, governors, and state legislatures, giving voters a comprehensive view of an election, whether in their own district or across the country.

We launched 50Fifty a few weeks before the 2018 midterm elections. 50Fifty fuses my interests in political activism and computer programming: employing technology to increase voters’ engagement and participation in our democracy.

Many sources of election forecasts exist, but 50Fifty is unique in two major ways. First, it employs machine learning, which uses large sets of training data to find relationships between certain variables and creates a model that can be applied to predicting future events. 50Fifty’s election predictions are generated by a machine learning model trained on data including past election results, demographics, fundraising levels, and incumbency.

Second, 50Fifty provides the first-ever comprehensive set of forecasts for state legislatures. No other website or publication has attempted predicting state house and senate seats because there are simply too many seats, and polling data is almost nonexistent. With the power of machine learning, however, we were able to predict these elections accurately because all we needed was demographic data, prior election results, and a few other data points as inputs for our model.

A significant portion of the project involved designing and coding a website to display these predictions in an intuitive and appealing format. Undertaking my most ambitious programming challenge yet, I leveraged my web design skills to create a responsive, clean-looking, and easily navigable website. I made effective use of color so that users could infer what our model predicted in a given race without even reading any numbers.
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50Fifty has been highly accurate, predicting around 94% of the 2018 midterm races correctly. But I think we can do even better. In the future, I hope to expand the scope and accuracy of this project by incorporating more sophisticated machine learning algorithms, including more data, such as expected voter turnout, and covering more elections, such as for local seats.

My goal for this endeavor is to encourage more citizens to become informed about our country’s elections and participate in the democratic process. A related project is my volunteering at OurVoteNow, whose mission is to increase youth voter turnout. At OurVoteNow, I am designing and programming interactive, intuitive tools that deliver to users personalized information about voter registration and the voting process, aimed at motivating young people to vote.

I’ve realized that unfortunately many Americans, and especially young people, are alarmingly indifferent and uninformed about our government and its leaders. 50Fifty contributes to solving this problem by making it easier for citizens to learn about elections and to become involved in political activism. If an eligible voter discovers through 50Fifty that an election in their district is close, that person is more likely to vote to make their voice heard. On the other hand, if a person lives in a district where an election is not competitive or uncontested, they can rely on 50Fifty to report, based on hard evidence, which races near them (or across the country) are likely to be tight. This allows activists to discover in which elections their volunteer time and monetary donations will have the greatest impact.

Through 50Fifty and my work at OurVoteNow, I hope to use the power of computing for good: to contribute to expanding political participation in the United States and engaging citizens to make our democracy more responsive and more inclusive.

Stephanie Quon

All throughout high school, I involved myself in environmental sustainability. This theme stemmed from an innate passion; I naturally felt compelled to sort my trash, reduce water usage, and eat less meat. Although I followed this feeling, I did not exactly understand why I cared.

In the summer of 2017, I attended MVST, a sustainability leadership program where I had the opportunity to truly connect with nature. Looking up to thousands of stars speckled across the sky, I finally began to understand the lessons earth taught us. It struck me that I wanted to preserve it for others to discover. Every moment: jogging through my neighborhood, hiking the Pacific Northwest, paddling False Creek–it had all built into a cumulative experience that lead me to find purpose in protecting the environment.

With new inspiration, ideas, and support from MVST, I had the resources to start Sprout-Save-Share, a project focused on minimizing waste and youth environmentalism. I am currently leading 50 students to run multiple projects: end-of-day bread collection donated to local homeless shelters, distribution of reusable straws to gather pledges stopping people from using disposable plastic straws, handing out self-sustainability care packages to students, campaigning for paper usage policies in the Vancouver School Board, and running a student-written blog. Winning a $1500 grant, we have donated over 7000 meals, distributed 2250 reusable straws across Canada, collected over 1000 pledges, given away 300 self-sustainability kits, and implemented a paper reduction guide in several schools. For logging over 1000 volunteer hours to start, organize, and manage the entire organization, I was named one of Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25. I plan to continue running this project in post-secondary, with our next goal of campaigning for food waste laws in Canada.

Leading this initiative, I challenged myself by thinking innovatively, questioning how changes I made systematically affected the community as a whole. I wondered if providing meals to homeless people was enabling them to stay homeless, or if distributing straws was creating unnecessary waste. To find solutions, I spoke directly with people we were serving, took confidence in my vision, and learned the importance of responding to obstacles by being collaborative and resourceful, rather than giving up.

Above all, I learned to appreciate the value of service and the great privilege it is. I have learned first-hand that leadership is much more than a position, it is the responsibility to make others feel involved and valued, to take meaningful risks, and to guide others on their own path of leadership. Advocating for the environment has become part of who I am, and I am committed to continuing for the rest of my life through pursuing environmental engineering in post-secondary.

Alina Dong

A Universal Language

As the grandparents at the senior home clapped along to the music and gently bobbed their heads to the rhythm, I couldn’t help but smile widely back at them. Their gummy smiles and bright eyes not only tickled my heart but also gave me an overwhelming feeling of happiness. As we all continued to sing “Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer” together, I was reminded of how it all began.

Ever since I was a young child, music had been a constant source of joy for me. Whether it was dancing in the living room, playing holiday tunes on the piano, or singing “The Sound of Music”, music has always served as an outlet of expression, stressreliever, and unfailable source of happiness. I began to wonder how I might share the beauty of music with my community. How great would it be if I could bring the happiness of music to others?

Equipped with this newfound realization, I founded the AHope Community Performance organization with my friends in 2015. Currently, I’m leading our organization in providing a platform for students to use their musical talents and love to help our communities. Over the years since its founding, the AHope organization has impacted over 10,000 people and has over 2,000 combined hours of service through service projects of all kinds (fundraisers for Shriners Hospital, benefit concerts for charities, volunteer performances for Senator Larry Taylor, etc).

Most notably, after Hurricane Harvey I chaired two benefit concerts to raise money for Hurricane Harvey rebuilding efforts. With the help of over 150 high school performers, 65 sponsors, 30 volunteers, 7 school organizations, and 650 audience members, AHope raised over $14,500 (including fundraisers for the Shriners Hospital for Children). We were honored to be featured in Houston Grand Opera’s donor newsletter “Opera Unleashed” and invited to their annual meeting for sponsors and donors in recognition of our efforts. For chairing and organizing these benefit concerts, I was named as the Citizenship Student Model in the Clear Creek Independent School District and had the honor of being on the cover poster placed in every school. I’m proud to have left a lasting impact through the AHope organization as students in younger grades have already committed to making benefit concerts an annual service project for the years to come and are starting a music tutoring program for elementary schools in the district.

Through it all, I’ve learned how to effectively collaborate, remain innovative, and think outside the box. I’ve discovered that music holds a universal power that touches us all. Simple vibrations, folded together with intent, have the power to awaken memories, elicit emotions, and meaningfully impact individuals in a universal way. I plan to continue using music to serve people at the postsecondary level by expanding the AHope organization to a national level so that people across the nation may experience the happiness that music offers.

Ishita Aggarwal

MOM’S THE WORD: Supporting Moms Everywhere

As a women’s health rights advocate, much of my work is centered on improving maternal and child health outcomes in poverty. Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Low-income women are especially vulnerable during these times. Poverty has been associated with decreased prenatal care attendance, contributing to increased risk of neonatal and post-neonatal death, pre-term birth and intrauterine growth restriction, unmet potential in cognitive development, and behavioural problems. Barriers to prenatal care attendance include care giver qualities (e.g. providers’ busyness or lack of time and rude or judgmental care givers), healthcare system barriers (e.g. lack of public awareness of prenatal care services and shortage of healthcare providers who offer prenatal care), personal barriers (e.g. transportation and child care costs, food insecurity, intimate partner violence, addictions, and distrust of healthcare system), and program and service characteristics (e.g. short visits, inflexible clinic hours, and long wait times). It has been found that interventions that target low-income women either during pregnancy or soon after delivery are most successful in improving maternal and child health outcomes.

Hence, in April 2016, I founded MOM’S THE WORD (MTW), a non-profit organization that hosts free prenatal workshops for homeless and low-income pregnant women to fight health illiteracy, maternal poverty, and infant morbidity (Website: https://momstheword.wixsite.com/mysite). Participants are referred to MTW by GPs and community advisors. Workshops, led by MDs and RNs, are held weekly at sites located close to where clients live and work. Women who complete our 4-hour program receive food stamps and milk coupons, bus tokens, and prenatal vitamins. MTW has raised $110,000 and hosted 65+ workshops, teaching 800+ impoverished women how to have a healthy pregnancy. Additionally, our monthly “Safe Sex Talks” have reached 115,000+ Canadians. In December 2016, MTW launched Pro-Bono Healers (PBH), a program that connects sexual assault and rape victims with gynecologists and psychologists. PBH has helped 235+ girls and women receive birth control counseling, HIV and STD testing, abortions, and CBT/DBT. In November 2018, MTW launched KitCare, which delivers world’s first “Maternal Health Self-Aid Kit” (composed of prenatal vitamins and mineral supplements, maternity belt and inflatable pillow, and prenatal/mental health guides in pictorial form) to low-SES pregnant women globally. Currently, 335 kits have been distributed.

MTW improves prenatal care attendance of poor women during pregnancy by tackling all barriers to prenatal care attendance listed above. First, MTW workshops allow care givers to devote more time to small groups of women, opposing disagreeable care giver qualities. Second, MTW workshops increase number of healthcare providers offering prenatal care services for low-income women specifically, combatting healthcare system barriers. Third, MTW is free and participants are able to choose from a list of incentives that benefit them and their families the most, easing personal barriers. Finally, MTW workshops are held during non-clinic hours (evenings and weekends) at locations low-income women normally frequent and cover topics of particular relevance to low-income women (e.g. alcohol and substance abuse, preterm labor, lack of social support networks, etc.), improving program and service characteristics. MTW works tirelessly to make prenatal care services more available and accessible for low-income pregnant women in Ontario.

For my work, I have been named a Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leader, Top 25 Canadian Immigrant (1 of 25 winners out of 700+ candidates), Queen’s Young Leader (1 of 60 winners out of 4,000+ candidates; Presented a medal by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace), Young Sustainable Impact (YSI) Innovation Program Delegate (1 of 21 winners out of 8,650 candidates worldwide), Johnson and Johnson One Young World Scholar (1 of 12 winners out of 4,736 candidates worldwide), and L’Oréal Canada Women of Worth, among many others.
If selected, I hope to digitize MTW workshops, expand to 3 new Canadian provinces (namely Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec), and launch a “Mom-To-Mom” Ambassador Program. Consequently, I believe I am truly deserving of being awarded LA Tutors’ “Innovation in Education” Scholarship.

Jules Oringel

Five, four, three, two, one. Exhale. I struggle to breathe without bursting into tears. My face is hot, my palms sweaty as I work through each countdown in between sobs. The high school bathroom is perhaps the least comforting place for an anxious student early in the morning. I desperately text my mother to rescue me. I feel unsafe, terrified my fate may be the same as my best friends’: hiding in a cold, dark classroom as a young murderer parades down the hallway shooting into every room he can find. Inhale. Five, four, three, two, one.

On February 14th, 2018, I received texts from my two best friends hiding in their classrooms at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. I began to hyperventilate, worried they would not survive to see our tenth summer at Jewish sleepaway camp together if the unthinkable was to happen. The afternoon was endless while I frantically communicated with them until I knew they both made it out alive. However, at the end of a restless night, I learned that one of my fellow campers had been killed.

As the days passed after the massacre, my anxiety and insomnia only worsened. I could not attend a full day of school for six weeks because of paralyzing fear. My visits to the school guidance counselor were frequent; my nightmares made sleep and focusing in class difficult. Despite these challenges, I was inspired by the youth-led movements emerging across the country. In March, I facilitated my high school’s walkout, marched on Washington alongside my traumatized friends, registered voters, and involved myself in campaigning for the upcoming midterm elections. As my advocacy increased, I still felt my impact was not meaningful enough.

In June 2018, I founded Return Home Supplies, a 501(c)3 nonprofit school supply brand. As the name suggests, my nonprofit believes every student and teacher deserve to return home safely from school each day. By selling school supplies with messages designed to spark empowering, educational conversations in classrooms, offices, and homes, Return Home has raised thousands of dollars for our nation’s leading gun violence prevention groups. In more than forty communities across the country, from San Francisco to Miami, and throughout my home state of North Carolina, I share my story. At these events, I build personal connections with gun violence survivors, elected officials, and everyday Americans longing for peace. Additionally, I train other passionate teen activists to lead educational programming through Return Home Supplies’ detailed guides and individual mentoring. After every event, my online and social media network grows, engaging a total of 25,000 people since our founding. This network of Americans and Return Home supporters makes an impact, sending more than a thousand handwritten postcards to Congress and state legislatures from coast to coast. We work to engage our peers in the fight against gun violence when they ask about the messages proudly communicated on our water bottles and folders. However, the responsibilities of running Return Home Supplies do not always involve this network. Often it involves completing financial and legal documents, managing social media, speechwriting, or working with local media organizations. As hard as it is to constantly speak about the epidemic of gun violence and my experiences in the haze of recent attacks, I am motivated to know that every day, there are more than two thousand school supplies on desks nationwide that raise awareness for an issue deeply personal to me.

Eighteen months after the Parkland shooting, I advocate for updated background checks and red flag laws at a rally in South Carolina. After my speech, I am bombarded with questions from interviewers about Return Home Supplies and losing Alyssa. Waiting for microphone checks under the hot midday sun, I take a deep breath. The blazing light shines on my face and the cameraman counts down: five, four, three, two, one.

Jesse Anderson

I remember when my friend and I were having dinner one night – I noticed something was wrong. He later told me, “Jesse, I might have HIV, and I don’t know what to do.” At that moment, I realized that I couldn’t provide him with the resources that he needed or the knowledge that could help alleviate his concerns – all I could do was be by his side. Oftentimes, people with HIV don’t even have that. After all, his case was the normality: his brain filled with fear sewn by stigma, his sight clouded by the blackened vision of the unknown. He didn’t know where to go – our school had few resources to help him, and his parents assumed that he did something wrong. If he sought help, he believed people would look at him with disgust. In his time of need, his path to treatment was beleaguered by shame. No one deserves to feel that way, which is why I created the Caring HIV project on my campus to educate people about HIV in an engaging, comprehensive way.

The Caring project encompasses three core technological developments: a chatbot, an app, and a website with a plethora of resources that over 15,540 educators and health professionals have downloaded. The chatbot is like your knowledgeable, fun best friend. An abundance of medical information can sometimes overwhelm students who have HIV, and the AI-powered chatbot offers a solution to this issue by providing medically-accurate information in a fun conversational format. This chatbot has been used by over 34,200 people over 1 year on the Telegram platform, which could easily integrate my Python-based technology. I strategically chose to first implement the chatbot on this platform, as many students on our campus and around the world have easy access to this mobile application. I am currently building the app to build upon the success of the chatbot. The app will not only have the chatbot as a feature, it will also include a geo-mapping tool with local clinics, a tool that helps users navigate the insurance process, a calendar feature that reminds you to take your medicine consistently and track doctor’s appointments, and a mental health checker that allows your emergency contacts to be notified when you need urgent help. This app will be released in February 2020 on the App Store. To disperse the over 20 resources (including eight pamphlets covering everything from treatment to prevention to living with HIV, three case studies, four posters, eight powerpoint presentations, and four activity sheets for students) that I’ve created for this program, I coded the website www.caringhiv.com to give free access to educators and learners across the world. I am currently working with a local clinic to release these resources in Spanish to further expand our impact.

“Work hard for your future patients.” These six words inspire me to create projects like Caring. I’m studying bioinformatics with a concentration in neuroscience at the University of Maryland, College Park. I believe that we can leverage technology to accelerate the accurate detection of biological patterns that can offer insights into the neurodegenerative and physiological diseases that many suffer from today. After all, the rate of technological advances and emerging frameworks like machine learning are already being applied in many health-related contexts, especially those related to urgent care and neurosurgery, which is where my passion lies. After my undergraduate, I intend to go to medical school to become a neurosurgeon so that I can continue to create innovative projects like Caring while giving my future patients the care, respect, and dedication that they deserve. I currently work two jobs alongside my studies so that I can help my parents pay for my undergraduate degree, and this scholarship would help me continue my studies without fear of a financial burden.

JORDAN VINH

The idea to create a nonprofit began with a service trip to an orphanage in Mexico called Rancho San Juan Bosco. My friend Kyla and I felt an especially close connection to the children there, and upon returning home, we decided we wanted to do something greater for these kids. They had changed our lives because despite having little material possessions, the orphans were overflowing with joy. This joy inspired us to want to return the favor by changing their lives as well. In the airport, we decided that one way we could really impact the lives of our friends in Mexico would be providing opportunities for them through post-secondary education.

After the paperwork was sent in October of 2018, Kyla and I began creating a website. Being completely unfamiliar with the tools, we initially struggled to create a website that was even remotely pleasing to look at, but over the next three months, we were able to create a professional-looking website. We publicly released our organization, The Don Bosco Project, at the end of February 2019. To begin our fundraising, we sent out letters and emails to our friends, relatives, and parents’ friends. We received nearly $5000 in donations within the first three months. We were blown away by the support, and we were inspired to continue advancing the organization. In the summer of 2019, Kyla and I visited the orphanage again for a few days in order to connect with the orphans and staff and present the Don Bosco Project to both the children and the Director, Misael. He was overjoyed to hear about our project, and we entered a partnership to support the youths of Rancho San Juan Bosco.

We began recruiting a few other members into our organization after returning from Mexico, including one of my closest friends, Sunny, who continues to serve on our Board of Directors and officer team as Secretary. She too was inspired by our vision, and next summer she will come with us when we visit the orphanage again. We also recently recruited an adult adviser, Kristen, who had traveled with us on our service trip in 2018. She also joined the Board of Directors. I recruited two other members in September, and two fellow students have expressed interest in joining.

Our latest fundraising campaigns have included newspaper articles, sponsored runs, flyers, and reaching out to small local companies. In total, we have raised an additional $3000 in fundraising. We are currently supporting four college students in full, with two more students attending university in the summer.

My own role within the Don Bosco Project has been centered around administration. I am in charge of recruitment, as well as organizing meetings and giving our members designated roles in the organization. It is my job to make sure things get done, and that everyone is working to achieve our mission.

I envision a world where poverty is not a limit to a person’s potential. The children of Rancho San Juan Bosco practically glow with brilliance, and if given the proper tools, they will go on to achieve great things. I think of David, studying Psychology to help improve the lives of those around him. I think of Victor, studying physical therapy. I think of all the students who have yet to attend college, and all the things they will accomplish. Through the Don Bosco Project, I am working to achieve my vision.

Link: https://thedonboscoproject.org/

CARAGAN OLLES

In March 2013 at the age of 10, I founded the 501c3 nonprofit, Bright Young Dyslexics with the simple goal of helping a few dyslexic students afford the often times expensive phonics tutoring. I had been receiving Orton-Gillingham tutoring for my dyslexia and knew how much that was helping me at school. I wanted to be able to do something to help others.

Through my nonprofit, I began meeting other dyslexic students who were struggling at school. Families were asking for classroom accommodations, but their requests were being denied because their schools did not “believe” in dyslexia. I knew then that raising money for tutoring wasn’t enough. I needed to educate others about dyslexia so that dyslexic students could get the education they needed.

I began organizing dyslexia simulation events where participants could experience six different stations in order to feel the frustrations and stress that dyslexic students experience on a typical day of school. After the simulations, I answered questions about what helps me in the classroom. School districts began asking me to bring my dyslexia presentation to their teachers. I began hosting teacher in-service programs to educate teachers who were never taught about dyslexia in college.

In December 2014, I wanted to encourage other youth to lend their time and talent to helping Bright Young Dyslexics further its causes. So, I formed the Youth Advisory Board for Bright Young Dyslexics which consists of 7th -12th grade students who help with fundraising projects and dyslexia presentations. This year, we have 30 members.

With 1 in 5 students affected with dyslexia, I know that my nonprofit is very much needed. In the past six years, I have done so much more than accomplishing my original goal of helping a few students afford phonics, based tutoring. I have set up dyslexia resource centers at public library systems, educated teachers across Wisconsin and now I am doing the same in states across America. I have been blessed to be able to give back. Bright Young Dyslexics has changed my life’s purpose. I want to inspire others to make a difference too. I will continue to do everything I can until dyslexia is recognized and taught to in our schools.

Being the face of a learning disability is not always easy. I have experienced many challenges such as being the victim of cyber bullying. A Twitter account was set up to mock my dyslexia and my non-profit. My image was used and inappropriate posts were made that called me stupid and more. I know that the Twitter account does not represent me, nor am I in any way defined by it. My teachers too have inadvertently upset me by making dyslexia the subject of ridicule within the classroom. But I don’t want to forget about it because I don’t want to forget what the stigma of having dyslexia can be. This bullying reminds me to keep advocating for dyslexic children and to keep raising awareness of dyslexia so that there can be a future where learning disabilities are not the subject of ridicule.
In the past six years as President of Bright Young Dyslexics, I’ve learned that I can truly change the world. My age does not limit me. By leading and inspiring others, I can be a force of good to accomplish so much more.

In 2013, Wisconsin was a “black hole” for dyslexia. I may only be a seventeen-year-old school girl, but I have been credited with changing the landscape for dyslexic students. I have raised nearly $200,000, directly impacted over 2,500 students, and impacted another 18,000 indirectly. This year, I have been working to help pass legislation in Wisconsin since Wisconsin is currently one of just two states without any legislation regarding dyslexia.

I have developed a dyslexia awareness kit so that students in other states can duplicate what I have been able to accomplish in Wisconsin. My kit helps students to begin dyslexia awareness programs in their hometowns and to educate their local school systems. I am currently working with students in 11 other states.

After six years, my work with Bright Young Dyslexics is just beginning. I want to continue to grow my nonprofit and affect change across all of America. I am humbled that people all over the country are contacting me for help.

Please visit my website at: www.BrightYoungDyslexics.org

MELISSA KHASBAGAN

Five years ago, I visited my cousin Sorgog in Inner Mongolia. She lived in a herding village, making the daily thirty-mile commute to school. I quickly noticed a discrepancy in education: in America, I had world-class teachers and resources, but Sorgog and her classmates at Xilinhot Mongolian Middle School attended schools with sparse textbooks.

As a way of sharing what I love (novels) and what my cousins were missing (English teaching materials), I made a goal of providing one thousand English books for Mongolian students. Achieving my initial goal in 2017 took over two years and required begging to neighbors, calling 37 bookstores, driving around Austin 89 times to collect book donations, and even driving to Mexico at night to distribute to local partners. And after contacting shipping companies, also taking suitcases of novels myself, I established two libraries in orphanages in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and helped set them up.

In 2018, I converted my project into a nonprofit, 1000 Books For. We’re the only organization to be working with ethnic Mongolian students in rural areas across China, Mongolia, and Siberia. To date, 1000 Books For has turned from a small book project to into an education and entrepreneurship 501(c)3 nonprofit, impacting over 400 teachers and 35,000 youth across nine countries (US, Mongolia, China, India, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Russia, and Liberia). I’ve invested 1,500 hours, and our ambassador program has grown to over twenty members from three continents.

