The honorees are an interesting mixture of outstanding individuals and students who partnered together to address key issues. This is the 10th year for the program that will be emceed by NBC Bay Area anchor Jessica Aquirre.
The honoree from the Pleasanton school district is Chandrika Narayan who has worked to serve abandoned children, feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. She serves at Aarti for Girls, the Providing Possibilities Foundation and the Banyan Tree Wellness Center. She not only fundraises, but utilizes her musical and photography skills to touch people both locally and internationally.
At Livermore High, the Culture Keepers student group formed a wellness center to offer a positive and inclusive climate for students in difficult times. They connect students with mental health resources on campus and online as well as providing peer mediation and behavior interventions. They include: Tatiana Amador, Ana Martinez Galindo, Emma Goulart, Rachel Hendry, Ashley Messing, Rebecca Sandoval Clampitt and Kassandra Torres.
The Youth Coding Workshop that teaches younger students to think critically and solve problems earned Dublin High students recognition. They instruct middle school students in coding through workshops and online videos. The founders of the Youth Coding Workshop are Kaif Jeelani, Shreyas Lad, Nishad Chavan, Mannat Dhot, Aditya Mahajan, Harun Momin, Shriya Rudrashetty, Samarth Shastry.
Tri-Valley Regional Occupation Program students Alexis Bondarenko and Megan Mehta are friends who created a podcast to engage in brutally honest conversations about some of the most uncomfortable questions and controversial topics in life. Some podcasts effectively dealt with fear, death and social equity. It’s called Think Scope, a Teen Perspective Podcast.
Amaya Ghoshal founded the global non-profit, Learning Outreach, to improve STEM education in Kenya, India, Peru and the Bay Area. She developed her own analysis of math standards and wrote training guides to equip teachers. She’s a student at Monte Vista.
Las Positas College student Esmaa Elgarguri serves as the executive director of events for the Teen Advisory Group at the Tracy Public Library. She plans events for disadvantaged youth to explore learning in STEM areas. She passionate about increasing cultural awareness and changing misconceptions and misrepresentations of people of different cultures and ethnicities. She also serves in student government at Las Positas and on the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
Reading the press release about the accomplishments and drive of these young people you cannot help but be impressed. You can register for the virtual event on the Innovation Tri-Valley website: www. nnovationtrivalley.org
