|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Between tests, homework and the social pressure to fit in, school can present many challenges for the average student.
For students who are neurodivergent, these challenges can sometimes be amplified, making their academic journeys that much harder.
“Neurodivergent students bring many unique strengths to their educations, including extended focus, high energy levels for motivating tasks and unique reasoning skills,” according to a Brown University inclusive teaching resource. “They may also face several common barriers to their success. These barriers may include: sensory overload, unwelcoming social environments, unclear and/or confusing communication and difficulties with executive function.”
So when Monte Vista High School senior Sriyan Daggubati saw these issues with one of his close friends in middle school who is dyslexic and was unable to follow along in class, despite being amazing with numbers and math, he knew something had to be done to help other neurodivergent students like his friend who might feel ostracized in the classroom.
“I would see him … be super embarrassed and super insecure in the classroom and I personally had to see him being upset a lot outside of class and I’d always have to cheer him up,” he said.
At first, Daggubati started by creating resource guides as a freshman in high school and reaching out to kids online who felt the same frustration as his friend so that they wouldn’t fall through the cracks in their schools. But after some time, he realized he wasn’t just helping other kids in Danville, where he resided, but that he was also connecting with other neurodivergent students around the world.
That’s when he realized he needed to take his work a step further, which he did by creating his 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization: NeuroGuidance.
The basis of his nonprofit is simple: empower neurodivergent students of all grade levels by “providing tailored resources, mentorship and opportunities to support their academic and professional success”.
“Our goal is to foster an inclusive environment where diverse strengths are celebrated, and every student has access to the tools they need to thrive,” according to his nonprofit’s mission statement. “Through workshops, internships and community-driven programs, we strive to create pathways to meaningful futures for neurodivergent individuals, ensuring they are equipped to excel in every aspect of life.”
The nonprofit also focuses on making STEM education more accessible for neurodivergent youth through partnerships with Stanford University and the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, where Daggubati said his organization has provided resource guides that make STEM concepts more accessible.
Daggubati said the partnership with SRVUSD particularly means a lot to him because that is where he grew up and seeing the 10 schools in his area mentoring students who need extra support and helping classes set up project-based learning activities tailored to neurodivergent strengths means a lot because he just wanted to help others like his friend from middle school.
“What stands out about Sriyan is the scope of what he has achieved and the spirit behind it. In every setting I have seen him, whether in conversation or in community meetings, he has a way of making others feel included and engaged,” San Ramon Vice Mayor Sridhar Verose stated in a Aug. 21 letter of recommendation for Daggubati.
The senior said he is currently working with the vice mayor to “organize teacher workshops across Danville, San Ramon, Dublin and Pleasanton, aiming to raise awareness of the gaps in our education system that make it difficult for neurodivergent students to thrive”.
“His trajectory is clear,” Verose added. “He will succeed and, in doing so, help raise the standard for what leadership in his generation can be: principled in integrity, grounded in empathy, and forward-thinking in vision.”
Over the past four years, Daggubati has succeeded in doing just that for many students in Danville, the greater Tri-Valley and even across the U.S. and the world.
According to the Monte Vista High School senior, since its foundation the nonprofit has mentored and supported over 2,000 students across 25 countries, raised over $10,000 to expand research and outreach, partnered with several higher education institutions and reached a global audience of over 100,000 listeners through the nonprofit’s Spotify podcast.
What really resonates with Daggubati the most is seeing the immense growth from the students he has been helping and working with directly over the past four years and seeing the community they have all created for themselves.
“At my local science fair this year, it was super inspiring to see a lot of the kids that I actually mentored out there competing with others and doing pretty well,” he said.
But creating resource guides for teachers and schools is not enough for the ambitious Danville native.
As an avid STEM lover, he said he plans on continuing his work with the nonprofit while also continuing his studies in neuroscience. He also wants to begin branching his work into the healthcare field.
He said most hospitals are not sensory friendly so something he is working on is curating a training course for healthcare professionals so they can better adapt their environments to better accommodate neurodivergent patients.
Station closed? BART could abandon Tri-Valley stops under doomsday budget cutsFebruary 9, 2026 8:36 am
Pleasanton Planning Commission to review downtown restaurant's late-night bar proposalFebruary 11, 2026 6:06 am