My most memorable 1000 Books For initiative was creating the first-ever, community-organized conference in Liberia: the 2019 Global Youth Changemakers Summit. I fundraised to finance the entire conference, selected the applicants myself, developed a curriculum, found speakers that worked with the Liberian President, and taught social entrepreneurship to our 160+ West African attendees. But, the most rewarding part was learning. By speaking to our conference attendees, I corrected my previously misinformed stereotypes about Africa. I witnessed delegates turn into ambassadors of change, brainstorming solutions to implement in their communities. For example, Emmanuel organized a Margibi-County committee to fight erosion-creating waterways.

Within the next few years, my goal is to expand our #Project195 Initiative, a mentorship toolkit to teach youth entrepreneurship from all 195 countries. With partnerships with international organizations like the Diamond Challenge and Work for Life on curriculum development, I plan to create a consolidated community online for youth to network and access change-making materials (videos, worksheets, and podcasts). We’re also partnering with a youth-led for Detroit youth to hold a conference there. We’ll be in 9 countries in Africa, starting with Liberia and Ghana. Our partnerships with African universities and schools have helped to empower youth through entrepreneurship.

Through my work, I hope to teach youth they have the power in their hands to create change. Locally, I’m President of my school’s entrepreneurship club and Interact Service Clubs to promote Austin community service initiatives. I also served as a regional LaunchX mentor, teaching two student startups how to turn their ideas into businesses, teaching the lessons I’ve learned so far.

I want youth to know that they can make an impact. I believe that education is a right, not a privilege.

Through my work, I’ve been fortunate enough to be named a 2019 Global Teen Leader by the We are a Family Foundation, a 2019 Princeton Prize in Race Relations Winner, a 2019 Global Barron Prize Honoree, commended by the Presidential Office of Mongolia, a Model Youth Awardee from the Mongolian Youth Association, Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Texas Distinguished Finalist, Daily Point of Light Awardee established by President George HW Bush, and a two-time Presidential Volunteer Award: Gold Winner. I’m also a TEDx@Redmond, SXSW EDU, SXSW, and LearnFestATX speaker to promoting education and diversity equity in youth.

JACK TIAN

Most weekends, student-athletes can be found practicing their sports at the brand new Portola High School campus. In a sense, the Jeffrey Trail Science Olympiad invitational was no different, except that rather than competing with their bodies, middle school students competed with their minds – all 1200 of them. However this year, something was different. As the middle schoolers launched their bottle rockets and flew their balsa gliders in the main gym, a group of elementary kids were flying their own balsa gliders and paper airplanes. In fact, like the middle schoolers, these elementary schoolers were competing for the Science Olympiad medals awarded for the longest flying balsa glider and paper airplanes. This competition was part of a new outreach program, the product of a partnership between Jeffrey Trail Science Olympiad and Aerovate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering elementary and middle school students in STEAM through exciting competition.

We run many events similar to the one at Jeffrey Trail. After the Science Olympiad event, a parent of a competitor commented, “Normally, when it comes to anything educational, my kid is itching to get out. Today, he was begging to stay.” Nevertheless, Aerovate isn’t just about the elementary students it hosts competitions for. It is also a learning experience for the high school students volunteers involved. Aerovate strives to teach its volunteers essential soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and responsibility. Aerovate has taught me the importance of good ] Above all, volunteers have fun, instilling a lifelong appreciation for service. Since our beginning, we have impacted close to 2000 students, volunteers, and adults through our airplane competitions, fun lessons, and community service events. We now have multiple chapters in California, Wisconsin, and Taiwan, with each chapter holding events that continue to empower students and their community.

However, our origins were much more humble. Long before founding Aerovate, my journey in aerospace engineering began as a toddler one clear day as I sat on the ground in our eighth floor apartment in St Louis, Missouri. I was looking through the window, and all of a sudden, dozens of huge, colorful, hot-air balloons popped into view and drifted lazily towards the skies. While the beautiful complexity of these feats of engineering eluded me at the time, I still felt an undeniable sense of wonder. In middle school, I competed in the Gliders event in Science Olympiad, where I built balsa gliders to be launched with a slingshot-like contraption. In venues with ceilings over 40 feet, I would be able to stretch the slingshot back as far as my 6th-grader arms would allow, and the glider would shoot to the rafters before majestically gliding back down. This sense of freedom, combined with the wonder of flight and the thrill of winning awards, further amplified my interest in aviation. To this day, I still get the same feeling of exhilaration when watching my glider fly as I did that day looking out the window at the hot-air balloons.

Science Olympiad was a large part of the reason I discovered my interest in aerospace engineering, as I competed frequently in flight events. Reflecting on the competition aspects of Science Olympiad that had pushed me to immerse myself further into the field of aerospace, ultimately creating opportunities for me to discover what I loved, I realized that fun competition would be a great way to introduce participants to STEAM. However, unlike Science Olympiad, I wanted Aerovate to be student-run so that we could benefit both the competitors and volunteers. Having experience with organizational management is a rare opportunity for many students. I sought to provide high school students with an opportunity to gain this experience by having them run Aerovate. In addition, Science Olympiad is a team event that not everyone has access to, either because their school doesn’t have a team, or because they don’t make it past tryouts for the team. By making Aerovate open to all students, I hoped to create accessible learning opportunities that were fun and educational.

With this idea in mind, I started the organization with the name Aerolympiad as a homage to Science Olympiad. However, when I tried to incorporate my organization with the government, I was told that my use of the word Olympiad violated the Olympic trademark. After talking with the Olympic committee, I changed the name to Aerovate, a combination of the stem Aero and the word “elevate.” Helping kids learn through friendly competition and fun activities, while building a community of lifelong learners, is Aerovate’s mission.

At first, I had a hard time pursuing this mission. Since I was on summer break, the only way I could reliably reach people was through social media. In that time frame, I became a master at both sliding into people’s DM’s and handling rejection. After countless “I’m busy this summer” texts, I was able to get a few people interested in my idea, and we decided to hold a summer event for elementary and middle school students — a fun workshop where we explained some simple aerodynamic concepts, followed by a paper airplane and glider competition. These initial members told their friends about Aerovate, and we soon had a sizeable group of volunteers. To raise money, I created a website at https://aeronauticsolympiad.godaddysites.com/ and reached out to countless local businesses such as Dick Blick Art Supplies, Sonic, and Lee’s Review. In addition to emailing businesses, several other volunteers and I walked into various local stores and asked the store managers for contributions. Before Aerovate, I was always shy, especially around strangers, because I was too scared of rejection. However, I knew that I was committed to Aerovate and that I would need to overcome my personal obstacles for us to succeed, so I just gritted my teeth and grinded through it. As we grew more comfortable approaching strangers, many of the no’s turned into yes’s and soon, we were floored by the amount of support we received. The community was eager to help us with our event, either by donating food or art supplies, or making monetary contributions. Today, we have fifteen official sponsors who have helped us raise over two thousand dollars, and it’s shown me the greater sense of responsibility I have to stretch each of those precious dollars to make every one count. As such, I’ve learned to allocate and save in what ways we could, whether that be ironing own logos onto our club t-shirts, instead of paying for the extra service, or building a stronger rapport with local businesses and negotiating discounts. It was encouraging to see people come together to support such a meaningful cause.

Finally, the event day arrived, and with it over 50 elementary and middle schoolers ready to learn and compete. Trophies were handed out for the top three flight times in the paper airplane and balsa glider competitions, as well as the most artistic paper airplanes. We also had the fortune of having the former chairman of the LA County Aviation Commission, Dennis Lord, overseeing five county airports fly over to give a speech and hand out awards. Jeffrey Trail Science Olympiad coach happened to be in attendance and, after witnessing our successful turnout, he invited us to run a competition at the Jeffrey Trail Science Olympiad event in February, which we gladly accepted. This impressed upon me deeply the importance of making new connections–between young and old, technologically-savvy and otherwise, businessmen and public servants, mentor and students Bolstered by the success of our first competition, we reached out to local schools and libraries to host more activities, such as a paper airplane carnival game at the Golden Hills Elementary Harvest Festival, and a paper airplane workshop at the Anaheim Mobile Library. The event organizers were thrilled and invited us back the next year. Soon, I encouraged my friends from Wisconsin, where I lived before moving to California, to start a chapter, holding a paper airplane workshop at their local library. As our numbers and range have grown, so too has the scope of our focus. While our core mission is still centered on exposing young people to STEM through inspiring and constructive experiences, we also partner with local homeless shelters and other non-profit organizations to provide resources for families in need, the homeless, veterans, senior citizens, at-risk youth. During the 2019 holiday season, Aerovate donated toys, books, electronic appliances, clothing, pillows and much more to people in need. Through events like these, Aerovate has grown into what it is today.

When I was young, I would read a lot about science and technology, whether that be through science fiction or science literature, via the likes of Popular Mechanics or Scientific American. In those younger days, I was simply captivated by the visions of tomorrow–the next car of the future, the next airplane of the future, the next big thing that will shake our universe. But after having experienced all that I have throughout my life, I’ve discovered that the glitz and glamour itself is one thing, but the purpose and meaning and intent, to me, is what turns the novelty of an idea or invention into something more. I once read that technology will be the means for humanity to lift all boats, and I’m thoroughly convinced that indeed it has that potential, so long as we keep in mind what it’s ultimately for–each other. Aerovate vindicates that belief. It consolidates in me a grander sense of purpose in my life: to build things that bring people together.

FOREST WONG

The music in my town was dying. Six years ago, my brother and I auditioned in the dark and empty Oroville State Theater for the Susanville Symphony concert. However, the concert was cancelled because we were the only people who auditioned. Furthermore, Housers, the only music store in my town, was slowly going out of business. I realized we needed a push for music and the arts in Oroville, so a year later we fundraised to hire professional musicians to perform with us at numerous elementary and middle schools in the area. We wanted children to experience live music performances, but we knew that a concert tour would not be enough to revive the music in my town.

The following year, we created the Dream Big Music Festival in which I was also an organizer, sponsor, poster designer, and performer. The event gave each of the school bands in my town an opportunity to perform in two different concerts: one in the morning and one in the evening. The morning concert, which was free of charge, gave elementary school students field trips to the State Theater. Our goal was to encourage them to learn an instrument or sign up for the school band in middle school after seeing older students play music. During the evening concert, 100% of the ticket sales went into the schools’ music programs, and parents were given the opportunity to see their children perform on stage.

Last year, over 300 students participated from seven different schools, and we raised $15,000 for the music programs. As a result of this event, Housers was saved from closing and has plans to expand, and the Las Plumas-Oroville High School Band received funds to perform at Carnegie Music Hall next year.

When I was working on Dream Big, I was teaching. I used my twelve years of violin experience every Saturday when I gave free lessons at a local gallery, and I taught my students pieces they would eventually perform with my group when we fundraised in restaurants or played in retirement homes.

I made an impact on my town because of my passion for the arts, and I felt more connected with my community as a result. Now, the music community is alive in Oroville, and the annual festival is one of the most popular events in town.

MATTHEW TENGTRAKOOL

You wait outside the supermarket for your turn to buy your weeks worth of food. Donning a mask and gloves, you rush through the store, tossing as much of the preserved meat, canned goods, non perishable snacks, premade meals, and frozen pizzas into your cart as possible. You come home to sit in a chair to work for unproductive hours, and fall into a vicious cycle of eating and sleeping. What day is it again? And when was the last time you had a salad?

In Japan, as a result of the mass quarantine, the obesity rates have astronomically inflated. This is due to many factors: a lack of exercise, stress, and most importantly a poor diet. Cooped up inside homes laden with non-perishable soups and premade meals, it is easy to lose sight of a healthy diet when making meals at home. Furthermore, it can be difficult to access fresh produce when stores are limited on supplies and citizens are limited in their travel. In flattening the curve of physical interaction with quarantine, we have ensued a spike in poor eating habits.

It is a dangerous instigator. What many consider to be a temporary lifestyle can lead to unhealthy long term habits. To combat this overlooked consequence of the quarantine we are all suffering through, I founded my youth-run nonprofit organization QuaranGreen. QuaranGreen works to curve all of these aspects of an unhealthy lifestyle with a simple and easy first step: growing a lettuce plant. Our mission is to distribute potted lettuce plants to schools, community organizations, and households throughout local communities in order to promote healthy eating habits, build friendly community bonding, and reduce stress.

By bridging the gap between local farms and community organizations, QuaranGreen creates an environment for accessible produce and healthy habits. Just having an indoor plant builds a healthy routine and reduces stress. Each of our free plants come with an information packet that outlines ways to make healthy meals and how to continue to build a garden. Specifically, I made sure that my organization targeted households that are most vulnerable including families, people living in apartments, people of low socio-economical status, and people living alone.

What started as a mere seed has sprouted into a growing state-wide campaign. Currently, QuaranGreen operates in 25 cities and towns with close to 150 volunteers. We have partnered with local food pantries, senior service campaigns, and homeless shelters to be able to spread our green message throughout local communities. QuaranGreen has been awarded 5 national grants, totaling over $10,000 in funds raised. In all, QuaranGreen has served over 2000 households and is continuing to expand and grow. To keep track of our growth and outline our mission within the community, I created our website www.QuaranGreen.org

As QuaranGreen continues to grow, it has been an honor to be rewarded with great media coverage and community service recognitions, however the most rewarding part of my work with QuaranGreen has been the massive positive responses from the community. I know that my journey as a social entrepreneur has just begun and I strive to continue to find unique ways to implement positive changes into my community. But for now, I know that if our communities come together and persevere in these times of need, we can all enjoy the greener future that lies ahead.

TAYLOR FANG

My friend Laila is a softball-player in 8th grade. She’s also a coder: she’s building a translation app for her Spanish-speaking grandfather. I met Laila two years ago at Girls Explore Tech (GET), the afterschool workshop series I started in Logan, my hometown in rural Utah. At the time, Laila hadn’t coded before. But by the end of GET’s seven weeks, she was telling me about her app ideas.

Growing up, I was the only girl on the math team and at robotics camp. It took leaving Logan for Stanford AI4ALL, an all-girls summer camp, to find a sense of belonging. But while there, I also saw a huge gap in opportunities between the girls I met and my peers back home. Being part of a group of passionate girl-technologists from around the world gave me the confidence to start asking questions. What’s deterring girls and youth in rural areas from pursuing advanced fields like AI? I returned to Logan with a mission: to create a similar community for younger girls. I began gathering materials, creating lesson plans, and emailing local teachers.

GET is my city’s first computer science education program targeting girls. I founded GET to build a creative coding environment for girls, and to encourage students to share their passions. Over two years, GET has directly impacted 70 local girls through hands-on activities, mini-lectures, guest speakers, and a teaching experience. As a student at a Title One high school, GET has given me a sense of agency, and helped me feel that I can make a difference in my community.

I’m proud to have been able to expand GET on a global scale. Two years ago, I co-founded the technology blog Allgirlithm (allgirlithm.org), with friends from AI4ALL. Allgirlithm includes over 150 free learning resources and opportunities, weekly blog posts, and a free open-sourced club curriculum. We’ve since reached 50,000+ page views, and our club chapters extend to 62 locations across 8 countries. I help manage the Allgirlithm team of 42 girls and women from around the world. I’ve contributed my GET curriculum to the Allgirlithm blog, so that other students can lead their own workshops and clubs.

Yet beyond numbers, I’m most proud of Allgirlithm’s focus on building community. We’ve profiled the stories of girls and women around the world—and given them a platform to amplify their own voices. We’ve created avenues for students to start their stories: through clubs, workshops, and hackathons. By connecting tech to art and stories, and highlighting humanitarian solutions, we work to engage young people’s voices and visions.

Finally, I’ve had the opportunity to direct two summer camps for Junior Achievement of Utah, over a total of 16 hours. I independently developed all curriculum and directed the camps for an additional 74 girls in Utah. The first year of camp, I also led a team of 7 Dell engineer volunteers. (I included a recommendation letter from Becky Harding, who supervised these camps). To me, community change is not about just numbers, but about striving to help others to be leaders and to share their knowledge with those around them. I hope my students can continue dreaming big, with ideas for websites to teach origami, light-up art installations, and coding superpowers. I believe that sharing technology with more girls can truly change the world and our future.

JENNA DIETRICH

Music unites across all demographic barriers allowing individuals to celebrate one similar passion. Playing an instrument allows me to express my feelings and expose my soul through each note that I play; music gives me a voice when there are no words. It is my aspiration to share this love for music with others. My passion for music led me to join the band in high school. Upon joining, I quickly realized I was surrounded by incredibly talented and accomplished musicians, inspiring me to practice challenging music and enroll in private clarinet instruction. Fortunately, I was able to afford lessons and study with my peers and teachers, but other students are not provided with the same opportunities. Looking back on my experiences attending underprivileged elementary and middle schools, I recognized that many students had never been exposed to band due to a lack of financial resources or parental support. When I researched how the programs were doing today, I learned that student enrollment was progressively decreasing as the population changed over time. In those schools, unavailable and unreliable teachers, inadequate rehearsal time, and, most importantly, a lack of access to instruments contributed to a decrease in participation in the music program, prompting my immediate action to ensure that all students stay involved in the arts.

Many students had the ambition to master an instrument, but lacked the ability to rent or purchase one, or pay for a private teacher to assist their musical development. For my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I designed a program, titled Equality for Young Musicians, that promoted diversity in the music department by encouraging financially disadvantaged and foreign-born students to participate in music. Girl Scouts required an extensive application process to pursue my project which was beneficial because it allowed me to create an intricate plan for the program that covered expenses, supervision, engaging the community, deadlines, and other plans for communicating my goals with others. I was even selected to receive a four hundred dollar grant from Toyota Financial Group to help cover costs, which I applied to repairs, the purchase of instruments, and other instrumental supplies that I donated to the schools.

The first phase of my endeavor involved organizing an instrument drive requesting donations of gently used musical equipment. I reached out to the community through my school network, scouting contacts, social media, flyers, community associations, local music stores, and speaking individually to anyone who would listen. It was heartwarming how gracious people were toward my project. Throughout the collection, I engaged my band director and other professionals at local music stores to learn how to clean and repair different instruments myself, minimizing costs associated with professional maintenance. After eight months of collecting instruments, I cleaned, repaired, and donated twenty-six instruments back to two local schools for student use.

Additionally, I designed an after-school mentoring program that connected high school band students with aspiring young musicians in feeder elementary and middle schools to teach them the fundamentals of their instruments. We were able to serve eighteen students in fourth through eighth grades. I created six weeks of intricate lesson plans, specific to each instrument and age-range, including exercises for articulation, rhythm, and intonation, and a post-lesson practice guide for students to continue developing their musical abilities on their own. The program I created is sustainable and detailed lesson plans were left with the music directors at each school so that the program can be replicated.

Connecting with these students every week was extremely rewarding. I loved observing how much the enthusiastic students enjoyed these lessons, as they would always come prepared and eagerly await the return of their mentors. Their fondness for playing music was evident through consistent improvement on their instrument and by expressing genuine excitement about their growth. Seeing their delight when they learned a new note or played a song was truly amazing because they could finally experience the magic of music. Through a post-program survey designed to analyze the success of the program, students and teachers reported that the lessons were productive and that each student progressed significantly. Furthermore, being a member of the band allowed students to feel closer to their school community, giving them a purpose and sense of belonging. The students connected with their peers in the program, and further bonded with other students in their school ensemble as they developed their skills. This program provided an equally valuable experience to me and my peers. Acting as positive role models through mentorship to these young musicians, we felt accomplished in the goal of improving each student’s musical understanding. Not only did the novice musicians increase their proficiency, but we gained valuable teaching skills, adapting when a certain technique failed and bringing ourselves back to the basics by breaking each skill into very simplistic pieces. Working with the children taught me compassion and understanding for their individual situations, and it was fulfilling to see this project give them the much-needed resources and opportunities they desired.

To finalize my project, I created a recruitment video to encourage students to remain in the music department in high school. I spent a year personally recording choir, orchestra and band footage from concerts, marching band and other events. I also included photos from the past four years of students participating in activities like spring music competitions, fundraisers, and community service projects led by the Tri-M Music honor society. Additionally, a few musicians provided commentary on their experiences as members of the high school music department. This video will continue to be shared with feeder middle schools to get students excited about participating in the music department in high school.

Implementing this program was deeply important to me because all students should be granted the opportunity to make music, and this program gave these musicians the confidence to express themselves with a musical voice. As the primary leader, I honed my skills in planning, coordination, communication, budgeting, scheduling and certainly time management. The characteristics of being reliable, dedicated, and hard-working helped me stick to the timeline and complete the project. With perseverance, delegation and follow through, I improved my own musicianship while teaching, and in the end, created a program that provided a valuable experience that made the world a better place. Overall, the project went well and I accomplished the goals that I set out to achieve, but I did have challenges along the way. For instance, the elementary school contacts were unable to assist with the project after initially agreeing to host the program. I did not want to cancel the elementary participation so I reached out to my former teachers at the school, shared my plans in detail, and convinced them to sponsor and supervise my project so that I could continue to work with the elementary students. My high school peers were wonderful volunteers, but I still remained actively energized about the program to keep them motivated to attend lessons. I kept constant communication open, shared a schedule for each week, routinely sent reminders and encouragement to participate and oftentimes, I even helped them secure transportation to the schools. Each time I encountered a roadblock, I did not get discouraged, I just found another way to accomplish what I needed to do. One big lesson I learned through this service project is to secure more volunteers than I think I will need, because people may back out or I may have needs that I did not plan for. Working with my amazing team taught me that for all the effort I personally invested, collaborating with others was essential to the success of the program. I am grateful for my generous peers, my Girl Scout supervisor, the band directors at all three schools, and my parents who remained committed to helping complete the entire program. The experience I gained during my Equality for Young Musicians project is priceless; mentoring students gave me insight into what it will be like to be a music educator and I feel well informed about this career path. I loved every minute of this experience and I am confident that I can complete my degree and continue to bring music education to thousands of individuals, continuing to create cohesive and integrated teams as an educator.

MANJOT PANGHLI

With the cans precariously balanced in my box filled to its brim, I walk through the familiar doors of the food bank. A sharp dressed man greets me with a warm smile and strikes up a friendly conversation.

That was the day I met Ken. I had seen him around our small town before but this was our time chatting. Ken had owned a construction company but had gone through some hard times and now was out of work. Ken said just a few years earlier he used to donate to the food bank himself and now he was in need of its services. We all go through difficult moments in life, but I believe it’s our responsibility to be there to pick each other up.

A hockey player since the age of seven, I grew up understanding the importance of a team mentality and I have brought that into my community. My initiatives have been focused on battling food insecurity in my community. You can’t learn on an empty stomach, and no one should have to. I view it as my responsibility to step up for my community and ensure that everyone has access to food. My work supporting the food bank began with Helping Hands. My sister founded this initiative in 2016 and I stepped in to partner with her as the Community Liaison. Twice a week, I visited the Nicola Valley Food Bank during lunch hours. I also collected our donation bins throughout the community, sorted and delivered them. Over the course of three years, we collected over 1000 lbs. of food. I learned how to manage the logistics of a community initiative and manage my time.

