Sewickley and Downingtown students will receive $5,000 awards and invitations to the 2024 summit
for their work addressing the challenges of a changing
world.
NEWARK,
N.J., Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sebastian Tan, 16, of Sewickley, and Yaduraj Choudhary, 17, of
Downingtown, today were each named
a 2024 Prudential Emerging Visionary for their inspiring commitment
to improving the lives of others.
As two of 25 Prudential Emerging Visionary winners, Sebastian
and Yaduraj will each receive a $5,000 award to help take their innovation to the
next level. They are also invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to
Prudential's headquarters in Newark, New
Jersey, where they will be coached by Prudential employees
and have the chance to meet other young leaders.
Prudential Emerging Visionaries recognizes young people ages
14-18 whose fresh perspectives and innovative solutions address
pressing financial and societal challenges in their communities.
The program's goals align with Prudential's purpose: to make lives
better by solving the financial challenges of our changing
world.
"I am inspired by the students' sense of purpose and commitment
to driving positive change in their communities," said
Chairman and CEO Charles
Lowrey. "We're honored to support these young leaders as
they bring their extraordinary projects to life."
During the summit, to be held April
20-23, five winners will also have the opportunity to
present their solutions in a pitch-off, where a grand prize winner
will be awarded an additional $10,000
in funding. What's more, Prudential employees will again vote to
name an Employees' Choice Award winner, who will receive an
additional $5,000.
Pennsylvania's 2024
Prudential Emerging Visionaries:
FINANCIAL PROJECTS CATEGORY
Sebastian Tan founded
"OutsideConnection," an online job site that drives economic
opportunity for previously incarcerated individuals by allowing
them to search for open positions at businesses and make meaningful
contributions to their local communities.
As a child, Sebastian grew up working at his family's bakery
alongside a diverse group of employees, some of whom had previously
been incarcerated. "Our reentrants have become more than just
employees; they've become our family," he says. Sebastian's project
is working to prevent recidivism by creating pathways to
employment. "OutsideConnection" uses manual and artificial
intelligence to collect and sort jobs, creating a searchable online
marketplace for reentrants. Currently, the site hosts opportunities
from more than 40 companies in 17 states.
SOCIETAL PROJECTS CATEGORY
Yaduraj Choudhary founded "3 Tiny Bones," an initiative working with
policymakers to advance hearing health legislation and create safe
spaces within schools to destigmatize hearing loss. Through policy
advocacy and community organizing, Yaduraj's initiative is reaching
thousands of young people with guidance on strengthening healthy
hearing habits and advancing hearing inclusiveness.
In ninth grade, Yaduraj learned of the scale of hearing loss for
young people globally. "After seeing a lack of action to tackle
this serious problem in my community, I decided to start '3 Tiny
Bones' with the aim of destigmatizing hearing loss and educating
youth about healthy hearing," he says. Currently, "3 Tiny Bones" has established Safe Hearing Zones
at six schools and has successfully advocated for bills in the
Pennsylvania House and Senate for hearing loss education and
funding.
Prudential Emerging Visionaries is sponsored by Prudential in
collaboration with Ashoka, a leading organization in the social
impact sector, with advisory support provided by the Financial
Health Network, an authority on financial health and a longtime
partner of The Prudential Foundation.
The program is an evolution of Prudential's Spirit of Community
Awards, which honored more than 150,000 outstanding youth
volunteers over 26 years.
To read about all of this year's Prudential Emerging
Visionaries, visit prudential.com/emergingvisionaries.
About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader
and premier active global investment manager, has operations in
the United States, Asia, Europe
and Latin America. Prudential's
diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by
creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic
Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and
innovation for more than a century. For more information, please
visit news.prudential.com.
About Ashoka
Ashoka is the largest global network of leading social
entrepreneurs — individuals with new ideas to systemically address
the world's biggest challenges and the entrepreneurial skill to
transform those ideas into national, regional and global social
impact. Over 40 years, Ashoka has supported more than 3,600 social
entrepreneurs in 90 countries with solutions addressing society's
most pressing issues. Ashoka's vision is a world in which Everyone
is a Changemaker — a society that responds quickly and effectively
to challenges, and where each individual has the freedom,
confidence and societal support to address any social problem. For
more information, visit ashoka.org.
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SOURCE The Prudential Insurance Company of America