During that time, I also co-founded the Central Elementary Breakfast Program Initiative. This was my former elementary school. The Breakfast Program is key for children there as it provides breakfast for students who are not able to have a meal at home. The program struggled due to a lack of funding and a food shortage. I first supported it by running a Butter Chicken Fundraiser, where I raised over $300. Then, partnering with my sister, I spearheaded the Breakfast Program Initiative to ensure that the program could continue. Together, we established a partnership with the manager of the local Save-On Foods. Through that, we secured $500 worth of food. In addition, my sister and I donated our own money to match for an additional $500. I learned that one person can make a difference in the community and that others are often willing to help when giving the opportunity.

Building on these experiences, I founded my own project, Feed the Minds, in April 2020. I saw the impact of COVID-19 in my community as it had taken a toll on all of us. Many people lost some or all of their livelihood. It was difficult to watch my family and friends struggle to make ends meet. In my small community of Kamloops, small and family operated businesses were deeply impacted. I launched Feed the Minds to collect non-perishable food items for the Kamloops Food Bank as they were struggling to meet the new demands that arose due to COVID. I created a flyer that I distributed throughout local neighbourhoods and it outlined my initiative. I collected 166 lbs of food that I then donated to the Kamloops Food Bank. They were excited, and expressed how they don’t often receive a donation of that size from youth. I’m currently attending Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) in Penticton so I will continue to help canvass my neighbourhoods in Kamloops when I go home on various weekends. More recently I have been in contact with the Penticton Food Bank and donated approximately 30 pounds of food that I have collected. I plan on setting up donations boxes at the OHA facility with their permission to collect donations for the food bank here. Just last week on October 28/2020, I managed to secure a $750 grant from TakingITGlobal with which I will make care packages and donate the whole amount in non perishable food items to the Penticton Food Bank.

My own initiatives have helped me grow as a person. It’s strengthened my decision making skills, it’s helped me better analyze how to use my energy and time more wisely. It’s helped me think for myself and take action when necessary. My initiatives have required the ability to be resourceful, work independently and stride determinedly towards my goals.

From seeing children enjoying a hot breakfast to hearing the life stories of individuals like Ken, I have had the privilege to connect with my community in powerful ways. Moving forward, I see myself pursuing a career in pharmacy or teaching, both fields focused on helping others. I will continue to be a champion for those who need support and battle food insecurity. While I feed the minds through my initiative, my community has fed my heart

JOY XU

At some point, any teenager will come at a crossroad of life-altering decisions. More specifically, high school serves as one of those commonly-experienced crossroads determining one’s vocational direction.

I’ve always been fortunate to have the clear goal of pursuing medicine, whether attributed by role models of the community or even my parents. But like my peers, even I felt moments of uncertainty as I considered the potential sacrifices I would make in the pursuit of this long road ahead.

I was particularly conflicted because I loved many fields of study, whether it was STEM, humanities, or art. Yet, as I began discussing to others about this subject, it was astounding to hear the unanimous fear we shared towards abandoning external passions.

With this striking revelation, I knew something had to be done. Trusting my instincts, I started a long term project called STREAM Syndicate, a non-profit where students from all backgrounds could gain accessibility to academic resources, opportunities, and platforms in the STEM, arts, and humanities. Witnessing the widespread dilemma, I wanted to empower the youth community to continue their exploration of fields throughout their life at their own liberty.

But amid this newfound insight, I was faced with the approaching senior midterm season. I knew that admission to my dream program hinged on my GPA, which weighted heavily as I considered the risk of dividing my attention during such a crucial time.

But I believed in the vision of STREAM and its long-lasting impact on future generations.

Subsequently, I set forth with conviction, quickly discovering an immense need in the community that exceeded my expectations. In its initial stage, the STREAM provincial board set the first community forum as a platform for students of all backgrounds to speak on areas of need. With a massive turnout, we drafted our timeline for the year and walked into 2019 with a bright outlook for the future.

In that year, we established monumental achievements and our impact reached students on a national scale. At the University of Toronto, we held one of our first events called the Venturing Into Technology Conference. Students and young adults assembled across Canada for their works in machine learning, augmented reality, fintech, artificial intelligence, nuclear technologies, and even drone machinery. We also streamed global speakers across five countries during this event, teaching diverse technical skills to all attendees. With the financial support from the Government of Canada, the Canadian Corps, and Rising Youth, we particularly highlighted the outstanding work of the BIPOC and newcomer community throughout the conference to elevate racial equity in the tech industry.

Similarly, the STREAM Art Gala featured local artists with performances such as breakdance, hip-hop, acoustic instruments/vocals, indigenous arts and spoken word. Held at the Varley Art Gallery in Markham, this public summer event attracted the attention of hundreds of locals who scouted the outdoor exhibitions showcasing sculptures, paintings and other displays. This event brought a platform of accessibility for not only local artists, but also brought light on unspoken topics pertaining to youths (including mental health, sexual orientation, cultural impacts, and the importance of art in all fields). The Art Gala successfully united the artist, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other communities and was financially supported with nearly $2K of in-kind and monetary donations from the Pollination Project grant and local businesses.

Additionally, we consistently held exhibitions at major events across Canada, including PuMP+ STEM fair in Richmond Hill, ICE Conference for humanities in downtown Toronto, Ignite Fair for student accessibility in Richmond Hill, Glen Williams Canada Day representing youth opportunities in Halton Hills, Maker Festival for a fusion of art and tech in Mississauga, WE REPRESENT Showcase for arts in downtown Toronto, and many more. These exhibitions enabled widespread awareness of student opportunities and engaged youths to proactively pursue fields of interest alongside their academic career.

Furthermore, we were invited to present talks on significant topics pertaining to youths across Canada as well. In Mississauga, STREAM presented students with a virtual simulation software for lab experiences, accompanied by Dr. Brad Bass (a nobel prize co-recipient) at the Port Credit Inaugural Tech Summit. In Burlington, STREAM presented pivotal perspectives in a panel with CEOs of major tech companies at the Tech Under Twenty conference. In Brampton, STREAM also discussed the impact of interdisciplinary learning in academic careers at the STEAM Inspires Conference.

During the pandemic, we’ve worked tirelessly to aid the student community with the transition, such as our panel about online opportunities with the Side by Side Agency. We also held STREAMHacks, a virtual eco-centric hackathon which gained traction with over 100 attendees across the world to compete in creating solutions for environmental conservation.

Beyond our national impact, we have instilled a tangible long-term framework for other students to help the community as well. Firstly, STREAM has steadfast student contributors establishing awareness across Canada such as university chapters and cross-provincial initiatives such as the STREAM x Rehumanity: Rethink Mental Health Conference in Vancouver. Secondly, STREAM has established long-term projects for a consistent influx of opportunities for the student community. For example, the STREAM magazine features monthly editions of opportunities and student works from all STEM, humanities and arts fields across Canada. These editions are distributed for free across all provinces as well. Thirdly, we’ve built a long-lasting online community called the Student Opportunities Platform (SOP) with over 10,000 students across Canada sharing over 200 opportunities every month.

Finally, we were fortunate to engage in a community partnership with the OneHub Business Development Centre, ultimately establishing us as one of the first student-led non-profits with a permanent office. The office space includes a large presentation room, kitchen area, and three board rooms which is now used communally among the educational programmers, provincial, and national board. Despite COVID-19, we’ve recently expanded this office space to occupy two units in anticipation for our expansion in the near future.

Throughout this journey, I’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude for the support of the community and the strength of students. The remarkable accomplishments truly showcase the collective strength of the future generation. But on a personal level, this project also strengthened my character through its initial trials and tribulations.

One of which was bolstering my time management skills as I juggled with academics. The start of STREAM truly pushed my limits as I was urged to adopt effective habits or suffer from the consequences reflected in my GPA. I also enhanced my ability to work under pressure after investing thousands of dollars out of my own pocket in its early stages of development. To contextualize, I’ve worked two jobs simultaneously at the time and also lived in the second poorest neighbourhood in Toronto at a young age. Thus, my background and personal experiences propelled me to make best use of my investment and persevere with a collected mindset. Finally, I gained exposure to diverse communities and also enhanced my soft skills in the process. Many aspects were new to me, such as renting stages/AV equipment or talking to certain community groups. I was also vulnerable to opinions from the public, particularly for my seriousness for this project in its early stages.

But beyond the initial sprout of an idea, this passion project has fully bloomed beyond my personal growth and into a liberating integration of academia for all. With STREAM, I believe that we can all find comfort in crossroads by choosing constant pursuit towards life-long learning.

ERIN JOY ARANETA

I founded a nonprofit, Theory of Joy, that aims to address poverty by giving the people who have very little resources the ability to bring out their power. My passions in education, social justice, and STEM-inspired me to pursue starting this nonprofit. This will be done by improving education in the very poor indigenous communities in the mountains of The Philippines. These indigenous groups get very little to no help because of how hard it is to reach the community. I believe that education is a gateway to a better life and Theory of Joy can play a huge role to improve their life circumstances. After 4 months, Theory of Joy improved STEM education, built a school, fundraised for over 10,000 meals, and will release a book in January to encourage women and people of color to pursue STEM.

Before Theory of Joy built a school, the children in this community are usually not able to go to school when it rains. The school they had is made of banana leaves and tarpaulins. This floods the school when it rains and children can’t go to school. Teachers also wrote on poster paper since they do not have a blackboard. Theory of Joy built a school and improve STEM education. The lack of proper education is one of the leading causes of poverty. By giving them the resources to succeed, we can change the life of these students. Because of this project, students can focus on pursuing their goals with fewer hardships that people face in a provincial poverty-stricken community.

In addition to building a school, Theory of Joy has provided over 10,000 meals and received a grant to provide meals to the students of the school. Currently, we are working on building a sustainable water system for the community. This project will allow the people in this poverty-stricken community to have safe water and save time from traveling miles to get water. I am inspired to give this provincial poverty-stricken community the resources the students need to have more time and energy to focus on pursuing their goals. Through having sustainable water well, the trouble of walking miles to get water will be taken away from the community and students can focus more on their academic ambition.

The financial burden of these supplies is often put on the parents whose priority is to provide food to eat which explains why their school is made out of banana leaves and tarpaulins. One of the things that really struck me is the choice that parents have to make on who can go to school between their children. Men are usually chosen over women, so women are often left without education. This explains the low number of educated females in the Philippines. Through Theory of Joy, we have encouraged more kids to attend school. Extreme poverty pushes children to work at an early age for money to feed themselves and their families. To allow students to go to school, my nonprofit provides groceries to the student’s family. This allows students to work less and spend more time studying. Through this program, the financial burden will be taken away from the parents and students can focus more on their academic ambitions.

Here is the website if you would like to see photos of the community and learn more about the life that they live and updates on what our nonprofit does:

https://www.facebook.com/theoryofjoy27
https://theoryofjoy.square.site/

OREOLUWA ONI

We often forget that the foundation of education is motivation and support. The underrepresented population is growing exponentially yet is not reflected in college enrollment and performance. There are several contributing factors to the lack of equitable resources for minorities, and Kansas City has a long history of racism and discrimination that continues to impact several groups in the community. Along with a host of other challenges, access to education is a symptom of this history. Diverse students do not receive adequate access to academic supports, and drastic measures are necessary to ensure that all students are provided the same opportunities. States and schools of increasing minority and low-income populations fail to deliver the education they are in need of.

In my sophomore year, I realized that I had been the only black student in all my advanced classes. Not only were my peers struggling academically, but they had lacked the support And college prep needed from the very start of their education. I researched the minority enrollment in college prep courses all over the district then the divide in education and poverty levels within the community. Our graduation rate is the lowest in the district and almost half of our students are economically disadvantaged. Students with different backgrounds require different resources and tools to succeed, but the district has failed them, the school has failed them, and the system has failed them. It troubled me that there was little I could do to support my peers, but I was intent on filling more rigorous classrooms and universities with students from diverse backgrounds and diverse futures. I want to even the playing field for the underrepresented students not only in the district but nationwide so that they may become empowered to succeed.

By extending my school’s Coalition of Racial Equality and creating the college and career advising program for eighth-graders in the district, I am blessed with the opportunity to tackle these issues with the help of a peer and an excellent teacher. I founded and implemented the structure of this program with a partner. I developed the research-based curriculum we use to mentor the students, the testing format to track progress, and the projects to enrich their learning. The curriculum included topics that aren’t covered early enough by school leaders and counselors. For example, gaining the academic foundation needed to prepare for rigorous classes, leading to college access and career opportunities. We then contacted the school district staff and teachers to recruit students.

After implementing this structure at all five middle schools, students without access to individualized supports to further their academic success are enrolling in honors classes previously thought of as unattainable. Once I researched the most effective tools for academic and career success, I developed a personalized curriculum for students. With CORE CAP we ensure that students of color have access to equal opportunities and motivate them to succeed. We provide them with educational tools to advance their futures and one on one support to set them up for success and bridge the gap between them and their peers.

This journey did not come easily. In creating this support I was drawing attention to the deficiency in the district. Due to the pandemic, student meetings are virtual with district devices. This has made it equitable for students and parents. This program offers students the opportunity to collaborate with peers across the district from diverse backgrounds who are academically ambitious and seeking mentorship.

Learning about their goals, struggles, and self-doubt further motivates me, as someone who has experienced their frustration, to provide the necessary support and resources. At their age, I did not have access to opportunities such as this program. Through my curriculum, we encourage students to reach out to us. We also meet with them individually to guide them in exploring career options and preparing for the future. Before this experience, I did not fully understand the dire need for mentorship, academic support, and college resources in my community. As I continue to build the program, I hope to reform the system that required it. Education should no longer be a fight but a right, and without these initiatives, we cannot establish a diverse and inclusive future that is vital to elevating our communities. And though I am grateful to be a part of the solution, it can not end with one program. There are so many more students who need this resource and my goal is to ensure they receive it. This program will continue every year with even more students and an adaptive curriculum. Our intent is to train high schoolers students in our curriculum so we can expand it to more schools. Once we graduate, the students we train will take over the program but we will still remain in constant communication to guide them through the process.

In hope of helping more students, I am now working with community professionals and leaders to establish this program beyond my district. As we work alongside non-profits to fix several educational inequities, we will recruit college and high school mentors and initiate a new tutoring program for at-risk students to receive one on one support. By founding this program I hope to form a lasting impact on each student and the district as a whole. My mission is to be a catalyst for change and to interrupt broken systems, starting with education.

GEORGE ZHANG

Turns out my parents were wrong; talking to strangers on the Internet was one of the best decisions of my life.

I first got into climate activism during the global climate strikes of March 2019. Greta Thunberg was all over the news, and I wanted to get involved, but my parents forbade me from striking, fearing for my safety and believing that teenagers should avoid challenging the system. That was when I decided to hold my own climate strikes online. Online activism began as a way for me to get involved with the climate movement, but ultimately inspired me to pioneer a new platform for global activism, Fridays for Future Digital.

My vision was that digital protests would allow those who cannot be physically present to stand in solidarity with movements across the world by coordinating digital awareness campaigns, sustainability webinars, and legislative email campaigns. I began by researching the youth climate movement, and ended up meeting my partner, Iris Zhan, who also faced barriers to physically striking. Naive but determined, we started with just 7 people taking pictures of ourselves holding climate protest signs. I was anxious about the feedback. Yet, the next morning I woke up to find the post had amassed over 200 likes, with one of them from none other than Greta Thunberg herself. In the world of digital activism, being liked or followed by major figures and organizations is a resounding endorsement.

By November, our small group had grown to 100. We set up our own FFF Digital Instagram page, which got immediate recognition, being acknowledged in an article on Earth Day Network. We were even followed by iWeigh, an intersectional feminism page with 1.2 million followers.

As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the streets in March 2020, our page began to see an influx of now-displaced physical strikers, and we grew from 200 to over 2000. More extensive campaigns ensued, including our successful #PollutersOut campaign, which managed to compel a major fossil fuel company to engage in discussions on a greener future. Our efforts were even acknowledged by The Washington Post in an article titled, “Their Schools and Streets Empty, Teen Climate Activists find New Ways to Strike.” In the same month, Greta Thunberg encouraged her Twitter followers to find us, doubling our numbers to 4000.

Over the next few months, our team expanded beyond the U.S., reaching nearly 200 coordinators from over two dozen countries. With a more global team, it was time for us to take on more global issues. We got involved in defending the Congo Rainforest from extractive industries, and pushed for bills to teach climate education in South Asia. We made toolkits, stormed legislators’ emails, and signed petitions calling out some of the biggest polluters on the planet.

We recently embarked on our 8-week #DefendThe Defenders campaign, our largest to date, bringing together activists worldwide to stand in solidarity with indigenous environmental activists, who have been disproportionately targeted by oppressive governments. We were some of the very first groups to stand up to the Terror Bill in the Philippines, which criminalizes climate protests. We also stood up to the Critical Infrastructure Defense Act in Alberta, Canada, which would have made it illegal to protest oil pipelines on indigenous land. We’ve worked on issues from the waste crisis in Lebanon to the silencing of climate activists in countries such as China and Russia.

We hope to continue to expand our influence to raise awareness and create concrete change. If Greta Thunberg’s efforts can spur many global leaders to move faster on climate change, perhaps FFF Digital’s actions can initiate a similar response. We hope to use our platforms to spur action even in places where environmental discussions are less common, such as TikTok. Despite the efforts of those who would like us to keep quiet, we will continue pushing for climate action and a more equitable future.

For more information on our organization, goals, and achievements, feel free to visit our website: https://fffdigital.carrd.co/. We are also present on Instagram (@fff.digital) and Twitter (@fff_digital).

BEATRICE JOYNER

“I want to be a drug dealer!” I stood shocked and horrified, hearing those words from a young child at an elementary school, for what I thought was an innocent conversation about career goals. Marian Wright Edelman’s words (founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund) sounded clear at that moment, “You can’t be what you can’t see.”

That day, it became my mission to show our youth alternative career choices. I created my “In Search of Knowledge” project to help them understand that success is within their grasp by showing them careers that will not put them in the “School to Prison Pipeline.” I understand from personal experience the importance of exposure to positive role models and how that can change your perspective of the world. Coming of age during the Civil Rights Era, my parents were determined that their children get a good education. I was shown success through family, schools, community, and exposure to the arts. This is what I had in mind when I created the “In Search of Knowledge” project.

The project is based on my original photographs of successful African Americans taken for over 50 years, because as Gordon Parks stated, “I knew the power of a photograph to change lives.” (Mr. Parks was the first African American photographer for Life and Vogue magazines.) It combines a history lesson with an original art exhibit that can be presented in the classroom. It is a living history lesson because only 32 individuals in the collection have passed. My goal is to inspire our youth to consider STEAM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). I want to expose them to people in these careers who come from similar backgrounds and in some cases, live in their neighborhood so they can understand that success is within their grasp.

There are photos of Dr. John Henrik Clarke and Dr. Henry Lewis Gates (historians); Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, and Gwendolyn Brooks (poets); Gordon Parks (photographer); Rev. Al Sharpton and Randall Robinson (activists) to name a few. Most recently, I added photos of Margot Lee Shetterly (author of “Hidden Figures”), Misty Copeland (ballerina) and Wale Oyejide’ (one of the fashion designers from the “Black Panther” movie). I realized the importance of this collection when I saw the response to the photograph, I took of Sonia Sanchez with Gwendolyn Brooks. But it is more than a photo collection, there are workshops, exhibits, books, magazines, and a mini museum including newspaper articles and other artifacts.

In 2013, I expanded the project to include a TV interview show on PhillyCAM (a local community access TV station) to give a more intimate look at the individuals in the collection. I created a twelve-week program to have high school interns work with me to create shows from start to finish. We did a two-part episode comparing the Civil Rights era to the Black Lives Matter movement and a three-part episode on how the Constitution impacts our life on a daily basis. I was able to produce 49 episodes over four years with volunteers and without a budget. Some of the episodes are available on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/BusyAsABea/videos

The death of a friend made me realize I needed to archive the “In Search of Knowledge” project and I received my non-profit status in 2018 to get the necessary funds. I decided to share the entire project with my SCORE mentor and his response stunned me. His eyes opened widely, and he excitedly said, “You could get your PhD from this!” I realized that the scholarship that would be required of me to earn the degree would improve my project and enhance my skills.

I am enrolled in St. Joseph’s University IDEPEL Program (Interdisciplinary Doctor of Education Program for Education Leaders). The program acknowledges that the educational environment is transforming, and it will allow me to do an in-depth study of my project while collaborating with other educational leaders. While I have experienced some success with this project, the program’s emphasis on areas such as methods and techniques of quantitative research will ensure that my project complies with accepted educational theories.

We must commit to improving educational opportunities for our youth and prepare them for a world that will be vastly different from the one we know. Through my own experiences I have learned that our youth face issues many adults have never had to address, giving them knowledge and wisdom through their experiences. That must be taken into consideration if we want to reach them.

Our children are brilliant, but they are being challenged by the coronavirus, politics, and racial discord. They are seeing the impact low paying jobs can have on their lives and their families, and it will impact their career choices. Research has shown that recessions impact the lifetime earning of individuals, we are only beginning to research the long-term financial impact the coronavirus will have on our youth.

With a little help and guidance our children can soar! I believe that “In Search of Knowledge” can provide that support. My goal is to continue documenting successful African Americans and connect with school districts and organizations who support our youth to present workshops and exhibits to help our youth avoid the “School to Prison Pipeline.” I have completed two semesters in the IDEPEL program, this scholarship would help to cover some of my costs and allow me to focus on my studies.

NICOLE GUTIERREZ MUNOZ

One of the best experiences that I had in school was joining the drama club in my senior year. It was unexpected even for me. I was more of a dance club girl but I found something interesting in the way Diego, the professor, talked about theatre and how much we can learn from it. He wasn’t wrong, along the year and the 2 plays we presented I learned a lot about myself and what I was able to do. I started listening to others and my interior voice, feeling every part of my body and using it to express my feelings, I worked to be more patient, and long story short it helped me to develop soft skills that now, 3 years later I still use in my everyday life.

I am thankful for having the privilege to go to a school where art classes were a thing. Unfortunately, the reality for other children in Peru is not like mine. The current situation of artistic education in Peru’s scholar and cultural system is uncertain due to the lack of statistical information. What we know is that in many public schools art classes are not included in the school program due to the lack of teachers that have received an artistic education or the lack of infrastructure.

Two friends, that have had the chance to have a close experience with art, and I were talking about this and how unfair the circumstances were. Art is key in the development of kids and teenagers as well as a great tool to develop technical and soft skills. So we were thinking, what can we do to change this reality? And that is how Kusikay Voluntariado was created.

Kusikay is an NGO created in October 2020. We connect volunteer artists with kids and teenagers in vulnerable situations through free virtual classes which are framed in a syllabus to guide the development of skills and abilities. In this way, we seek to help students become better people through art. Our goals are 1. Establish a virtual space focused on the development of artistic skills of children and adolescents from vulnerable families throughout Peru, 2. Ensure that art becomes a tool that contributes to the learning process of children and adolescents by helping them to enhance their creative, reflective, and critical thinking, 3. Contribute to the development of a more sensitive, critical, and mature understanding of their environment among the children and adolescents who are part of our program, which leads them to be more tolerant, creative, and empathetic, 4.To ensure that volunteer artists have a broader vision of the reality of the country and apply their artistic knowledge through teaching, and 5. Enable all our volunteers to develop their potential and skills by learning.

Kusikay is growing intending to reach more families and volunteers. So far, in this second edition of classes (June-August), we have 130 volunteers: 49 management, 6 advisors, and 75 artists. On the other hand, 310 children from Lima, Cusco, Cajamarca, and La Libertad are part of the program

In our first edition (March-May) of classes, we were able to measure the achievements we had and the results were as follows.

About our students:
– 89% use their imagination more.
– 87% are happier.
– 79% trust themselves more.

About parents:
– 75% have known more their children.
– 73% have felt that they have come closer to their children.

About our artists:
– 86% have improved their patience level.
– 81% have developed new skills such as Confidence, creativity, organization, empathy, concentration, and problem-solving.

It is impressive to see the great impact that art is having on the lives of children, their families, and volunteers. I am encouraged to see that many more people are willing to give their time to the service of those who need it most. Working on this project has also made me realized that I have a lot to learn and that there are amazing people I will cross paths with. Kusikay has a lot of potentials, I’m happy to be able to lead it and work so that we can continue to impact lives through art.

You can find more information about us here:
https://www.facebook.com/kusikayvoluntariado/
https://www.instagram.com/kusikay.voluntariado/?hl=es
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kusikay-voluntariado/

And watch our student presentations here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv0HSHXcPD6_LXoUbXhACDA

ZOEY DUAN

The people of my community –– of Hawaii –– have always loved to give. Old ladies with crooked smiles offering samples of fresh fruits as you walk through the maze of vegetable booths in the middle of a bustling Chinatown Square. That’s my community. Neighbors knocking one another’s doors with trays of freshly baked muffins in exchange for a bright smile and a returning promise of the next batch of banana bread. That’s my community. The family business owner glancing around as though he would be caught in a heinous act as he slips in a few extra malasadas into your box with a teasing smile. That’s my community. Hawaii is a place of kindness and generosity, and I couldn’t ask for more. Rather, the issue was that I, unlike the people of my community, did not know how to give more. I didn’t have much when it came to fresh fruits or free donuts, nor did I have the culinary talent to bake muffins or banana bread. The only thing I could offer was a few shy smiles and a helping hand to carry groceries for my neighbors after a particularly productive shopping trip. Even then, it felt like it wasn’t enough –– that I could be giving more. I just didn’t know how.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It began as a creeping shadow, slowly taking over neighborhoods one by one, until everyone found themselves shut out from the outside world and quarantined in their own homes. The loud, friendly chatters that once filled the streets were now quiet, fearful whispers spoken only inside four walls. Suddenly, it felt as though the community was broken. Mom and pop shops struggled to stay open with eerily empty storefronts, while neighbors became wary of exchanging baked treats, opting to keep to oneself instead. It wasn’t that the people were no longer kind or generous; it was just a time in which kindness and generosity were luxuries that no one could afford. In many ways, I was frustrated. Frustrated because the community that I loved was now diminished to a ghost of what it once was. Frustrated because I wanted to do something to help. I just didn’t know how.

One day in the summer of 2021, my next-door neighbor hesitantly knocked on our door with a half frown. The other half was covered by the mask on her face. She had been trying to book a vaccination appointment online for her family for the past hour, with no success. She was, just like many in our community, a first-generation immigrant with little English proficiency. Navigating the vaccination registration website was extremely difficult with such a language barrier, if not impossible. Knowing that I was more proficient in English, she asked me if I could help her book an appointment, to which I gladly complied. Booking the appointment took less than ten minutes, but the interaction lingered in my head for quite a few days. It had got me thinking that there must be other people out there –– other people in my community –– that are going through the same experiences. Hawaii was, after all, a melting pot of cultures, languages, and people. However, this also meant that we have a significant percentage of linguistic minorities who would be disadvantaged when it came to accessing many of the health resources that were on English platforms. After conducting some research, I also discovered that resources are even more difficult to obtain for those of low-income families or rural communities where technology is hard to access. A part of me was extremely sadden by this systemic inequality, but another part was excited, for I finally figured out how I could give. I now knew how.

In partnership with a friend, I created a COVID-19 vaccination assistance hotline, HawaiiVaxHelp, that aimed to act as a middleman to connect underserved individuals with local health organizations based on their needs. My partner and I began the initiative by contacting agencies that we wished to partner with, including the Hawaii State Department of Health, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Aloha United Way, and We are Oceania. We then designed flyers online, translated the information into different languages, printed them, and made a portion of them into door-to-door flyers. After that, we set up the hotline using a hotline service platform that has allowed us to connect all of these partnering organizations into one centralized place. Finally, it came time to distribute.

Accompanied by our friends, we went around neighborhoods on Oahu, hanging the flyers on doors and asking local businesses to advertise our hotline. Food Pantry Hawaii helped to promote our hotline by packaging our flyers into every food order and giving these orders to those who visited the pantry, many of whom are from disadvantaged communities. Additionally, we wanted to advertise our hotline to the communities that we may not have reached through the Food Pantry and the flyers. Therefore, we contacted news stations to get the word out, and local news stations, such as KITV4 and KHON2 News, were enthusiastic about our project and offered to interview us. We also wrote an op-ed to Honolulu Civil Beats, a community news platform, where we talked about the systemic inequalities surrounding Hawaii’s public health systems and our initiative to address those issues. Following the interviews and the publication of our article, we received more calls through our hotline and were able to assist many of those in need.

To this day, HawaiiVaxHelp is still up and running, and our work towards helping Hawaii reach its vaccination goals will continue. We have helped book more than 50 vaccination appointments and have answered hundreds of calls. Our hotline could not have succeeded, however, without the kindness and generosity of our community, whether it be the owners of the local businesses who helped advertise our flyers or the volunteers at the Food Pantry who slid our flyers into their food orders. Ultimately, improving Hawaii’s public health systems to be more inclusive of disadvantaged groups will be a collective effort. Yet, I hope that my efforts can be a personal gift to the community that has always given me.

EVE IDUSUYI

34 Colors is a student-run organization founded in the United States in May 2020. Our mission is to find, isolate, and solve problems all over the world. We are made up of high school and college students in the United States, Canada, and Nigeria.

Link to YouTube Video

34 Colors Project Proposal
University of Benin Medical School, Nigeria
Impacting the lives of 800+ Medical students, And the future of EDO STATE, and NIGERIA

Problem

The current COVID-19 pandemic reveals the lack of technological infrastructure in Nigeria and other countries that has sharpened global education inequality. Virtual learning has become a reality for some and a dream for others. At the University of Benin Medical School, 800+ students’ education was placed on hold for 10 months, due to the inefficiency to integrate into distance learning. With no access to technology such as computers and the Internet, medical students(future doctors) are not tapping into modern-day research that occurs every day in the world. Therefore, they are not able to receive the wealth that is distributed online: Youtube, Articles, Social media, Publication, and more. The Internet and Technology will allow medical students to be innovative in the global landscape and obtain the resources, opportunities, and knowledge that are needed to impact their community. The University of Benin Medical school is one of the best in Nigeria that serves thousands of people in collaboration with the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Having trained future doctors that understand the reliability of the Internet to Medical Doctors will allow for a cross-cultural intervention in Nigeria as doctors in Benin city will be able to share their findings with the world while also having the medical discoveries of the globe at their finger-tip as a result of technology and the Internet. The end result is the improvement of the medical treatment in Edo State, Nigeria

Solution

To solve the lack of technology access education to medical students, we are going to be creating 34 Colors Creative medical studios. 34 Colors Creative med studio is a room full of Chromebooks, the Internet, and technology. The goal of the place is to allow for research, analysis of publication, and sharing their research with the world to improve health conditions. The Internet and technologies will create an easier academic learning environment with the help of various online resources.

Vision

34 Colors’ goal is not just to impact the lives of 800+ medical students, but through the implementation of 34 Colors creative studio, we would be extending our reach/impact in leading Edo State, Nigeria to a promising future of improving health conditions such as diabetes, cholera, marina, and typhoid. We believe that by improving the education standard at the University of Benin Medical School through the Internet, research, and technology we are working towards a future of healthcare and exposure to the people of this region. Our vision is the bridge the gap between technology and medicine.

Benefits

Eliminate the restraint of poor internet connection allows for more access to medical knowledge from the Internet, medical research, and publications from the World Health Organization, research universities, and more.
It allows for exposure to the rich global culture; where they can have the freedom to create, research, and learn from the world. Additionally, it permits cross-communication in the health industry. They can share the problem affecting a region with others to create a solution.
It allows future medical students at the University of Benin to have access to a thriving Internet education.
It allows the medical student to share their findings that affect that region/country to the world, [internet] to discover cures and treatments.
It improves academics because students have access to more resources to learn concepts instead of dwelling on a professor or a textbook.
It promotes research and learning by providing access to medical tools and other online databases of diseases, cures, and case studies.

Deliverables

100 Chromebooks
4 Chromcharts
Internet from carries [NTM, GLO, 9-mobile]
34 Colors Creative Medical studio rehab [2 rooms) and items for rehab
Other equipment for the creative studio like [electron microscope, projectors, etc]
Shipping Cost

Success Criteria

34 Colors have currently raised $7000
We are working with the Dean of Medical School Profesor Sado and the University of Benin Medical School.
We have been invited to the Alaghodaro youth summit where we shared the work that I do through 34 Colors to approximately impact 800 people, and the 34 Colors family received recognition from the Edo government.
We were top 40 finalists for the BE-MORE-FUND $10,000 grants
We have student volunteers at the University Medical school that are currently part of the 34 Colors leadership, organization.
When adequate funds needed for the project is available, 34 Colors Co-founders [Angel Idusuyi and Eve Idusuyi, including any member that is interested in going to implement the project in-person, will be going directly to Edo State Nigeria, to the University to implement 34 projects]

HARPER CUNNINGHAM

When I was in elementary school, I saw a problem. I had grown up with plenty of books available to me, and I thought this was the same for every household. After all, books are an essential part of a child’s education. However, when I went to some of my friends’ houses and did not see any books, I realized not everyone had access to them. I was baffled that although books are so valuable, not just for school, but for entertainment, they are a privilege. Thus, even though I was nine years old, and even though I could likely only help a few people, I wanted to make a difference. My sister and I decided to create a one-time project that would give books to children in elementary schools. We decided to add blankets as well so that the books would feel like a gift instead of charity. We collected gently used children’s books from members of our community, and we worked with high school and college students to make new blankets. After sorting the books by grade level, we placed fifteen books in a basket along with a blanket, and gave the baskets to schools right before winter break. The school counselors worked with us so that we would know how many baskets to provide for each school, and then they would give them to the students who they thought would most benefit from the project. That year, my sister and I donated 119 baskets of books and blankets. When the elementary schools asked us if we would be returning with more books the next year, we turned the onetime project into a 501c3 called Books and a Blanket. Now, after having delivered books and blankets to elementary schools every year, as well as to other organizations that serve children, we have donated over 130,000 books and over 15,000 blankets to children in need. Although the organization has been incredibly time consuming and at times stressful, Books and a Blanket has been one of the best opportunities throughout my elementary to high school careers. In order to give books and blankets to as many students as possible, my sister and I could not manage the organization on our own. We needed volunteers to help us sort and count books, make blankets, and organize our storage facility; therefore, although I was in elementary school, I had to lead groups of people who were much older than I was. I learned that successful leaders demonstrate exactly how the task needs to be completed, and they work alongside their volunteers. In order to raise more awareness and funds for Books and a Blanket, I had to talk on the television, radio, and in front of large groups of people. Although this was incredibly difficult for me, I prioritized the organization over my fears, and eventually became comfortable with speaking about the nonprofit to others. Both of these skills have helped me in high school, whether I am giving a presentation or leading a group of my peers in a class project, which I may have never been comfortable with if not for Books and a Blanket. Furthermore, Books and a Blanket taught me how valuable it is to speak another language. When delivering the books and blankets to a school, the students barely understood English, so I spoke to the students in Spanish- both so they would understand where to put the baskets of books, and so they would know that I cared enough to speak in a language in which they were more comfortable. This, among other experiences, has encouraged me to pursue Spanish in college. Despite the difficulties of leading a nonprofit, I am so grateful for the lessons and opportunities Books and a Blanket has provided me, and for shaping me into the person I am today.

ANDREW GEORGE

Friday, March 6th, 2020: Our district was the only one in the area that was open. All of the other schools had already shut down because of the health risks. It ended up being the final day of school before the COVID-19 pandemic took over life as we knew it. We finished our midterms, discussed Spring Break, and pondered what the rest of our school year would look like. Had I known it was going to be the last day I’d see my friends for months, I probably would’ve cherished it a little longer. I wish we knew what was about to happen; that within a few short weeks the virus would rise to global levels that no one expected… changing our world and society forever. In fact, nothing that has happened since that Friday has been anything close to predictable.

A number of complications arose due to the virus, including one that was unexpected – complications from wearing the infamous mask. Medical workers now had to wear a mask constantly, sometimes for days at a time because of extended shifts. It wasn’t even very long into the pandemic when news of hospitals and medical facilities being overrun with patients spread across social media. Pictures of exhausted and emotional doctors, nurses, and other medical staff caught my attention. Still, the ones showing the irritation and often open and bleeding sores on their faces and ears from constantly wearing masks and ventilators made my stomach turn. I couldn’t quit thinking about how many medical providers were sacrificing their wellbeing and struggling throughout this pandemic. I saw a need and I wanted to help out in any way I could.

During some online research I came across small strips of plastic that connect to the ear loops of surgical masks, thus removing the pressure of the straps from your ears. They are called “Ear Savers”. Conversations with people in the medical field revealed that the Ear Savers would be useful and greatly appreciated. Since I own a 3D printer (and most medical facilities don’t), I began to print them around the clock using my materials.

Once I had production moving forward, I focused on distribution. I started talking to people that my family knew that worked in the medical industry to locate the most pressing need. I began calling local hospitals, focusing specifically on emergency rooms and hospice facilities. Consequently, a rudimentary distribution system was formed. I would meet nurses in local medical centers or through the car window outside of the emergency room entrance with a supply to outfit a staff of nurses and doctors. Once word got out about what I was doing, I even received unsolicited donations from others who wanted to help with the crisis!

One hospital’s request continues to stand out amongst the others – the Children’s Hospital of Plano. Since their patients are children (with smaller heads needing smaller Ear Savers), they also have families on campus, often for extended periods of time. All of the patients, their family members, and medical staff of over 7,000 were required to wear masks. Understanding their need to have as many ear savers as possible, I worked with their Volunteer Services Coordinator throughout 2020 and until the local mask mandates were lifted in 2021, to produce, donate, and distribute approximately 80 Ear Savers every month, equating to around 800 Ear Savers and 200 hours.

While the most difficult part of the project turned out to be scheduling deliveries once school started, I have learned some invaluable lessons through this experience beyond my newly found passion for helping others. The most beneficial was the opportunity to refine my people skills. Placing cold calls to medical establishments forced me to talk with complete strangers, offering them something completely out of the ordinary, working out details, and then following through and delivering what I had promised – in person. It’s much weirder than you would think: calling a hospital and offering them tons of small pieces of plastic that a random 16-year-old made by the dozens in his living room. Over time my conversations and confidence improved as my nervousness decreased.

My most memorable moment, back in March 2020, is actually the idea’s conception. My mom and I were simply chatting about COVID-19 and the impact it was having on society when I came up with the idea of how I could help my community. That initial spark made me really excited about making a difference, even though it seemed so small. When I finally delivered my first batch (with a little “thank you for your service” note) on a Saturday morning to a nurse in the middle of Home Depot, I felt really proud of myself. I was excited to be giving back to our medical workers who give so much to all of us.

All in all, I manufactured and donated Ear Savers to ten different medical facilities in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I optimized the design, making them more flexible, modifying the sizes for children’s heads, and offering different colors. My printer ran while I was at school, band practice, and sleeping, to meet the growing demand.

To the younger crowd of aspiring volunteers, all I would say is “Be creative! Don’t box yourself into the traditional forms of public service, because you might be able to turn something as wild as a geeky hobby into a way of inspiring hope to those who have sacrificed their well being for yours.”

TAFT FOLEY

The 911 Terrorist attack on America occurred one year before I was born. When I was old enough to watch video of the attacks, one particular scene made a profound impression. As the smoke plume rose from a collapsed building, hundreds of people emerged. While the victims ran for their lives, they passed fire fighters who abandoned caution and ran into the flames. Those images of bravery and selflessness helped me ascertain the meaning of duty, honor, and sacrifice. The 911 videographer captured the primal essence of human instinct in the face of danger: fight or flight.

In 2020, the Coronavirus spread across the United States like a deadly plume of illness, killing thousands of people while infecting many more. In a fit of panic buying, shoppers emptied store shelves and depleted supplies. Hospitals announced shortages of personal protective equipment and ventilators. I soon found myself tightly clenched in the inescapable grip of fear and chaos. As the coronavirus death toll began to rise, I remembered the brave first responders who rushed to the scene of tragedy during 911. The urgent duty to aid my country and community became apparent.

I raised funds for facemasks and disposable gloves, organizing an N.A.A.C.P community service event to distribute the lifesaving equipment to indigent members of the community. My wrestling teammates and friends joined me at the N.A.A.C.P-Houston where we passed out boxes of disposable gloves and facemasks to over 300 people. The event was successful and likely saved lives. The spirit of unity shared with my peers was extremely rewarding. We were helping our community, but the experience allowed us to bond and soothe the climate of fear with purpose. Together we ventured in the direction of need, guided by our moral compass.

When the second wave of COVID-19 infections hit Houston, it was evident the deadly virus had grown stronger. Allies of apathy, misinformation and social irresponsibility now joined the enemy. Refusing to be defeated by either, I summoned the courage to march forward, determined to confront the enemy on the battlefield. First, I obtained my Basic Life Support certification from the American Heart Association. Basic Life Support, or “BLS,” generally refers to the type of care that health care providers, safety professionals and first responders provide to anyone experiencing cardiac arrest, respiratory distress or an obstructed airway. I then obtained my Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certification. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, or “ACLS,” involves the study of various clinical algorithms for urgent assessment and treatment of cardiac arrest, stroke, myocardial infraction (heart attack), and other life-threatening cardiovascular emergencies. ACLS certification is typically restricted to qualified health care providers, because it requires the ability to manage a patient’s airway, initiate vascular access, read and interpret electrocardiograms, and understand emergency pharmacology. Physicians, paramedics, respiratory therapists and nurses attended the clinical portion of the course. Although the course was very challenging and I was the only high school student participating, I chose to forego intimidation and instead channel my energy into obtaining an ACLS certification.

During the ACLS course, I did not have the opportunity to treat COVID-19 patients. I found this to be very disappointing. While it was a rewarding educational experience and my interest in becoming a physician had grown, I felt like a ringside spectator. I was not sufficiently involved in the fight. It was then that I decided to attend Texas EMS academy and become an Emergency Medical Technician (“EMT”). EMT’s are official health care providers of emergency medical services. During the clinical portion of the academy, I was finally able to treat a COVID-19 patients. For many of the patients, I took vitals in the emergency room. For others, I aided in their medical treatment as part of an ambulance crew. After completion of EMS Academy, I passed the NREMT exam and became the youngest EMT in Texas history.

Because I had close contact with COVID-positive patients, I was required to take a COVID-19 test and self-quarantine for two weeks. When I arrived at the clinic to test for COVID, I encountered a long line that snaked around the building. The wait time was over two hours. Additionally, the results would not be available for twelve days. I immediately became determined to develop a better solution for my community. During my quarantine, I tirelessly researched and discovered a COVID antigen test that produced results in fifteen minutes. I then contacted the instructor of my EMS academy and learned that there were no mobile testing labs in the entire state of Texas. After raising $65,000 for a vehicle, I raised enough funds to convert it into a mobile COVID-19 laboratory. With the help of family and friends, I became a co-founder of Texas Mobile Medical Labs.

Texas Mobile Medical Labs is the only minority-owned and operated CLIA Waived Lab in the state of Texas desiring to utilize Quidel Corp. test kits and analyzers in providing much needed COVID testing for the City of Houston. What makes our company even more outstanding is that we are mobile and we offer contact tracing for each COVID positive patient. The mobile aspect of our business allows us to go to the numerous hot spots throughout the community and travel to businesses desiring to test employees. This unique capability provides testing critical to public health and furthers economic recovery. I am presently unaware of any other COVID testing facility engaged in contact tracing. Free contact tracing is an expression of our desire to make a difference; in contrast to many others who simply desire to make money.

One day my children and grandchildren will ask me what I did during the COVID-19 pandemic. I plan to look them in their eyes and tell them: “I ran straight into the flames.”

KENNY JI

Q: What do you get when you combine a musician, founder, and a student?

A: A diligent, results-driven, innovative tactician, who is full of knowledge and professional experience.

My name is Kenny Ji and I am a high school senior from Florida that plays various instruments. I have experienced warmth, harmony, love, and immeasurable joy through music over many years of playing instruments. I’ve been taken to places all over the world by music. For example, in order to raise funds for Music Therapy for Autism, I had the great pleasure and honor of playing at Carnegie Hall. In my travels, I met the most incredible, awe inspiring people and made some wonderful friends along the way, some of whom joined me in the MUSICAAA project.

As a person who has friends who suffer from Autism, I know how hard it is to cope in daily life. On the bright side, there have been many research studies proving that music therapy positively affects brains of children with Autism. In turn, children have better behavior, social skills, communication skills, and pain/stress relief.

I notice that although it is provided in elementary schools, many children with Autism do not take the chance to learn an instrument. I understand that in primary education there is a fundamental lack of exposure to the arts and it is not unusual to deem it “boring” relative to other sports. This is where we get in. If my friends and I could teach them how much fun it is to express who we are openly through our respective styles, a curiosity, an interest, or even a passion could be ignited. The sky, then, is the limit! Since the beginning, our mission has remained the same: to confidently address learning differences in each student by creating uniquely personalized learning experiences for every student. By inspiring them to work hard and pursue their goals, we want to encourage children’s curiosity and commitment. All starts somewhere!

MUSICAAA is composed of talented young musicians and performers. Most of us have won both international and national awards. This organization has even received a Nobel Peace Prize Nomination. To express an appreciation of the arts that can not be contained, we commit our time to heal. By cultivating a passion for the arts, we are continuously trying to discover new ways to motivate and interact with the next generation to do great things!

Feel free to contact us. We are happy to answer all inquiries. Thanks for coming by.

Kenny Ji
Founder of MUSICAAA
Musicaaa.org

JAISNAV RAJESH

My first bike – yellow and slightly uncentered – helped me transcend racial and religious differences to form friendships, serving as my gateway to a childhood filled with laughter and exploration.

But in recent years, as I watched more kids walk on the cracked pavement, unable to purchase a bike because of their family’s financial situation, I wanted them to experience some of the joys that defined my childhood. So in 2018, I helped found WheelsForAll, a non-profit that repairs old bikes and donates them to children from disadvantaged homes. As the President, I lead 200 members in mending broken bikes and hosting fundraiser events, working with our local community to collect bike parts and facilitate engineering knowledge.

In our first months, maintaining bike quality and safety was difficult, with brake pad tension, gear shifters, and handle orientation having to be checked multiple times in the sweltering summer heat. Despite all the challenges, however, the thought of the kids pushed us to host our largest donation event. As we began handing out bikes, the children wore the largest and most heart-warming smiles while their parents teared up and rejoiced. Our months of hard work was rewarded with the unmatched feeling of watching the kids dance in enjoyment and laugh in jubilancy. But most importantly, we kept our promise to the families in our community.

Unfortunately, before we could pursue our next donation event, the Covid-19 pandemic emerged. Facing social distancing and fundraising issues, all operations were halted. Forced to sit on the sidelines, I was frustrated that we could not assist our community. Undeterred, I looked for other avenues of community service, discovering the importance of resilience and adaptability. Even though we could not continue with bikes, I believed we should pivot to address another pressing community issue: the lack of learning in online school. Under my guidance, we as an organization were able to develop a free online tutoring service for students. Today, we have helped over 800 kids from around the nation.

Founded on the belief that all kids deserve a bike, WheelsForAll has grown tremendously, surpassing over 500 bike donations and assisting over 2,000 families. However, with my counselor’s help, we have expanded our role in the community, partnering with the Boy Scouts and YWCA to continue enriching low-income communities across the nation through tutoring and care-packages. What started as a local project has transformed into an international family with the shared vision of providing every child with a childhood.

Jenna Grigsby

In high school, I participated in the Global STEM Challenges program. This program consisted of project-based learning, centered around the National Academy of Engineering 14 Grand Challenges. Throughout my educational experience in the program, I participated in several group and individual innovative projects that applied to each of the grand challenges. In my sophomore year of the program, I created gloves to be used as a solution for frostbite in emergency situations and extreme weather conditions. By using the exothermic reaction between calcium chloride and water, the gloves are able to produce heat even when they get wet.

In my junior year, I expanded upon this project and continued to refine it as I entered it into the school Science Fair. I used potassium chloride to see if it had similar properties as calcium chloride, and to possibly increase the duration of heat. I did extensive research on the optimal materials I could use to prolong the effects of the chemical reaction. I found that wool is a great insulator and could retain heat even if they get wet. This would make up the majority of my glove. In the fingers, I made a pouch out of a waterproof material, Tyvek, and a vacuum filter to contain the granules of potassium chloride. These materials were layered in a way to allow water to soak into the glove, activating the chemical, while also keeping the rest of the glove and hand dry. The filter was permeable, meaning that water could enter but the chemical would not exit, thus having no contact with the skin. I conducted several experiments by creating prototypes of the fingers of the glove. Through communicating my ideas with chemistry professors and engineers, and successfully demonstrating the innovation and design of my project, I won first place in Chemistry at the school Science Fair and an honorable mention in the Regional Science Fair. I also received an award from the Society of Women Engineers for my innovation and dedication to my project.

Throughout my life, I have learned the importance of being prepared in case of an emergency. My dad has taught me basic survival skills and even ways to help others in the event of a disaster. I was inspired by my dad to create a tool that could be used to save one’s hands in the event of frostbite. While the gloves do not necessarily save one’s life, the technology itself can. The idea of using natural elements, like water, rather than manufactured harmful products, could be expanded upon to solve more global environmental issues. Using the very thing that could create danger, in certain circumstances, to one’s advantage, opens up a new realm of eco-friendly possibilities for survival gear.

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LALITHA GUNTURI

When the Covid-19 pandemic started, everyone’s lives were turned around and it’s easy to say that learning got immensely harder. Kids were no longer in school to have hands-on learning experiences as they were quickly transferred to dry zoom lessons. As a high school student at the start of the pandemic, I struggled quite a lot to adjust to this learning style and couldn’t help but imagine how hard this change was for elementary students. I got to firsthand see the struggle of younger children because my sister was only a 4th grader when the pandemic hit. Seeing this issue in my sister’s life and in my community, motivated me to make a change.

In March of 2021, I founded CREATE Tutoring. CREATE Tutoring is a virtual platform/program where high school students volunteer their time to help younger students with homework and so much more. Our mission is to help students create a brighter academic future for themselves by fostering healthy study habits, learning accelerated educational content, exploring personal interests through workshops, and overall finding an engaging relationship with education. We want them to feel confident and supported in their educational journey. We also strive to help make sure all students have equal access to our program and would love to help close education gaps in our communities. We connect high school students across the nation with families to provide tutoring and educational services to their children. We have managed to build a community across the nation and get new tutors often.

To ensure all students have equal access to our programs, CREATE’s services are all virtual and tutoring is always free. The fact that our services are free and virtual really sets us apart from other educational organizations. Furthermore, unlike other tutoring platforms, CREATE does not just stop at tutoring. We continue to present students with educational support through events, workshops, 1-1 accelerated learning, and more. Furthermore, to take a more innovative approach, CREATE build its own curriculum for each workshop so that the content is developed specifically for its audience/age group. Additionally, all our tutors go through a training session to make sure they are equipped with the proper materials.

Our organization works to make sure that each student feels confident and supported in their educational journey. In just a little over a year, CREATE has tutored over 2000 hours, 1500 lessons, 3 workshops, hosted numerous events, and has built a community across the country. The future plans of CREATE are to incorporate my passion for technology and computer science. Currently, there is a huge gender gap in the tech fields and I would love to help close that. Keeping this in mind, CREATE is starting to host workshops for young girls on topics like Empowering Girls in Stem, Introduction to Block Coding, and Let’s Learn Coding workshops. We plan to continue with all of our current activities while adding these new coding-related activities. We cannot wait to launch this new initiative and host our first Empowering Girls in Stem workshop on May 21st.

I could not be happier at how much of a success this organization has become. What started off as just a simple idea has now grown into a full-blown organization, which makes me so happy! I have put so much time and effort into CREATE and am happy to see what it’s become and where it’s going to go in the future.

ARYA GURUMUKHI

As part of my school science project, I was tasked with creating a solution that addressed a problem and I was utterly confused about what I could do. I thought of the struggles I had faced and then it occurred to me that recently in February a devastating winter storm made millions of people lose power across Texas. Dozens of people died and it made me realize how heavily dependent we are on a reliable power source. Unfortunately. The power source we have now is simply not enough to support our future generation’s needs and sustain humanity further. With this in mind, I set out to create a power source that would be new, unique, and most importantly cost-effective.

Taking the initiative to replace the current lithium-ion battery I created a one-of-a-kind supercapacitor. There are supercapacitors out there on the market but they are all extremely expensive or have a cheap quality of materials. I addressed this issue by using cheap but highly conductive materials. I used various variables to see which prototype created would be most successful capacitance-wise. The supercapacitor was essentially like a sandwich with your current collector on the bottom electrolyte/ dielectric in the middle and the current collector on top again. It was charged through a variable voltage source and then connected to a multimeter to find the capacitance level. I received help from many mentors and conducted several experiments. I didn’t give up even after it continued to fail. I found a way through those struggles and ended up with amazing success.

The supercapacitors created were extremely successful! With the highest one having a capacitance value of 0.6061µ the potential to store 600 watts at the mere cost of $2.41. Everyone from low-income communities to high-end manufacturers can use this as a secure, efficient, and reliable energy source. The amount of flexibility it would introduce into many different science fields is endless as well. It’s a game-changer product for the entire future of energy storage and will continue to expand society.

Doing this project has not only taught me about supercapacitors and energy storage devices but has introduced me to a large science society and further deepened my interest in this field. I got recognition at my school science fair by winning first place and also at the regional fair by winning 1st place. I advanced to the state level and also received 1st place in my category and got nominated for BROADCOM Masters, a national fair for the top 10% projects. My future plans for this project include patenting it and further enhancing it so it can be widely used. With that being said my ultimate goal is to make this device accessible to everyone across the globe so that they too can have access to light and energy.

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ADITYA MEHTA

Growing up engulfed in all things cosmic, I was always intrigued by reaching the world above us: space. The thought of recreating human civilization among the stars fascinated me, but the bitter truth was that it was technologically complex. As my childhood fantasies morphed into an adolescent grasp on reality, I understood the problems on Earth weren’t getting any better either—higher carbon dioxide is contributing to climate change, deforestation, rising sea levels, and pollution each day. I wondered: was there a way to effectively reach space while also helping our planet?

In October 2021, I created Fibron, a parachute that serves as a supersonic decelerator for the landing of spacecraft onto the surface of Mars. The catch? It is 100% eco-friendly. Compared to current parachute fabric compositions that rely primarily on expensive and unsustainable nylon reinforced with polyester, Fibron’s bio-based approach is both low-cost and effective. At the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, my team and I experimented with multiple compounds to create our polymer and ended up using a blend of cellulose nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and a bio-based epoxy resin. The end result was a heat-resistant, lightweight, and structurally strong parachute that can withstand temperatures upwards of 3000 Kelvin, is thrice as stiff and possesses a tensile strength greater than steel. The best part is that there is 0 carbon footprint in the development of our product; we reach the stars using nature’s material.

It was exciting to have a novel idea, but how did we know it would work? To answer this question, we simulated our material composite using a technique called finite element analysis in the industry standard software SimCenter FEMAP. The simulation computationally verified that our scientific research was accurate, providing confidence that the material will indeed function as intended: handling stresses strains efficiently and leaving no opportunity for tears. Most recently, we began the process of developing an early prototype of our product, creating our polymer composite through a process known as electro-spinning.

It struck us when designing the computational model that our polymer could extend beyond just a parachute. I soon realized the sea of opportunities was endless, especially in infrastructure and civil engineering—from window panels to construction materials, vehicle parts, and more. What was more fascinating was the additive impact on climate change as a result; because climate change destroys infrastructure and fixing infrastructure requires environmentally hazardous methods to extract materials to replace the damage, we are hitting two birds with one stone.

I’ve worked alongside my team to bring this idea into the world. In April 2022, we were invited to Houston as a Conrad Challenge Finalist and were named Top 2 among 950 competitors in over 45 countries in the Aerospace Innovation category. For strides in the green technology sector, I was named a Blue Ocean Top 10 Finalist and Penn Climate Ventures Semi-Finalist. As of now, we’ve received $1000 in grant deals to fund our prototype development and plan on patenting our product so it can be used across the aerospace and civil engineering sectors.

Innovation is crucial for tomorrow’s next steps, whether it is reaching Mars or tackling Climate Change. As Fibron raises awareness regarding eco-friendly and efficient alternatives to aerospace parachutes, it has the potential towards inspiring change within the green technology industry. Including eco-conscious philanthropy at the heart of the initiative, Fibron is the stepping stone towards a better future both beyond and on Earth.

JACQUES CALIXTE

My name is Jacques Calixte, I’m a Haitian-American premedical student at the University of Miami, and I have a passion for community service – so I created a grant-funded annual back-to-school drive with the purpose of funneling resources from larger institutions into local, underserved areas in Miami. The 305 Give Back Drive originated from the desire to give back to the city where I’m from. Growing up, there were many service opportunities I participated in for other communities: earthquake relief drives for Haiti, resource collections for Cuba, or monetary donations for South American countries. Since my school presented most of these to me and they were for great causes, I originally stopped there. I didn’t think further into it until I was talking with one of my football coaches and he said this: “Mission trips to other countries are great and all, but it’s a shame that we don’t have opportunities aimed at areas in our own backyard such as Little Haiti and Liberty City, whose kids also need the help”. This message stuck with me into college and really blossomed when the usual summer camps I’d volunteer at got canceled due to the pandemic. Along with a close friend of mine, Ivette Acosta, I got to work.

To ensure a great impact, I thought of a few goals that would encapsulate the idea for the project. The 3 goals are as stated: (1) giving as many supplies as possible to minority-serving elementary schools in order to enhance education, (2) creating opportunities for collegiate students to lead community-based projects as well as serve the actual community they’re in, and (3) creating opportunities for education and advocacy for the younger generation by having collegiate students teach them about the institution. Due to these goals, the metrics that are used annually to measure the impact of the drive are: a digital count of items on a spreadsheet for comparison to prior and future drives, post-drive surveys for the elementary school leaders both directly after the drive and 1-3 months after, and both a post-drive meeting and surveys for everyone involved in order to highlight the success and challenges of the drive.

To accomplish these goals, I needed help. In order to strengthen the drive and also achieve goal #2, I created two executive teams: the creative design team and the implementation team. The creative design team is in charge of physical/digital marketing as well as impact-assessment surveys. This includes the up-keep of websites and social media, the creation of promotional materials, and the design of new initiatives to attract donors/institutions. The implementation team is responsible for the networking and outreach aspects of the project, such as creating/maintaining relationships with the donor institutions, driving across Miami to set up and manage donation boxes at various sites, and aid in bringing the items to the community partner. Each member of the implementation team receives one institution/organization to work with in handling communications, which is all ultimately overseen by me.

During the inaugural year of 2021, we had a successful run. The project saw the collection of over 40 backpacks and dozens of boxes full of basic school supplies, as well as hundreds of sanitation items such as disinfecting wipes, tissues, and hand sanitizer in an effort to address the ongoing pandemic’s effect on in-person education. As we researched which schools in Miami-Dade were particularly in need of donations, we realized the immense disparity faced by lower income students, and particularly those of minority races. We decided that we could use this project to also help address this racial injustice in education, as it is an issue I’m passionate about. After partnering with Toussaint L’Ouverture Elementary School in Little Haiti, a primarily black school, I realized we would be able to expand this project and help as many underserved students as possible in the Miami-Dade area. Using the great relationships built with several institutions across Miami, we decided to make an even greater impact in the following year. So far for the 2022 cycle, we applied for and won the Racial Justice Grant from the University of Miami. With this, we’re able to gain access to storage units, moving trucks, and put together a stronger overall effort for this drive. We’ve already developed relationships with three times the amount of larger institutions in order to be able to funnel these resources into multiple underserved communities this year.

For the next cycle of this drive, we’re going to expand to include food drives and provide an educational component by mobilizing our volunteers as presenters on nutrition to various Miami-Dade public schools. After taking a course on nutrition and health disparities at Columbia University Irving Medical Center as part of a premedical internship this past summer, I’ve been further illuminated to a problem I was already passionate about. As a future cardiologist, the correlation between healthy nutrition/access to healthy nutrition and cardiovascular disease (the #1 cause of death in the country) is one of the areas I learn about the most. After discussions with an executive board member that has completed internships with the Health Education Coordinator from the Department of Education, this two-sided approach of bringing healthy food and teaching nutrition is quickly becoming a reality. Through utilizing our ever-growing network of volunteers and Miami-Dade public school connections, a new executive team dedicated to this pursuit is being formed. The 305 Give Back Drive was created with the purpose of serving the underserved within the Miami area, and it will always comprehensively evolve to do just that.

STEVEN LI

Two years ago, I started Project Talent Launch (PTL) to disrupt the rules of who gets an internship opportunity. We’re a student-run 501(c)(3) partnering with businesses and community organizations to create internship opportunities for underserved high school students. I often start with cold calls to corporate executives, then follow up with meetings where I explain how our program can benefit them through building goodwill, brand ambassadors, and a talent pipeline. Every student who completes our program with a positive evaluation receives a $1000 educational scholarship.

In 2021, our first year of operation, we had nine students. By the end of the program, some had chosen their major. Others realized what they didn’t want to do. The rest had landed full-time positions. So far just this year, we’ve raised over $55,000 to fund our forty internship openings across four different districts in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Ryan Castellanos, a PTL Scholar this year, was an intern at Idealab, a Pasadena-based technology incubator. As someone always interested in technology but never certain about how to pursue a career in the industry, he remarked, “[PTL] showed me that all I had sought wasn’t as out of reach as I believed.” Not only does he now have the confidence to explore more career opportunities, he can pay off the majority of his community college tuition to realize those dreams.

Looking back, what has motivated me has been my mother’s journey. In 2005, she immigrated to the United States alone, pregnant with me. She didn’t speak the language and didn’t know anyone in this country. What she and many other immigrants have had to endure is incredible. Growing up in an immigrant community, I’ve seen how so many families can lack social networks, and how many, especially in underserved areas, don’t have access to life-changing internships.

PTL has allowed me to have an impact on ambitious young talents through the professional networks I have established. These networks have both given me the satisfaction of learning and understanding myself better as an entrepreneur and also allowed me to build equitable talent pipelines.

Project Talent Launch Website

Telemundo Feature

World Journal Feature

South Pasadenan Feature

Taco Bell Foundation (California Finalist)

Colorado Boulevard Feature 1
Colorado Boulevard Feature 2

Pasadena Now Feature

ANNA KOVE

One of the largest impacts that I have taken part in is running Project Dot (http://projectdot.org/) and being the non-profit’s President. Providing feminine hygiene kits to woman, non-binary, and transmen has created such an inclusive group where everyone feels safe to speak. Tackling the stigma of gender inequality and providing hygiene items to 25+ local charities across Southern Nevada has driven me to not stop until changes are made about this under spoken topic. Nevada continues to ignore the prevalence of period poverty, considering SNAP will cover coffee because it is “essential”, but pads and tampons aren’t. Members of the community facing this period poverty issue are often having physical and mental issues all because they can’t afford a simple necessity. They are forced to have to decide whether they should put food on the table or purchase a pad or tampon. Project Dot tries to take a little bit of that weight off their shoulder by providing as much as we can. There is so much corruption in our society and a lot of members who simply aren’t educated about this issue. Taking part in Project Dot has inspired me so much that I have doubled the number of kits distributed to about 4,000 a year and increased connections to advocate for the injustices of period poverty. I have also received $10k grants from the Wynn and have even stood in front of the Las Vegas city council to receive a grant to help fund kit productions. Gender inequality and ending the stigma of period poverty is what I am fighting to change. Educating young women and men to become youth leaders in the community is what will incite a revolution of change. I now lead a group of over 300+ volunteers who are day by day making a difference in the Southern Nevada community to end period poverty and bring attention to this under spoken subject. When I joined Project Dot, it was women led and only women participated in our events. But the question crossed my mind, “How were we supposed to fight gender inequalities and end period poverty if only women were involved?” So, I set out to create a community that included men, willing allies, and educated this new cohort about a subject they had never considered. Creating such a like-minded, inclusive community where everyone has a chance to share their story to help improve others’ livelihoods is what has connected me so much to Project Dot, making it undoubtedly my most meaningful commitment this year.

Running Project dot (non-profit) and being president advocating for such a taboo subject, Period Poverty, comes with lots of let downs. Trying to supply as many feminine hygiene kits as possible to women, transmen, and non-binary members of the Southern Nevada community to 25+ different charities isn’t easy. The federal government can’t even provide them with feminine hygiene items, but as a 17-year-old girl I have taken on the role to make this my mission to help these poverty-stricken individuals from having to make the decision to provide food for their families or purchase items for their menstrual cycle. Not all my work has been easy, my confidence has often been shot down by the failures of not securing grants or dealing with disputes among members. This dispute over necessities is why I’m fighting gender inequality and period poverty is such a prevalent issue. When I was denied grants over, and over, and over again it took a toll on me. But knowing feminine hygiene kits were needed I kept going. After many failures I finally saw “grant secured”. This $10k grant from the Wynn fueled Project Dot. Through ups and down I grew Project Dot to 4,000 kits a year and I lead a group of 300+ volunteers. I’ve created a safe inclusive environment for those to share their stories and needs. My commitment to Project Dot (http://projectdot.org/) and improving lives has really paid off after I have seen members of Southern Nevada prevail.

RAMANDEEP SAINI

While researching how to help my dad manage his uncontrolled diabetes, I learned that new technologies, such as continuous glucose monitors, can improve health outcomes, but are too expensive for people like my father. I believe that the representation of equity-deserving groups in STEM can ensure accessibility of new technologies for marginalized populations. However, I know first-hand that these groups face barriers to entry into the field. This reality led to me founding an award-winning initiative called Cryptic Languages (CL) with the goal of delivering free programming to ensure marginalized youth gain the interest, skills and resources needed to pursue STEM careers.

To begin, I designed introductory coding lessons and interactive activities that teach youth about concepts in physics, astronomy, and chemistry. This year, I partnered with a Salvation Army branch to deliver these lessons to over 25 low-income youth aged 4 to 14 every Wednesday. Throughout this process, I have had to be creative and innovative in designing the workshop lessons with the limited resources available at the branch, so I conduct my activities with normal arts and crafts items, while maintaining my goal of teaching STEM concepts in an interactive manner. For example, I have discussed Bernoulli’s Principle while creating different types of airplanes with the students. I have also taught them HTML and CSS while using the limited technology available to help the students make their own websites.

In addition, I have also delivered virtual coding workshops to over 315 students from 31 countries, while partnering with organizations like the Canadian Association of Girls in Science and the Brampton Library to reach equity-deserving populations locally. Furthermore, I have uploaded 20 coding tutorials to the Cryptic Languages YouTube channel to provide another free and accessible avenue to learn coding. In total, the YouTube Channel has over 2000 views.

Moreover, CL runs career panels, equipping high school students with skills such as networking, securing mentors, and dealing with prejudice in STEM as a minority. This summer, I also partnered with the Merit Bursary Award to run a workshop on financing higher education, recognizing the high cost of STEM degrees. These events have been attended by over 220 youth.

In 2020, I was a top five finalist for the Global Aspiring Teen Award (presented by the Women in Tech Global Awards) for the work I have done with CL to diversify the STEM workforce. In the future, I plan to expand CL with scholarships and a mentorship program for low-income youth, in hopes of further reinforcing my goal to provide underserved youth with access to STEM education.

Cryptic Languages Website: https://ramandeep-saini.github.io/Cryptic-Languages/
Cryptic Languages YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG6PNN3FrVa68yGT3r55oA/featured

MADYLIN MCCOMMONS

“I. can’t. breathe…my dad is going to kill me this time…I’m too young to die.” These thoughts raced through my head as my father flew into a rage and wrapped his bare hands around my throat. I wish I could say it was a bad dream, but it was my reality as the daughter of an abusive alcoholic.

Nearly four years ago, this incident was not the first of its kind, but it was the last, as it was the catalyst that finally emboldened my mom to leave my dad. And while it was a relief to know that I would no longer live in constant fear of his threats, violence, and intimidation, I was left with the ugly aftermath of domestic violence: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After his attack on my life, my mom filed for divorce. My sisters and I explicitly expressed our fear of our dad, but the court proceeded to recommend that we needed to spend time with our abusive father.

Soon after, my sisters and I met our father at a plaza and spent 12 nightmarish hours with him every weekend. We refused to get in a car with him because of our intense fear of him. We spent our visitation hours roaming in and out of stores trying to stay safe within the sight of strangers within the stores. His cruelty towards me triggered a panic attack, which resulted in needing medical intervention. Luckily, I was able to walk to a MedExpress. The visitations ceased immediately. Only then was I able to start my healing process.

One step forward, three steps back.

That’s how I felt when Child Youth Services (CYS) showed up to my school and pulled me out of class one day to discuss the open investigation on my father. I was trying to heal myself, trying to push the traumatic memories out of my mind but it seemed like a lost cause. Instead of focusing on the upcoming Spanish test I had in 45 minutes, I was thinking about whether or not my father would try to kill me again; It all flooded back- the fear, panic, and anxiety.

School was my safe space, my escape from my troubling reality. But even though he wasn’t physically there, my father still managed to suffocate me in a protected place. At this point, I realized that my father’s choices were something that I would have to live with for the rest of my life. His choices hurt me, broke me, and damaged me. But not for long.

I once was ashamed to be a child abuse victim, but now I look at it in a different light; I am a survivor.

Through hard work and determination, I have turned the abuse I faced into a source of strength. I’ve learned how to advocate for myself; my father’s actions will neither cripple nor define me. I refuse to live in fear or allow my past to hinder my future aspirations. With trauma therapy, I am learning how to live with PTSD and I am using my healing to help others. Recently, I started a club at my school called Kids Too, with the goal of raising awareness for child abuse victims who are often voiceless in the court system. We participate in service activities and volunteer jobs to bring a sense of unity to the community. For example, we have a “Wear Blue” Day in April at all of the district schools, since blue is the color of child abuse prevention. In addition, we conduct funraisers to help support the local women’s shelter, and we place child abuse prevention pinwheels in the school lawns to show support outside of the school walls. My club has raised over $1,500 to donate to the local crisis shelter through chip and t-shirt fundraisers, and are in the process of a district-wide “Comfort Drive” to donate gloves, hats, socks, blankets, and stuffed animals to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lawrence County to give comfort to abused children during the holiday season.

My dad has taken away countless things from me, but I refuse to let him take away my voice.

LAUREN FORNEY

Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities. Social justice is fairness as it manifests in society. It includes fairness in healthcare, employment, and housing. Social justice is a widespread term, but it is not new.

One important issue I have been passionate about that I have brought to the attention of my local, state, and national government is the Crown Act. The Crown Act is a law that “prohibits racebased hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles. Currently, Texas has not passed the Crown Act.

Over the years, there have been numerous headlines featuring humiliating acts against people of color because of the way they wear their hair. One that I remember vividly was about a high school African American teen disgraced when they cut his hair in front of onlookers during a competition. The referee communicated to the Coach of the team that his hair did not meet regulations of length. If the teen were to continue in the match, he would have to cut his hair.

I watched the video of this news story many times and I was brought to tears as the young man stood degraded and allowed his crown to be cut. I thought to myself there was no one that stood up for this teen and this should never happen to anyone.

I am passionate about advocating for the Crown Act to be passed in Texas. In September, I was awarded an opportunity to attend On The Hill Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C. with Jack and Jill of America Inc/Katy Prairie View Chapter as Teen President to share my passion with elected officials.

I spent a day working with professionals in the field of advocacy to prepare me to speak with elected officials from my region on the topic.

I was able to speak with Mrs. Lizzie Fletcher office. She represents Texas’s 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The district includes much of western Houston. I spoke about my personal experiences of hair discrimination at my school and the importance of lobbying for the Crown Act to be passed in Texas. Please view the video of my efforts:

After my experience in On the Hill, I felt I had made my voice heard. However, I know there is so much more work to be done.

I have been engaged in Jack and Jill of America, Inc. for the past eleven years. Jack and Jill of America is a strong national organization that has strong programming in the areas of cultural awareness, educational development, health, and civic engagement.

During my tenure, I have served in many leadership positions—Teen President, Historian and Chaplain. The Jack and Jill experience has afforded me many opportunities to be engaged civically and concerned about my community. I have served boldly to over the years to help my community.

I have been involved in serving my community since I was the age of 4. I believe it is important to help others that are disenfranchised. When I was twelve years old, after I was selected by the State Board of Education as Hero of the Year, shortly thereafter, I began my own community service academy. I work alongside 25 youths and their families to meet the needs of the elderly, homeless and the hungry. All my efforts executed under the umbrella of my academy are documented on my Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/Lady-Laurens-Community-Service-Academy-1214028515328777

This past year, alongside my academy members we were able to execute my 9 th Annual Warm Scarf initiative, 10th Annual Community Canned Food Drive and collection, assembly, and distribution of 200 homeless care packages.

Being engaged in my community is a critical part of who I am as a human being. Please take a moment to view a publication in a local magazine noting my efforts over the span of my life.
https://www.katymagazineonline.com/post/katy-teenage-humanitarian-starts-community-serviceacademy

My efforts to be engaged in the social ills of my community have also been acknowledged by my school district. I was selected out of almost ninety thousand students to share my story of service. It can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

I am a teen that believes that being civically engaged will make this World a better place for us all. I believe that each of us has a voice that deserves to be heard on important topics that affect the people of my community and beyond.

I believe my life’s work in service and advocating for change up to this point communicates how I am a working definition of serving my community and my sincere attempt to even the playing field for the underserved.

LEANORA ROYSTER

My name is Leanora M. Royster, an agriculture student at Sinclair Community College. Living in a Food desert during the supply chain shortage was a wake-up call. watch people in the grocery stores scrambling for food. It was shocking and something I had never seen before. We have one (1) grocery store chain (Kroger) serving over 80 thousand residents on the entire West Side of Dayton, Ohio, and it is a shame.

Urban agriculture is finally becoming an integral part of our food system and recognized in the 2018 Farm Bill. My mission is to lessen food insecurity in my community whether urban or rural. There is a need for fresh food in underserved communities because access is limited.

My invention is a mobile horizontal aeroponic vegetable growing system. My aeroponic system is energy efficient, affordable, and easy to use. The mobile indoor gardening system is designed for people living in a food desert without sufficient yard space to garden and/or have limited resources.

The first unit built has two (2) chambers (top and bottom) that can be used independently for growing fresh vegetables. Most importantly my aeroponic unit only uses 2 gallons of water per reservoir as opposed to 15-20 gallons in traditional hydroponic systems. My unit maintains its own ecofriendly environment with light, water, and air circulation necessary for a healthy indoor grow.

Since January 2022, I have been a full-time student. Because hydroponics is a part of our curriculum, I introduced my professor to aeroponics as an energy efficient way to grow indoors. I started sourcing parts in January and put together several working units with my own modest finances. I purchase all of the parts, designed, and built all of the units. The purpose was to prove it could be done and to provide food desert communities with a tool to lessen food insecurity.

The mobile aeroponic is sustainable, soilless, energy efficient, plug-n-play and fits in a closet. My goal is to place a grown system in any home in our urban and rural food desert. Although my focus is on underserved communities, my aeroponic unit can be used to solve food insecurity problems everywhere. A provisional utility patent application was successfully submitted with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in June 2022, at the advice of my professors which was, “Do not show this unless you have patent protection!” After shifting my household budget around to make it happen, I followed their advice and found a patent attorney that I could afford.

The mobile aeroponic grow system is a potential game changer. I not only developed several units while keeping up with my studies but also taught the plumbing technology to my peers. The final was displayed as a side-by-side comparison of aeroponics vs hydroponics. All seeds were the same germinated at the same time. My unit demonstrated a superior rate of growth. That is where faculty in the Agriculture, Food Service Management and Social Work department(s) encouraged me to apply for a provisional patent. I was simply just trying to teach my community how to feed themselves. My project can feed a lot of families to promote independence, self reliance, and food sovereignty.

Devotion to community is my way of giving back. I volunteered to build gardens at home because community gardens are difficult to access without transportation.

Thus, the reason for bringing the garden to the gardener.

In June 2021, my world shattered after having a stroke. Instead of staying home sulking for months feeling sorry for myself, I pushed myself toward school. It was difficult at first and frustrating because I could not always think or find the words to express my thoughts. The classroom gave me a platform to practice my speech without judgement. Although my speech and critical thinking skills were temporarily impaired, my creativity was not. Using my hands kick-started mental stimulation. I went from unable to speak, read, and noise sensitivity to textbooks and speeches. My substantial recovery is due in part to enrolling in an academic environment to practice learning how to learn again. School is my vocational rehabilitation.

If not for the courage to attempt college, none of this, including my aeroponics, would be possible. With your generous scholarship grant, I can thrive while in school, finish the agriculture program, and continue to build aeroponic systems for my community. Since then, I have developed four (4) units i.e., Small, medium, large and tabletop.

Most recently on Sunday, December 11, 2022, an article was written about my work at the college published in the Dayton Daily News, “Local,” section front page above the fold. The digital article was published on Friday December 9, 2022. The online link is:

https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/sinclair-students-patent-pending-creation-a-path-to-relief-in-food-deserts/P6A3JN746NFPHB4ACF33H6NDVQ/

My system is improved technology that addresses a serious problem in many underserved communities. My education will provide the technical tools necessary to become a master gardener and teach this discipline with skill and confidence.

WANYING ZHANG

Being raised by a single parent and attending an all-girls school showed me that women can educate, empower, and lead. That supportive environment nurtured in me an unshakable confidence that there was nothing I could not pursue and help improve.

Unfortunately, the business world is not as kind to women. Less than 8% of the Fortune 500 and 5% of the Global 500 companies have women CEOs, and yet women overwhelmingly staff retail and healthcare frontlines. Our economy will be more productive, innovative, and robust when women are better represented in leadership.

Starting in January of 2021, I cold-called and cold-emailed neighboring universities, meeting countless rejections and unreturned messages. Finally, a local college agreed to help with logistical support. I designed and led weekly workshops in three public middle schools in economically disadvantaged areas of Philadelphia. Through these workshops, young girls were imbued with fundamental business knowledge, such as banking, real estate, and even cryptocurrency. I recruited my fellow Business Club members and founded Future For Her to hold camps in-person and by Zoom that summer, attracting students locally and internationally. These camps featured female guest speakers from the business world and incorporated individual lesson plans that encourage girls to create their own business ideas.

We are now in our second-year of this outreach and continue to hold weekly workshops in our partner schools. The camps for next summer already have waiting lists. Younger school classmates will carry on the work of Future For Her as I move to the next stage of my formal education.

When women’s latent potential can be unfettered, then our world will be more equitable and robust. I am resolved to increasing the number of women to the workforce to systemically undermine the patriarchal cycle of social and economical conditions. The world can only be kinder, safer, and more productive when women are better represented in leadership. By helping young girls gain confidence in their abilities, I know we can help launch them on a path to lifelong success.

Link to Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_futureforher/

JOSUE PERALTA DE JESUS

As a participant in the IDRA Youth Advisory Board, I’ve been able to work with a group of passionate students to research and analyze education policy, create multimedia projects and even organize a youth symposium in order to advocate for just education. This experience has allowed me to develop my leadership and teamwork skills as we often worked collaboratively towards a common goal in mind. IDRA (Intercultural Development Research Association) is an independent, non-profit organization who strives to improve public education.

Along with my work with IDRA, I have also been deeply involved in the expansion of Mexican American studies. I was able to publish a newsletter for IDRA regarding Mexican American studies and as the MC, led a city-wide conference, known as Cafecito Y MAS for students and teachers to build a community of practice around this important topic.

Most importantly, I co-founded a group known as MASISTA (Mexican-American Studies Independent Students Taking Action), which is dedicated to advocate for the expansion of Mexican American Studies in San Antonio. This experience allows me to develop my leadership and communication skills as I worked closely with researchers, teachers, students and other like minded individuals to create real change in our community.

Through our efforts, MASISTA has already made a large impact. We have participated at the 27th Annual Cesar E. Chavez March and submitted a petition with over 100 signatures to my school’s administrator which successfully brought back Mexican American Studies on Course Selection . Seeing the impact of our work has been incredibly rewarding and has inspired me to continue working towards creating a more just and equitable education system.

Overall, these volunteer experiences have allowed me to develop my leadership, teamwork, and communication skills while also making a tangible impact on my community. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such passionate individuals and look forward to continuing to advocate for social justice and equity in education

Mexican American Studies is American History, by Josue Peralta
About IDRA

EMILY ABRUSCI

Freshwater is vital to life and to our ecosystem. Water equity and accessibility are a struggle when only 2% of the world’s water is freshwater and only 1% is accessible through lakes and rivers. This makes freshwater an extremely scarce resource with many physical and economic barriers. Limited access to freshwater not only severely affects the health of a community but the agricultural and energy production in a region. There is a direct feedback loop between water scarcity, negative health effects, and poverty. Often women, children, and minorities are the ones who are most disproportionately affected. Due to global warming and water waste across the world, our freshwater reservoirs and lakes are dwindling. Being from Nevada, I’ve personally seen Lake Mead water levels dropping. However, many Americans know very little, if anything, about the water scarcity crisis. Every day, Americans use an average of 82 gallons of water in their household. Toilets use the most water of any household appliance at 28% of the total household usage. With every flush, an average of 3 gallons of water goes down the drain.

We need to combat this now. So, I found a partner, and together we came up with the idea for Grey-t Water. Grey-t Water is a filter system designed to replace the use of freshwater in toilets with greywater. The wastewater from other appliances, such as your shower or sink, will be collected from the drains and directed to a filter where the recycled water would then be stored in a pressurized tank and redistributed to the toilets in the home. Our system will be a sustainable alternative that effectively eliminates the freshwater needs of an entire appliance. We estimate it will save 43,000 gallons of water a year per household.

We have been developing this idea since last October and have won multiple collegiate competitions supporting our plan. Both my partner and I have won our school’s Summer Seed Grant in order to work on this idea over the summer. While my partner works on refining a prototype I will be doing research with sustainable companies and water conservation groups. I am majoring in Environmental Conservation and Sustainability and my partner is majoring in Business with a minor in sustainability. Together we are passionate that our project can make real change across the country and maybe even internationally one day. However, we need a lot of funding to start this project at full scale. While we have had some monetary prizes, most financial support goes towards our tuition first. We would love to be able to focus those prize funds on making this project a reality and the way to do that is to make sure our tuition is covered first. I want to create a real impact with my education through experience, rather than just classes and grades. Your scholarship would not only be helping me pay for my education but give me the financial freedom to make the change towards a more sustainable future.

DANIEL GIL

Growing up, I was always the kid on the sidelines who wasn’t quite ready to jump in. During elementary recess, I watched everyone else play soccer, but didn’t have the courage to join until one friend invited me. Although I was unable to pass properly, one encouragement from my friend, Sean allowed me to continue. Day by day, my confidence grew, along with my relationship with my fellow schoolmates.

When I moved away in fifth grade, I was devastated; however, my memories of soccer with Sean stuck with me. Alone in a new town, I found companionship with the soccer ball, practicing every day. Thinking back to the recess games Sean introduced me to, I mustered the confidence to join a club team and continue my passion while creating new relationships. Sean gave me the strength to seek out soccer conversations like who was going to win the World Cup with fellow soccer enthusiasts at my new school. I not only found an obsession for the beautiful sport but also a voice to connect with others—even beyond soccer.

Braungart and McDonough’s book, “Cradle to Cradle,” inspired my work engaging children in science. The book focuses on promoting ways to implement positive environmental impact. I created a build-your-own wind turbine kit for children to spark scientific curiosity and spread awareness of sustainability. I personally thought that being exposed to engaging science activities as a child sparked scientific interest for me. I would like to replicate this opportunity for as many kids as possible while promoting the importance of keeping the community green. Most parts of the kit use household items that would have been trashed or recycled to further emphasize sustainability.

We also created a website for children to follow along as they work on their kits; for those who do not have Internet access, we created a detailed instruction guide with pictures.

https://hangyeol0920.wixsite.com/science-kit-for-kids

Here, they can find fun facts, important information, and other ways to initiate positive change. We hope to create a positive impact for the next generation of children who pursue intellectual excellence while keeping sustainability in mind. Through the money made from my Amazon business, we funded the materials for the kits. We have donated over 25 kits to local churches and have sent over 50 kits to a school with underprivileged students in China and Leeds International School Negombo in Sri Lanka, the Dandelion School for migrant children, and more requests are coming.

Having both parents in biological research, I grew up immersed in the endless wonders of scientific inquiry. For me, seeing and playing with all the “scientist” gear in my parents’ lab got me engaged in science classes. However, I realized that many don’t have this same environment to seek scientific curiosity and wanted to spark interest in children through hands-on science kits. I hope to create the next generation of science-seeking, socially-conscious individuals. “Cradle to Cradle” inspired me to make a change to better the environment with the experiences I had.

MARY BORKOWSKI

I’ve been a Girl Scout for 11 years, and if I’ve learned one thing from my time with the organization it’s that innovation is the best way to help the community around you. Girl Scouts taught me that thinking creatively can solve any problem. This idea has inspired me to take on many projects in my life, but of all the projects I’ve done the most challenging is the project I’m presenting to you: my Girl Scout Gold Award. Earning my Gold Award was different from any other project I’ve done because I was not working directly under any organization. There’s no one telling you what to do and how to do it; all those decisions are up to you. Because of this, you must learn to take initiative and have courage in a way that you would not in any other type of volunteer work.

My project aimed to address the lack of sensory tools in organizations that aid autistic and special needs individuals in the DFW area. Studies have shown that sensory tools can be greatly beneficial. Unfortunately, many organizations simply can not afford these items. To combat this problem, I designed and created 107 sensory tools for 5 different organizations: The Notre Dame School, the Achievement Center of Texas, Ability Connection, Champion Services, and the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Plano. I chose to donate the sensory tools to multiple organizations so that my project would reach as many people as possible. I designed 4 different kinds of sensory tools so that the organizations could choose which items would best suit their needs, because if you know anything about autism, you know that it is a spectrum and needs vary from person to person. I made weighted lap pads, manipulation mats, marble mazes, and sensory blankets, all by my own design. In addition to creating these sensory tools, I also made tutorial videos explaining how to make each item and posted them on YouTube. I did this so that my project could continue helping people beyond my involvement.

Behind every project is a spark that pushes the project forward, and for this project, my spark came in the form of my brother, JD. JD is autistic, so helping special needs individuals has always been a passion of mine. Growing up, my brother and I were very close. From playing with him to helping out in his therapy sessions, I spent all the time I could with him. Most recently, I made a weighted lap pad for him. I thought to myself, why stop with my brother? Why not make sensory tools for more people? So I dove into this project, and on my final delivery, I brought my brother with me, as a way to come full circle and remind myself who inspired this project in the first place. Not only did he inspire this project, but he also kept it going. When confronting obstacles, thinking of him helped me keep going, and ultimately motivated me to complete the project.

On the surface the project may seem simple: make sensory items and videos, but there is so much work that goes on behind the scenes to reach that goal. This project started with research, which is the foundation of the design process. I read many studies on the effects of sensory toys, in addition to testimonials from individuals who use them. I wanted to learn all I could so that I could create the best sensory tools. Next, I sketched out patterns and decided on dimensions for the sensory tools. I created prototypes of each sensory tool, testing out different fabrics and other design choices, and had my brother try them out. Then I reached out to different organizations, collecting orders of items. I budgeted out how much all the raw materials would cost and started my fundraising campaign. I raised nearly twice as much money as I needed. After buying all the materials, I started work on the actual sewing part of the project. I knew I could never finish 107 items on my own, so enlisted the help of a service club at my school. By partnering with this club I was able to hold service events at my school where other students had the opportunity to help make some of the items. Finally, I filmed and edited the tutorial videos and delivered all the items. But this summary barely even scratches the surface of the 193 hours put into this project.

I can honestly say that this project has been the most meaningful experience of my life. I grew so much as a person and truly came to understand my own power to make a difference in the world. This project took a year to complete, and I had to balance it with my schoolwork and other extracurriculars. It is simultaneously the toughest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. My main takeaway from the whole experience is that you never know how much you’re capable of until you try. After completing this project, I am confident that thinking creatively will allow me to accomplish any goal I choose. Thank you for considering my application. If you have further interest in my project, visit my YouTube channel, Bringing Joy Through Sensory Toys, or my Instagram account, maryborkowskigold.

YOUWEI ZHEN

Inspiration truly comes from unexpected places: two years ago during the pandemic, the sudden shift from in-person events to remote interaction caused major problems for all. Confidential information and files would occasionally be seen by family members walking by. Work privacy was becoming a problem at homes. I saw these problems affect society both on a personal and universal level, and this led to the creation of PrivacySavior.

A few months later, I created the first prototype of PrivacySavior, which is a device that protects and hides confidential information on your computer when it detects a new presence in the vicinity of your device. Realizing the potential of this idea, I joined the Youth Entrepreneur Academy (YEA) in NYC to further push my product along.

During the first few months at YEA, I started to receive support from my mentors to truly build out my idea. I created my business plans while learning Computer Aided Design (CAD), electronics, schematics and I even filed and received a provisional patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I presented my ideas with other mentors in the fields of banking, cybersecurity and web design in YEA, with all of them showing keen interest in my product.

The next few months were followed by intense preparation for the upcoming investment panel. When day broke, I’d practice my investment pitch in the morning, develop my business model at noon, and design schematics while programming software for PrivacySavior at night. It was during this arduous period that I gained an admiration for startups and businesses, and especially the people who start them–though the CEO or Founder might seem like a mere figurehead, I can now empathize with how they actually spend a lot of time and effort creating their company, which is not guaranteed to be successful.

Fast forward to the day of the Youth Entrepreneurship Academy Investor Panel for New York City. As I entered the venue for the investor panel, I shuddered as I saw investors and sponsors from Amazon, Broadway Stages, Empire State Bank, National Grid, Northfield Bank, and Small Business Administration. However, I stood my ground and gave it my all – I won the investor panel and was chosen to represent NYC in the National Saunders Competition!

On the day of the National Saunders Competition, I met many young entrepreneurs with different innovations: Artificial intelligence, electronics, and fashion. After a heated round of pitching, the judges carefully evaluated each participant for their creativity and business models, and I ended up becoming a semi-finalist of the national competition.

The following link leads to my business pitch in the competition: https://www.youtube.com/live/gOWxjzr-k1w?feature=share&t=8271

Pitching my business idea on national television was not what I planned to do when I started working on PrivacySavior, but I am proud of and grateful for every step of this thrilling adventure. Through my journey of entrepreneurship, I have learned firsthand that business is not just about innovation and supply and demand. It requires tenacity, determination and a sense of optimism. Entrepreneurship, in essence, starts from within the entrepreneur.

JAKE DRISCOLL-NATALE

Raised in the Monterey Bay, in 1 of the 36 globally-recognized biodiversity hotspots, I grew up on one of the most biodiverse and protected marine sanctuaries in the world. Living in Santa Cruz, once nicknamed “Surf City U.S.A.”, our entire community is known for living in and around the ocean, whether surﬁng, swimming, or paddleboarding. An inﬂux of Silicon Valley tech workers moving to our historical beach town has brought innovation and money. Santa Cruz community members now can open up their phones and see the exact swell size, off-shore wind direction, and any other surf metric of any beach at any time. But even with Santa Cruz’s new money, the health of our beaches, creeks, and rivers have been left in the dark.

Nearly two years ago I discovered the lack of continuous water quality data in Santa Cruz. Failed attempts from the California Environmental Protection Agency and underrepresentation from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) left Santa Cruz community members and the larger California watershed blind to the health of their local waters. Without continuous water quality data, we have no idea how climate change is actually affecting our waterways, and therefore, it’s much more diﬃcult to make individual and communal decisions on how to protect our most beloved asset, the ocean. With real data, we can be informed on future steps and goals to combat climate change, because with real data comes real stewardship.

Personally motivated to ﬁnd a solution, I spent the next 14 months developing an innovative, affordable water monitoring system that my local community and beyond can use as a key tool in grassroots conservation advocacy as well as monitoring communal health and safety.

With the issue stemming from the inaccessibility of water quality monitoring, the goal of my approach was to take inspiration from those widely used Surf-Monitors I mentioned previously. Having used these monitors my whole life as a surfer, I knew the technology was available to bring the same level of accessibility from surf to water health.

My passion for the ocean, as a surfer and ocean geek, inspired me to spend the next year teaching myself computer programming languages, electrical circuitry principles, and wireless data communication protocol through YouTube videos and online forums. With my self-taught skills, I spent months developing an accessible and autonomous water quality monitoring system that costs a hundred thousand dollars less than the USGS systems deployed locally.

My successful prototype allows any community member to view the health of any local waterway via phone or computer from anywhere in the world.

While I developed my device without the guidance of a direct mentor, I gained indispensable knowledge and advice from local water leaders I reached out to. Through cold-emailing a local ocean sensing expert at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and walking up to the booth of a University of Santa Cruz lab researcher to pitch my idea, I made connections that would form into long-term relationships that have continued to be mutually beneﬁcial even more than a year later.

Another huge source of resources and inspiration was through science and engineering fairs. The development of my project accelerated since entering my device in my county-wide STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Expo. After winning ‘Best in Show’ with a handful of other opportunities in the form of special awards, my project and I were given opportunities larger than I could have ever imagined. As I progressed through State, National, and International STEM and Inventing fairs I not only gained amazing advice and inspiration from my brilliant peers and judges, but also thousands of dollars in funding through numerous national and international recognitions including an award from the International Science and Engineering Fair, a patent-application award at the National Invention Convention, and 3rd place at the International ‘AmericasX’ Invention Convention.

While the STEM competitions I attended gave me the opportunity to learn from the brightest young minds from all over the world, I was itching to come back home and bring my impact back to my own community. After writing a thank you note to the local scientists who helped me along the way, the MBARI ocean scientist, Yui Takeshita, invited me to present my development at the renowned MBARI Ocean Sensing lab. More info on that lab here: https://www.mbari.org/team/ocean-biogeochemical-sensing-obs/
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After getting to tour the MBARI labs, discuss my project with MBARI Electrical and Computer Engineers, and present my research to the lab, I was invited back to continue developing my device at their Ocean Sensing Lab.
Since plans with additional development at MBARI began, I have been lucky enough to be interviewed and have my story shared back to my local community by a local online news page The Lookout, the article here: https://lookout.co/santacruz/education/story/2023-09-26/jack-driscoll-natale-ap tos-teen-invention-low-cost-water-quality-monitor-award-winning-data-collection.

As I work with ABC7 Bay Area on another story, I couldn’t be more grateful for the trust and faith that my community has for not just my project and I but the path to a healthier and sustainable future. I am currently working on a patent and continuing development on my device. I could not be more excited to see how much further this project takes my community and the future of our environment.

EVA REYES

To whom it may concern: It is with very great pleasure that I recommend Eva Reyes as a candidate for your scholarship. I have known Eva for four years and can speak to her leadership skills and drive to help others. I believe she has exactly what is needed to be successful.

Eva has proven to be extremely diligent and innovative in her time at Western Harnett. Eva is a multi-year member of various organizations at Western, including the swim team and Beta club . Every year she’s been a Beta member, she’s met or exceeded the recommended 20 hours of community service. Eva is also a multi-year participant in our school’s peer tutoring program, serving freshmen in NC Math 1 and World History classes.

What distinguishes Eva most from her peers is her initiative to enact change. Eva has started an individual service project at Western to combat feminine hygiene insecurity we lovingly call the “pink box project.” Each classroom in our school has a small pink box that is bedazzled and adorned with butterflies, but which also contains pads for students in need. For her last birthday, Eva asked for supplies to start the project. Our HOSA club has committed to continuing the project after Eva graduates. It was Eva that identified this need at our school and proposed the project without prompting; had she not, we wouldn’t have a system that is nearly effective and removes a certain amount of stigma for many of our female students.

Overall, I’ve never met Eva in a sour mood; she is a perfect example of serving others first with kindness and positivity. She continues to challenge herself with rigorous courses despite her involvement in extracurricular activities. If chosen as a recipient for your scholarship, | have faith that she will take advantage of the educational opportunities it will make a reality. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on Eva’s behalf and for considering her as a recipient for your scholarship.

Sincerely
Alicia Ferguson
Western Harnett High School

CALLI PASTERNACK

I aspire to embody the essence of the sun’s rays—comforting in the way it is always present, even if just in a reflection on the moon, warm in the way it leaves your towel ready to hug you after a day of challenging ocean waves, and optimistic in the way that it creates a rainbow after a horrible storm.

Collecting sun photographs has been a silly project since the first month of high school when I pointed out an awe-inspiring sunrise to my friend seated next to me on the bus to school. Even at 6:30 in the morning, I loved seeing her perk up when she noticed the beauty outside.

Since that day, I have continued to reach out to friends, family members, and even teachers, asking them to send me pictures of the sun whenever its brightness caught their eye. These snapshots have filled my camera roll, and after some iMovie practice, I overcame my grandma-mimicking lack of technological knowledge to create a beautiful video montage. I was happy to receive these photographs because I knew they brought joy and peace to my loved ones.

Witnessing others happy makes me happy. I have captured snapshots of joyous rays in my life in many different places: the excited look on my friend Yash’s face when he walked into the surprise party I threw him, the look of triumph on the face of Carly, the student I tutor, when she got her first A on a test after hours of tough studying, and the infectious laughter of the children I coach in sports. Sometimes, finding joy is as simple as noticing an old man smiling while feeding birds in a nearby park.

Since elementary school, I have discovered my own sunlight while volunteering with students with special needs. I cherish the snapshots I have of my friends with autism as they enthusiastically share facts about their current passions. I treasure moments with friends like Alex, who updates me weekly during our time at The Next Step Program on the number of new bright yellow flowers appearing on his cucumber plants, and with Dakota, whose face lights up when she FaceTimes me to listen to another Princess book reading. Working alongside these remarkable individuals and their families has opened my eyes to the additional expenses parents of students with special needs must struggle with. The cost of specialized learning materials often introduces unnecessary difficulties to families. This realization inspired me to start Graspingit!, a company dedicated to donating school supplies to children with fine motor needs. The joyful reaction of Esme and Stephanie, the first students I handed one of my boxes to, will forever remain etched in my mind. Witnessing their pure joy as they eagerly dug through the box, discovering the fun tools and games to take home, warmed my heart. This is another image that I can add to my internal montage of sunny memories.

Throughout my journey, I have successfully shared brightness with the people surrounding me. However, I also recognize that there are circumstances where I cannot bring light to everyone at all moments. These bumps in the road have taught me the value of weathering stormy nights and cloudy days. They have shown me the importance of encouraging myself and others to find strength when the skies aren’t so sunny. I am dedicated to expanding my collection of sun photographs, and someday, I will share the montage of light I have created. While it is impossible to bring joy to everyone in my life at all times, I can remain a source of light to others by demonstrating kindness, empathy, and unwavering support.

EMMA PAWLOWSKI

Meet The Robinsons was one of my most memorable movies as a child. I watched the flying cars, automatic painting guns and time machines. I imagined growing up and by the time I could drive, it would be in a flying car. Besides, with the technological advances in the last few decades, it was a piece of cake, right? I envisioned the future being full of modern technology that would change our lives and make everything convenient.

Now, I’m 17. I can drive, but there aren’t any flying cars yet. Maybe you could count AI art as an automatic painting gun, but I still haven’t gone back in time to meet a dinosaur. But my vision for the future looks nothing like Meet The Robinsons. If you asked me to describe what I realistically envisioned in the future, my aspirations would not be the first thing to come to mind. I imagine the normalcy of being prepared to carry my life in a backpack to escape the growing BC forest fires, unsure if the home I left will be there when I return. Within the 17 years I’ve spent on this planet I have seen the snow I remember watching fall on Christmas morning slowly cease to exist. I imagine face masks being a part of our daily routine, not because of another pandemic, but the air pollution being so high that it’s unsafe to be without one. I envision reaching the final tipping point in our human-built systems, the line we have been teetering on for years yet failed to recognize. I think about my children, having to describe to them what seafood was because the water has become so warm they roasted in their own shells. That’s only if I decide to have kids, because would it be fair to bring them into a world that can no longer support them?

I listen to the radio on the way to school and hear the producers talk about preparing for a heat dome or to expect atmospheric rivers. I am riddled with stress and not just from school. The fear of constant war, the realization that I may never be able to afford a house of my own in Vancouver but most prominently, the stress of climate guilt. Climate guilt was a term coined due to the need to explain the stress people felt regarding our individual inability or unwillingness to effectively protect the environment from our growing climate disaster. Guilt encapsulated me. I felt there was no reason to work towards anything if there wasn’t a liveable future left for my work to exist. It was at this point that I couldn’t keep waiting for someone else to make a change for me. I realized if I was doing nothing to solve the problem, I am no better than anyone else.
That’s when I founded O.R.C.A Festival.

The acronym stands for Ocean Conservation, Reform, Climate Optimism and Action, which are the core values myself and my four other friends decided we wanted to convey in our event. I wanted to focus on creating positive action for our climate by showcasing the sustainable initiatives in our local community. Rather than focusing on the negative effects and deterioration of our environment commonly seen in the news, what riddled me with climate guilt to begin with. I specifically managed outreach and our social media, sending out over 300 emails to local small sustainable businesses to showcase at our event. With original plans to host our event in August was delayed, we were confronted by setbacks from the City of

Vancouver not taking a group of highschoolers seriously and not assigning us a date to use the space in Olympic Village. Businesses weren’t responding like we wanted and we almost lost hope, but I reminded myself of the purpose of this project. To show our community that the values and choices we have to take the first step have the ability to make change in the world.

We hosted the first iteration of O.R.C.A. Festival on October 22nd, 2022 featuring 14 sustainable small and local businesses and climate organizations ranging from Periwinkle Designs selling beeswax wraps and Coastal Water Protectors advocating for indigenous and Métis perspectives in the climate fight. With over 500+ attendees, climate guilt didn’t disappear, but the positive action and motivation of our community reassured me that people will fight for a liveable future. With the outstanding success of our first event, senior managers at OceanWise loved my initiative and wanted to help fund another event the following summer. It was a stroke of luck that allowed our spread of change to continue for even more years to come.

We applied for more grants along with additional funding for a total over $10,000 in funding to host our second iteration of O.R.C.A Festival on August 2nd, 2023. We saw over 1200+ people at our festival, hosted 32 recurring and new small, local, sustainable businesses and organizations for our most successful event to date. Now that we were a familiar event within our local community, we worked with local press and news outlets to spread our awareness digitally. Watching people interact with positive climate action motivates me to work towards even more iterations of O.R.C.A. Festival to further our community reach and influence a positive mind towards a sustainable future.

I am only one person out of 8 billion on planet earth confined by a minute lifespan compared to the existence of life in the universe. Yet even though in the impossibly cosmic timeline, I am a million things. I am an older sister, a daughter, a bioremediation researcher, a provincial volleyball champion, a worm teacher, the founder of O.R.C.A Festival, an avid baker, and a green tea enthusiast. Yet none of those things matter if there isn’t a future for my aspirations to grow.

My vision for a brighter future starts in the world we live in. And by future, I mean this moment. I envision backpacking in the summer, feeling like an ant walking through the old-growth forests. Snorkeling through the coral reefs with my children, not just showing them photos because the water has heated so much this vital ecosystem is dissolved. Exercising my baking hobby, turning on the oven powered through renewable resources like hydro power to make banana bread. But the only way this future can exist is if momentous change is made now. Fossil fuels are responsible for 75% of all global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Studies have identified 100 energy companies being responsible for 71% of all industrial emissions. Change starts by those contributing the most to our climate issues making radical implementations now. We as consumers of these products have the most power out of all. There is no reason for companies to continue making products people no longer use because of the detriment it creates to our home. Yet that doesn’t mean becoming a perfect eco-warrior. Thousands of people being imperfectly sustainable is a better long-term solution than only a few being absolutely perfect. There is no reason to wait for someone else to start when the power is yours to begin with.

Maybe we do have flying cars in the future or the ability to travel back in time and reverse this all before it is too late. But until then, my vision for a brighter future is for everyone to be imperfect with me and years more of O.R.C.A. Festival.

Instagram: @orcafestival

Press:
https://canadianinquirer.net/2023/07/28/o-r-c-a-festival-is-gearing-up-for-its-second-annual-iterat ion-on-aug-2-2023/

PUNYA SYON PANDEY

My mother was my first teacher, not only introducing me to math as a toddler but also teaching me the applications of my learning. When I was 7, my fascination with the laptop pushed me to learn how to code. Ever since my fascination evolved into a passion for innovating in a way that aids society. I code to raise awareness about climate change and cybersecurity. My interest in software engineering further boomed after Grade 4, creating software that my friends and teachers could use and enjoy was, and still is rewarding to me. In Grade 7 after conversing with Hon. Justin Trudeau at a school robotics show, I knew technology was the future and I want to be a part of it. At 15, after reading an IPCC report, I made the Vesa Terra App, raising awareness about climate change. At 16, I made the Vesa Terra website which uses machine learning models to predict climate metrics from government data. In July 2023, I made the Vigilcybre app to raise cybersecurity awareness. These initiatives were shown on CBC, CTV, and in a short documentary by Science North.

I lived in many countries such as India, South Africa, and Canada. In all these places, not only have I learned new languages, but I have met many different people. They all had various concerns, preferences, and perspectives on issues. I consider myself lucky enough to have these invaluable experiences and empathise with so many exceptional people and understand them. These experiences have had a profound impact on shaping who I am today. I have discovered that my purpose in life is to lead all of us to a better future.

Going to university and obtaining a degree would make it easier for me to accomplish this through my passion for technology, and through the connections I will make with the entrepreneurial spirit of institutions. This scholarship will help me by removing the impending financial stress upon my family and myself, therefore making me more dedicated to finding solutions to society’s biggest problems.

Integrating STEM and climate change is the only solution to the climate crisis. We need breakthroughs in science and technology, along with corporate and intergovernmental collaboration to curb climate change. Technologies such as carbon capture and sequestration need to be scaled globally in an efficient manner, along with policy changes to incentivise agents within our economy to adopt these technologies. To me, university isn’t just a place of education, but it is also a place of teamwork, unity, and collaboration. Being in an environment where many people want to inspire change, will help me amplify my impact on society. The Innovation in Education Scholarship will relieve me from a financial standpoint.

Regardless of whether I get this scholarship or not, I hope that this application inspires you to check out Vesa Terra and Vigilcybre nevertheless, and to spread awareness to others. We all can make a difference, and I hope the committee assessing this application will make a difference; not only in my life, but in the future of the synergy of technology and social justice. That is why I believe that I will be a great recipient of the Innovation in Education Scholarship, because even within my technological passions, my purpose is to lead humanity to a better future.

Links:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/climate-change-app-teen-1.6505903
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/punya-pandey-548532218
https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/espanola-teen-creates-climate-change-awareness-app-1.5968918
https://climate.sciencenorth.ca/en/share-your-story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuorO48oKWw

SURAJ GANIGER

Picture this horrifying scenario. You arrive home in high spirits from the hospital after your appendectomy. At last, you think, the pain is over. Still a little sore from the surgery, you look forward to a pain-free future.

However, a couple of days later, you begin to experience pain, and some symptoms of an infection. You just think it’s a side effect of the surgery. But it isn’t. A week passes. Your surgical wound has turned a deep, foreboding red. You’re in so much pain and don’t know what to do.

What has occurred is a contraction of a Nosocomial Infection/Hospital Acquired Infection, infections spread in a healthcare setting. According to a 2019 article by the Patient Safety Network, 1 out of every 31 hospitalized patients in the United States alone contracts a Nosocomial infection.

The situation painted in the beginning was an imaginary one. But can you imagine your pain spread out through millions of people on such a large scale?

In addition to this problem, antibodies are becoming increasingly ineffective, due to the rise of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These bacteria (take Staphylococcus Aureus) mutate and become resistant to various antibiotics (such as Methicillin) and gain the ability to spread faster. Infections caused by these strains of bacteria are more harmful to patients than regular pathogens, due to the increased resistance.

Developing nations (having a higher prevalence and incidence of Nosocomial infections) find it increasingly difficult to find treatments and solutions to this crisis and adhere to the guidelines implemented by the WHO.

Past and present solutions are no longer effective in addressing Nosocomial infections. Diagnoses don’t happen fast enough, and symptoms don’t show up for days.

Enter my team’s medical innovation, a type of medical examination glove, the NotoNoso Glove. NotoNoso detects Nosocomial infections through an innovative route: Utilizing the natural processes of bacteria to fight bacteria. Current laboratory procedures use MacConkey Agar, using lactose monohydrate to identify whether a bacteria is lactose fermenting, to grow various lactose-fermenting gram-negative bacteria (the majority of Nosocomial Infections), such as Streptococci. If present, the agar plate turns red due to the release of lactic acid. NotoNoso, on the other hand, utilizes this property to detect Nosocomial bacteria faster.

The entire process begins with the bacteria. If Nosocomial bacteria are present, it interacts with lactose monohydrate (via lactase), starting the fermentation process, and releasing lactic acid as a byproduct. The litmus blue dye detects this and changes color from blue to red, indicative of a Nosocomial infection. The nitrile glove is lined with testing strips, containing lactose monohydrate and a litmus blue indicator. The strips are directly attached to the glove and evenly spaced, making it safe to handle and remove, targeting and detecting these dangerous infections earlier and more efficiently.

There are two easy steps to use the glove.
1. Examination: Nurses have to wear the NotoNoso glove on top of a regular nitrile glove and examine the patient’s wound for about 30 seconds
2. Observation: Remove the NotoNoso glove, place it in a sterile environment, and discard the regular glove underneath. Nurses can begin treating patients if a color change is present.

These gloves impact a variety of careers in the healthcare field. For registered ICU nurses, the glove allows them to protect themselves, the ICU environment, and their patients, as they can quickly detect the presence of bacteria. Emergency Room Doctors and staff will be more efficient when prescribing treatment plans as they can now identify the presence of infection before any significant damage occurs. These gloves impact Locum Tenen’s physicians, as they operate in low-income nations.

The cost to produce 100 gloves is only $12.50. It can save costs in other ways too. Typically, Sepsis cases cost a whopping $2950. Having Sepsis bacteria detected and antibiotics administered to patients will cut costs, and they can focus on recovering safely.

NotoNoso can seamlessly integrate into the hospital system. Through databases such as UpToDate, hospitals and professionals will have easy access to the research, safety, and training requirements of NotoNoso. Hospitals can then provide adequate training and integrate the gloves into their facilities. Healthcare professionals can also promote the benefits of NotoNoso; expand its reach from the US to low-income nations, and start changing the standard of healthcare around the world.

Of course, designing such a game-changer was a behemoth of a task. During the difficult time of designing gloves, we faced many difficulties in bringing the glove to fruition. I used my experiences as both a source of personal motivation to push through and remind myself why we decided to pursue this in the first place.

The idea was borne from my personal experiences with hospital-acquired infections. It was in my Junior year that I received the news that my grandmother had passed away due to complications from Leukemia. Her passing didn’t make sense to me. She was healthy throughout her life. She only went to the hospital because she suspected that she had COVID. When we realized that, along with the onset of Acute Leukemia, she might have acquired a cross infection from the hospital, most likely black fungus, I was stunned. My grandmother was a source of inspiration for me.

I wondered what advances or preventative measures could have been to prevent the black mold from spreading in the hospital. Why was it there in the first place? How did they end up in my grandmother’s lungs? So many questions flooded my mind. I wanted answers, so I turned to the field of microbiology.

I took an internship with Kaiser Permanente and shadowed in Pharmacy, learning about the different types of medicines, and drug interactions. There, I interviewed a pathologist and asked him everything anyone could, paying close attention to his insight into how to become involved in the microbiology field. I took courses at my high school where I worked with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as well as learned how to carry out ELISA experiments, extract our DNA from our spit, use PCR machines to make multiple copies, and isolate pGFP plasmid and induce it into bacteria to make them glow.

All the members of my team, to a degree, shared the same experiences I had. It was this drive, ambition, and motivation to positively change the healthcare field, that allowed us to place first on the international stage for our school’s Health Occupations Students of America Medical Innovations event.

The scholarship would allow us to continue our research to make the glove viable in the healthcare field, helping prevent cases like my grandmother’s from ever happening again. We believe NotoNoso has the ability to elevate patient care to new heights. By ensuring that patients are properly treated for infections, they can go home knowing that they can recover from their surgeries with ease and comfort. NotoNoso is an integral step in ending the severe impact of nosocomial infections.

Placement: https://vimeo.com/793952731#t=4261s
Award: https://vimeo.com/793952731#t=4553s
Demonstration Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xHAjNd1CMA

SARVNAZ ALE MOHAMMAD

In April 2020, I initiated my project ConchShell, born from discovering the exorbitant impact of lockdown measures on Deaf communities. Due to a lack of public knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf individuals are often excluded from work and social events. In April 2020, armed with free time and endless ambition, I began co-designing areal-time wearable American Sign Language translator. The goal of this project was to build a device that provided a sense of independence to Deaf individuals, while still allowing for the use of ASL. Thus, I designed a bracelet that is worn on the user’s non-dominant hand and uses a microcomputer and a small camera to detect the motion of the dominant hand. The hand movements are then processed using a machine learning algorithm and voiced using the Google text-to-voice API. Though this initial design only accounts for ASL fingerspelling (the practice of spelling ASL with one hand), I then began developing a prototype of a chest strap that captured full ASL gestures. In carving the path to my ever-changing vision of the final device, each twist took me to uncharted territory with its own interesting topics. At all times, I ensured that I consider the particular needs of the Deaf community. I learned that most solutions currently available cost over $600, and lack the user functionality that Deaf individuals need. To avoid these mistakes and learn more about ASL, I interviewed those who used it on a regular basis and learned about the importance of building with a community as opposed to for them. Thus, the ConchShell prototype costs only $40 to build and does not require Deaf individuals to change their approach to ASL. In the first three months of prototyping, though I made little progress, I learned about computer vision algorithms, preventing machine learning models from overfitting, and ASL. I came to understand that by wielding the transformative power of entrepreneurship, I could maximize my project’s impact. Of many opportunities, I first signed up for the DMZ incubator. Throughout the first summer working on my device, I spent six hours a day prototyping, and another six attending the DMZ incubator and learning from professional founders, lawyers, and marketing agents. I contacted professors at local universities and set up meetings asking questions and searching for resources. In August 2020, we won the DMZ pitch competition, beating university teams from across the world for the $5000 prize. Since then, ConchShell has won $16600 in funding and won in national science and technology fairs across Canada.

Through news coverage by the National Observer, CBC Kids, Toronto Star, York Region News, and CityNews, I’ve been able to expand public awareness of my project and receive positive feedback from Deaf individuals. Most importantly, I have learned so much about the experiences of Deaf individuals and understood the full weight of my responsibility towards the community I work with. As I prepare to attend university in the following year, I am excited to continue working on my project with newfound technical knowledge, and apply all that I have learned to continue innovating for social good.

ASHLEY LIN

Collectivism or individualism? Is time circular or linear? Pizza pockets or dumplings? My family immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan when I was five years old. As a result, I grew up surrounded by two sets of cultural values and the constant tension between them.

I was determined to answer these questions and developed a love for learning about languages/cultures at school, which brought clarity to my own identity. For years, I longed to study abroad but never thought I’d be able to. It was always financially out-of-reach or otherwise inaccessible for my family.

My dream came true in freshman year, when I was selected to serve as a U.S. Youth Ambassador to Uruguay. Studying social entrepreneurship abroad not only clarified my sense of self, it revealed to me how different sets of cultural knowledge is needed to tackle today’s critical global issues. It frustrated me that around the world, less than 1% of students will have access to a meaningful cultural exchange experience as part of their education. Among that 1%, less than ⅓ will be students of color.

That is unacceptable.

I knew I never would have been able to study abroad if not for the fully-funded U.S. Department of State scholarship, and became determined to help every young person access a meaningful cross-cultural learning experience as part of their education.

Upon returning home, I created a Google Form, sent it to friends in the U.S. and Uruguay and told them, “if you fill out the form, I’ll match you up with someone from a different country for a text message conversation!” Within a few days, dozens of people had filled out the form.

It quickly became clear I wouldn’t be able to do this alone. I built a team of students around the world. Leveraging my background in design thinking, community journalism, and the UN SDGs, I led my team to design a culturally-responsive exchange curriculum. After months of research and testing, we hosted the first open-enrollment Digital Exchange Program (DEP) cohort in Fall 2019.

Today, that Google Form has turned into Project Exchange, a youth-led, 501c3 nonprofit democratizing access to study abroad through digital technologies. Our flagship program, the DEP, serves ~300 students from 30+ countries every cohort through a free, 12-week online cultural exchange.

Along the way, we’ve iterated to serve young people furthest from opportunity. For example, upon realizing social media ads primarily reached students who already had access to study abroad, we developed a network of partner organizations doing direct service in rural/low-income communities, and invited them to nominate their students directly for the DEP. We’ve created DEP Text, a text-message exchange for students with limited internet bandwidth, as well as the Impact Incubator, which is a springboard for DEP alumni to design community-based initiatives for intercultural understanding.

Today, we’re developing dialogue facilitation training, building a learning management system for virtual exchange with a $10,000 grant from National Geographic, getting team members TEFL-certified to better support students from non-native English speakers, and so much more.

Project Exchange has helped hundreds of students around the world gain the skills they need to not only eradicate stereotypes and develop new friendships, but to learn from and work with people who are different from them to tackle global issues. On a personal level, I’ve gained dialogue and empathy skills that help me better grapple with my cultural identity. I’ve developed a well-informed mental model for the world and gained the ability to revisit and evolve that worldview as new information is introduced.

I know I use these skills in college and beyond to strengthen my communities and push the world forward. Every student deserves to access a meaningful cross-cultural learning experience as part of their education. With Project Exchange, I’m determined to make this vision a reality.

RASHAAD ISHMAIL

I’ve always been a very curious and proactive person. From the time I was little, I would always Google the answers to my questions in an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the best way I could succeed and make the most out of my high school experience. Questions like “how to best select courses in high school”, “what are the best studying techniques” and “how to choose a major in university”, made up my computer’s search history. I naively thought that other students like me did not have it the same, that they could ask their parents who had grown up in a Canadian school system and get all their answers.

As I progressed to my senior years of high school, I became a student leader for freshman students. I distinctly remember how during Grade Nine Orientation Day I was bombarded with questions and concerns about high school. “How do I read my timetable? What is an elective? Do universities look at my grade nine marks?”. Soon enough, my parents’ friends began to contact me asking for advice regarding course selection and how exams work. I instantly recognized that many people shared my curiosity and lack of awareness about high school and university. How were we expected to succeed when information and advice weren’t readily available? When we couldn’t hear about things to avoid and common mistakes when it came to school? I felt like I had all of a sudden become an older sibling for younger students that just needed some direction.

Flash forward two years. In university, I had many more questions. Again, I yearned for a platform that gave helpful tips and advice on being a student at a Canadian university. So, I decided to become the change I wanted to see. I started a blog with my friend and once classmate, Danielle Gonsalves. We began our blog, Eyes of Our Lives (eyesofourlives.com) to document our lives and inspire students like ourselves. Specifically, we designed Eyes of Our Lives to be a platform where young people can find inspiration and motivation through our individual experiences. We began our blog by focusing mostly on the typical characteristics of a student’s lifestyle, like how to choose your major, stress management techniques, memorization tips, etc. However, we soon realized that we wanted to expand our content to encompass all the aspects of what it means to be a student. So, we increased our initial focus to be more expansive by adding in a Tourism and Personal Growth section! In doing so, Eyes of Our Lives has become a more accurate representation of our lives as we balance both leisure and hard work.

A month after we created our blog, we received numerous requests from parents on high school advice. We decided to make an ultimate guide to high school, a guide that covers all the essential information both parents and students need to know before and during high school. For each guide that is purchased, 25% of the proceeds are used to purchase educational gifts as a donation for children around the world through Canadian Feed the Children! The support we received was phenomenal and we are so appreciative that we were able to help students that were once like ourselves, while also donating to an incredible cause. After completing that project, we have continued to use Eyes of Our Lives as a platform to educate, motivate, and encourage others to invest in their education while making a difference. We have written articles on mental health to spread awareness about the challenges many students are facing today and how they can cope with the stress, anxiety, and depression they may be enduring. Furthermore, we have used our blog to generate awareness and funds for the Black Lives Matter Movement so the students of tomorrow will have greater knowledge on pressing social issues such as inequality and racism.

Eyes of Our Lives has been featured in 4 local newspapers since its launch in December of 2019. Our story and mission has been told on InsideHalton.com, Hawthorne Villager, The Cord, Waterloo Chronicle, and is an upcoming feature in the University of Toronto Mississauga’s Alumni Magazine. Danielle and I both have our own academic and personal goals, some of which we have accomplished and others that we are working towards achieving. By sharing what we have learned, our stories, and what drives us as individuals, our aim is for our blog to foster that same ambition and eagerness to learn in those who are navigating through their life as a student.

ELLIA CHIANG

In late March, as most students found their classes shifting to an online format, I discovered that many students in different communities lacked the support of synchronous classes with their teachers. Some students only had one 30 minute per week with their teachers and they were expected to supplement this with videos and worksheets to learn on their own. Fifth to eighth graders were most affected by this and by talking to many of the students and their parents, I learned that many students struggled to learn by themselves and even though the parents tried to act as substitutes, many admitted to me that they lacked the ultimate support and skills that teachers normally possessed whether due to lack of time because of work or inexperience in a particular subject, having long forgotten different theorems in geometry.

I created and co-founded an educational non-profit platform called Outreach and Prep (https://www.outreachandprep.com/) with a classmate in hopes that we could help solve this problem. I wanted to offer stability for these students amidst a time of changes and an outlet for them to continue exploring their curiosities, to learn, and to grow.

So far we have reached over 600 tutoring sessions, with a combination of one of one lessons and group sessions. With an amazing group of volunteers, we have been able to tutor in topics such as English (grammar, reading, writing), chemistry, biology, geometry, Algebra One, Algebra Two, and all the SSAT subjects. We have held summer intensive camps that each range over a period of two weeks in topics from geometry, grammar and writing, and Algebra One. Our program has tutors and students from over four countries and we are looking to expand further as our program continues to grow.

This summer, we also started a book request initiative for our students in fifth to eighth grade. Whether it’s a summer reading book or a science magazine, we encouraged our students to request a book that interested them and we would send it to them free of charge, using our grants and donations. As we communicated with these students and parents through Zoom and emails, it brought smiles to my face knowing that we were not only helping them, but encouraging them to pursue whatever academic interests they had. In addition, we created two summer contests for our students to participate in. One of the challenges was an independent project where students may propose and investigate a question, considering environmental or societal issues today, and create a presentation either through video or google slides. The second contest was a creative writing submission and through these two contests, I hoped to continue to encourage creativity and learning.

Aja Capel

See Me in STEM

According to the US Dept. of Education, March 16, 2016, to meet America’s workforce needs, America will need to add 1 million more STEM professionals by 2022. Despite national efforts, we are still not reaching all communities. Minority communities are still under-educated and under-exposed to what STEM is and its possibilities for their futures. I birthed the idea for my organization, See Me in STEM, while teaching robotics at the same Orpheum Children’s Science Museum I started at when I was four. As the Lead Robotics Instructor, having volunteered for more than 250 hours, I became disheartened I was not teaching many kids who looked like me. I started four robotics teams encompassing grades K-12, and as we demonstrated, presented, and competed, rarely saw others who look like me. When I approached and talked with kids of color, they often told me STEM was not for them, not for girls, not for African Americans or Latinos. When I asked why they thought it was not for “them,” they often did not honestly know what STEM was and replied, “we don’t see anyone who looks like us doing STEM.” They were correct. I soon learned there were gender and racial gaps in STEM fields. Pew Research found Blacks and Latinos make up 30% of the US population, but only 11% of the STEM workforce and women of color only 3%. This revelation angered me. It also compelled me to act.

As an African American girl roboticist, I have a unique perspective on the STEM gap. I was a determined, driven, tenacious young woman and yet found myself questioning if STEM was for “me” and buying into the world’s narrow definition of who STEM is for. I experienced numerous barriers to pursuing my love of robotics; foremost was race and gender bias. I knew there were many students, like me, who were struggling with the same ideology. I decided to lead by example by sharing my STEM passion and uplifting and supporting the struggles of other minority kids, especially girls. I desired to blaze a trail so others in my community would see my light and follow me. I wrote and won a Youth Service America/Disney Be Inspired Grant to put on a two-day drone building workshop for minority youth.

I held my first event during Black History Month. My 2-day drone building workshop impacted 14 African American youth, from elementary to college, including five girls, providing 168 total hours of hands-on STEM experience. I chose a drone platform because it is some of the newest and most exciting technology, and all kids are in awe of drones. The co-instructor, Keith, and I were both persons of color, just like the students. The students experienced first hand, literally experiencing with their own hands, that STEM was something they could do because they did it right along with us.

Further, we celebrated the achievements of African Americans in STEM fields throughout the two days. It was all about “This could be ME!” My event was more successful than I anticipated; when the two days were over no one wanted to stop. What happened next surprised me; One youth asked could we do it again; One adult asked how do we keep the youth engaged and involved.

In the beginning, I desired to help a few minority youth understand what STEM is, provide an enjoyable hands-on STEM experience, and demonstrate the immense possibilities STEM offered for their futures. In the end, I ended up empowering them to see STEM was for “them.” I learned that passion is persuasive, and I could reach kids right where they are. I learned I had a great ability to empathize—they were me, and I was them. I also learned not to buy into the stereotypes about kids of color and STEM. I came to understand it is not a lack of interest or ability that kept minorities out of STEM but a lack of access to STEM opportunities. The lack of visible role models, teachers, and mentors with whom minority youth identify keeps them from participating in general exposure events. I found an “if you built it or offered it “for us,” we will come mentality.” Even though there are myriad STEM programs, STEM is not reaching all communities and all talent pools. I realized it only took one brief exposure to light a spark that turned into a blaze. Above all else, I learned how much work there is to do and how much I enjoyed doing it.

Because of my years of experience with computing and technology, I won the Illinois National Center for Women in Technology Aspirations in Computing Award. I had one of the highest leadership scores and was invited to apply for an AspireIT grant to continue my work bridging the minority STEM gap. I wrote and won a grant to provide three computer programming courses, specifically for girls of color. I impacted 48 minority girls and provided 576 total hours of hands-on STEM experience using a spheros platform.

I became the change I wanted to see. My mission became to be visible, to excite, engage and empower minority youth, especially girls to see themselves in STEM by providing access, exposure, and STEM opportunities to minority youth, especially girls. My goal is to stand in the gap and provide a bridge. I recently completed my most extensive outreach effort, participating in 4-H Google National Youth Science Day, providing 1-hour computer programming exposure events. I hosted 14 events at five different venues, creating 14 coding clubs. I impacted 138 persons, including training 14 adult mentors; 99% were minorities, grades second to tenth, and 49% were girls. I found two of my strengths are connecting and collaborating with people and creating solutions. I created my organization, See Me in STEM, as my solution to the STEM gap. My mission is to provide hands-on learning and guided exploration to counteract and start to rewrite the “it is not for us” ideology. I hold exposure events, camps, and classes and give talks. My vision is to transform the face of STEM by creating a world where every youth can see themselves in STEM and society can see the STEM potential in every youth. In my first year of serving my community, I cultivated eight community partnerships, won 2 grants and two national awards raising $9,300. I have empowered more than 220 minority youth to see themselves in STEM by providing more than 880 hours of personal hands-on STEM experience.

For more information about me and my organization, See Me in STEM, please visit seemeinstem.org.

Kathleen Coen

Though I didn’t envy his impetuous lifestyle, filled with underaged drinking and driving, it just wasn’t fair. My best friend lost his life in a drunk driving accident at the young age of 17. I couldn’t put this behind me- I had to make a change. I taught myself to program and I began to code an app. SteerClear allows users to find, free designated rides home from safe drivers that they know. Today, SteerClear is available for Android and in development for iOS. From the first line of code to final publishing, I taught myself every step. It would have been easier to wait until a formal class setting to learn object-oriented programming, but I wasn’t going for facile- I was going for a change. I understand that 1600 lines of code are not going to change the world. And I concede that infinite lines of code will not bring Sean back. But if SteerClear can save one life, it would have all been worth it.

But I don’t want SteerClear to stop here. I want to cultivate real change by coding an app with not only a few hundred users- I want a few hundred thousand. I not only want to study computer science so I can learn how to make SteerClear an excellent app, but I want to study in our nation’s capital so I can see how real change is created.

And this scholarship will make the world of a difference for me to pursue that dream. Attending college has been my biggest dream in life. I have made countless sacrifices throughout my teenager years in order to ensure that my education would always be my number one priority. However, I do fear that the rising costs of college will impede my ability to pursue that dream. Without college, I will not be able to grow SteerClear into an app with limitless potential. I need help to pay for college, and I could think of no better scholarship than one dedicated to stopping underaged drunk driving accidents.

Link to SteerClear on the Google Play store: here
Link to my district’s Congressional Office’s Press Release on the app: here
Link to my local newspaper’s article on the app: here

BARNDEN SORBO

From my very first year in university, I have always held personal growth as a close passion. My classes allowed me to understand theory behind business, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2019 when I had my first opportunity to actually apply these theories into applications, and grow using the power of innovation.

With a couple class friends, I founded Coastal Coasters. Through working with a local woodshop, we took gently used wood pallets and upcycled them into cheerful drink coasters. All our proceeds went to re-planting trees across Canada in partnership with Tree Canada. By the end, my team and I haddiverted32lbs of landfill waste, generated $415 in sales, allowing us to plant 65 trees from coast to coast. Furthermore, we actually won the PMI Canadian West Coast Wideman Education Competition by showcasing our efforts to improve our community, with a focus on “going green”. Overall, the bonds we made committing ourselves to something greater than just ourselves, was a truly humbling experience.

This experience is what let me down the path of the non-profit ecosystem, furthering my resolve in initiatives like Enactus Canada, where I have volunteered a cumulative 1,000 hours into social enterprises focused on improving the triple-bottom line in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver. To this day, I continue to invest time as I approach graduation, in my capacity as a senior advisor for Enactus Simon Fraser University.

But these, are just a few pieces of the journey that entrepreneurship has led me down. Thank you for taking the time to read over a small portion of my story. I would be happy to discuss further in detail about any past work or extra-curricular experiences, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

I have attached a link showcasing the creation of the coasters if you are interested, as well as the presentation deck which takes top-down story telling approach including community innovation metrics, expense calculations, and project sponsors.

How a Coaster is Made Video: https://youtu.be/h5r0cJWQvy8

Presentation Deck PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cIGyeG-wqDtQ-3bwcwpoS8mGH6ghPDZ-/view?usp=sharing

MAXWELL MAMISHEV

My name is Maxwell Mamishev, and I will do anything and everything in my power to ensure my family does not get sick. I primarily live with my father, who became immunodeficient through cancer treatment, and my grandmother, who was luckily able to come to America to avoid the war in Ukraine. Soon after COVID-19 hit the world, I worried for the people around me. Apart from understanding the transmission of viruses like COVID-19, I aimed to educate myself about efficient preventive strategies, like social distancing and facemasks, to contribute to pandemic solutions in my household.

This direction of effort led me to invent the Social Distancing Reminder (SDR), a wearable device that uses a LiDAR sensor to help people maintain safe distances in public. The SDR is a matchbox-sized device I invented with two of my closest friends, Vincent and Anthony Zhang, and it is licensed to GQ Electronics for manufacturing and commercial purposes. The device attaches to clothing with a safety pin and monitors its surroundings with a LiDAR ToF sensor, specifically the VL53L1X sensor. The SDR alerts its wearer with a beep, vibration, or LED light when someone is detected within an adjustable set distance, which is 6 feet by default.

Beyond the scope of pandemic-related measures, the SDR holds promise for diverse applications. For example, the sensor could be implemented in settings like museums, zoos, or aquariums to regulate the distance between visitors and exhibits. The SDR could also be used on construction sites to ensure workers maintain safe distances from hazardous areas. I take pride in extending this project into academic research at the University of Washington while still a high school student. My research yielded a journal paper evaluating the efficacy of materials for homemade face masks and an international conference paper demonstrating the potential use of LiDAR sensors, like the SDR, in social distancing environments.

LiDAR sensors, like those used in the SDR, are widely used in autonomous driving, mobile robotics, aerospace, manufacturing, and many other fields. The speed, reliability, and range of LiDAR sensors can be affected by environmental conditions and usage patterns. Each application requires a deep understanding of sensor limitations. While LiDAR sensors are fantastic at measuring the distance between objects quickly and accurately, they have issues with differentiation between objects. This inaccuracy is a problem for the SDR, causing it to occasionally send a false alert, mistakenly detecting something that is not a person. That’s to say, there is room for improvement. The next iteration of the SDR will integrate a thermal sensor to help it distinguish between people and non-people. I’m working on a prototype that uses the Adafruit AMG8833 Grid-EYE thermal camera and plan to test other thermal sensors in the future. If I receive this scholarship, I plan to use the funds to buy electronics, including various thermal sensors, and continue developing the next version of the SDR.

In addition to working on the SDR, I am studying as a senior at Nathan Hale High School, taking the majority of my classes at North Seattle Community College through Running Start, a dual enrollment program in Washington State. My major is undeclared at the moment, but I plan to focus on a degree in electrical engineering with an interest in wearable sensors next year at a four-year university. Every day, I learn new things that help me grow as a leader in the field of engineering. In the future, I envision leading ambitious engineering ventures that will push boundaries and leave a lasting impact on the world.

SDR Amazon Store Page

Patent | Maxwell A. Mamishev, Anthony X. Zhang, Vincent X. Zhang, Limin Zhang. “Social distancing reminder device.” 2021. US11417193B2.

Journal Paper | Segovia, J. M., Huang, C. H., Mamishev, M., Yuan, N., He, J., & Novosselov, I. “Performance of textile mask materials in varied humidity: Filtration efficiency, breathability, and quality factor.” Applied Sciences 12.18 (2022): 9360.

Conference Paper | Cheng, Xinhao, and Maxwell Mamishev. “Characterization of a Wearable LiDAR Sensor for Social Distancing.” 2022 IEEE IAS Global Conference on Emerging Technologies (GlobConET). IEEE, 2022.

ALEXA FRONTINO

For years, I struggled with sitting still in a classroom and learning using traditional methods. After volunteering at a special needs program through my local library, I realized that I was not alone.

As part of my Girl Scout Gold Award, a team consisting of me, my family, and friends designed, built, and installed a sensory garden in the playground of a local elementary school. My team and I undertook this project to help students who have a difficult time learning in traditional classroom settings. The garden has a variety of sensory stimuli that foster learning by non-traditional methods. The sensory garden is made up of three areas: flowers, a sound board, and a tactile board – all located in the elementary school’s courtyard. The sensory board is available to all students, but it is primarily designed for those with special needs. While each activity is separate, they are in close enough proximity such that students can socialize while using the board. The flowers can be calming, while also encouraging the children to draw in the middle of the chalkboard centers. The sound board can be used to demonstrate how different size pipes produce different sounds. They can also be used with drumsticks to make other sounds. The tactile board provides an alternative path for children who do not learn via traditional methods. The sensory board has different textures, rock wall holds, varying types of locks, wheels, a steering wheel, that enable children to learn using
non-traditional skills. This issue is important to me because some of the members of my extended family are alternative members and require alternative or different types of help in order to achieve their goals. Having witnessed firsthand the importance of providing an environment that considers the differences that individuals have with regard to learning has made me appreciate the importance of ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to learn.

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/alexa-frontino-farmingdale-bag1cw77.

In order for this project to be successful, I had to fundraise, recruit volunteers, ask local businesses to donate supplies, and encourage progress even when the weather did not cooperate, or my family and friends had other commitments. I led the team through a series of obstacles that, at times, made it seem as if the project would not be completed on time or a necessary supply would not be delivered. Through all of this, I learned that the most important things I could do as a leader was to work right alongside my team and remind them of the critical gap that this work would fill. I also learned that coffee, hot chocolate, and bagels go a long way with volunteers.

This project has a specific connection to Saltzman East Memorial Elementary School in Farmingdale, NY where it was installed and currently resides. The project matters to children with attention deficit and other disorders that prevent them from learning in traditional classroom settings. Access to learning is a cause that affects our entire nation, and every child deserves an opportunity to learn the way that works for him/her.

Without alternative learning methods, many children are, unfortunately, left behind. These are children who have a lot to offer, but cannot do so because that are forced to learn in an environment that simply does not work for them. By providing alternative learning environments for those who cannot learn in a standard setting, we are providing generations of future learners with endless opportunities for accomplishments, fulfillment, and prosperity.

Completing my Gold Award has had a profound impact on me. I learned leadership and organizational skills as well as the importance of being able to succinctly explain a need to a potential donor and persuading him/her to donate money, time, or supplies to a cause. I learned a lot about myself as well. Specifically, I learned that if I truly believe in a cause, there is nothing that I will not do to advocate for it and that believing in something and wanting to accomplish a goal is infectious and can result in others being as passionate about your cause as you are. These discoveries will help me to succeed in college and beyond. I am passionate about my chosen field of study, which is Forensic Science and I know that the skills that I learned from completing my Gold Award will allow me to be the best version of myself in whatever professional career I choose.

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