For the second year, 25 exceptional young leaders are honored
for their work addressing the challenges of a changing
world
NEWARK,
N.J., Feb. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Prudential
Financial today announced its next class of Prudential Emerging
Visionaries — 25 young leaders from across the U.S. with an
inspiring commitment to improving the lives of others.
Prudential Emerging Visionaries honors young changemakers ages
14-18 who have innovative, bold solutions to financial and societal
challenges in their communities.
"The goals of our Emerging Visionaries program reflect
Prudential's overarching purpose: to make lives better by solving
the financial challenges of our changing world," said Chairman and
CEO Charles Lowrey. "We applaud all
of our honorees for their commitment to improving the lives of
others and creating inclusive and thriving communities."
Five winners' projects help overcome barriers to financial
inclusion and well-being, while 20 focus on societal issues,
helping to create more equitable and sustainable communities.
Through their work, they address wide-ranging and critical issues
including expanding financial literacy, combating climate change,
improving access to mental health services and assisting
refugees.
Winners were selected based on four main criteria: Their
solution is innovative; it will create meaningful impact and can
grow beyond the student's community; it demonstrates a deep
understanding of the issue it addresses; and the student is
passionate about making a change and inspiring others to take
action.
Each of the 25 changemakers has won $5,000 to advance their projects. They are also
invited to attend an all-expenses-paid trip with their parent or
guardian to Prudential's Newark, New
Jersey, headquarters for a three-day summit in April where
they will receive coaching, skills development and networking
opportunities with Prudential employees and other young
leaders.
The summit is also where the five winners of the financial
solutions category will have the opportunity to participate in a
pitch-off, where a grand prize winner will be awarded an additional
$10,000. And Prudential employees
will again vote to name an Employees' Choice Award winner, who will
receive an additional $5,000.
Prudential Emerging Visionaries is a collaboration between
Prudential Financial and Ashoka, a leading social impact
organization, with advisory support from the Financial Health
Network, an authority on financial health and a longtime partner of
The Prudential Foundation. The program also operates in other
countries where the company has a significant business presence,
including Brazil, China, India
and Japan. The program is an
evolution of Prudential's Spirit of Community Awards, which over 26
years honored more than 150,000 outstanding youth volunteers.
2023 Prudential Emerging Visionaries
Applicants focused their projects on two categories: Financial
Solutions for a Changing World and Societal Solutions for a
Changing World.
Financial Solutions for a Changing World Award
Winners
Nikita Agrawal, 17, of
Chicago, is the co-founder and
president of "FinPro World," an initiative that promotes
financial literacy among middle and high school-aged students
by teaching them computer programming skills.
Okezue Bell, 16, of Easton,
Pennsylvania, created "Fidutam," an accessible mobile app
that is expanding financial access to unbanked and low-income
communities.
Aaryan Doshi, 16, of
Cupertino, California, leads
"CirFin," a global initiative that aims to inspire young people to
use fintech to support and strengthen more sustainable
economies.
Catherine Mellett Felix,
17, of New York, New York, started
a mobile app to address gender economic inequality by teaching
young women how to manage and grow their personal finances.
Jordyn Wright, 14, of
Rosharon, Texas, started a youth
entrepreneurship program to teach young people how to identify
their passions and use them as a launching point for creating
innovative enterprises that serve their communities.
Societal Solutions for a Changing World Award Winners
Jack Bonneau, 17, of
Broomfield, Colorado, launched
"Teen Hustl," a startup on a mission to create environmentally
conscious opportunities for youth employment in today's gig
economy.
Varuni Chopra, 17, of
North Royalton, Ohio, is the
founder of "Bridge the Gap Initiative," a project that teaches
digital literacy skills to senior citizens, boosting their
connectivity and increasing their quality of life.
Sydnie Collins, 18, of
La Plata, Maryland, is the founder
of "Perfect Timing," an international podcast that promotes youth
positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their
achievements and combat mental health stigmas.
Kean Dao, 17, of Winterville,
North Carolina, co-founded "Environmental Droners," an
initiative that utilizes technology to engage and educate the
public on protecting the environment by identifying polluted areas
in need of cleanup.
Mia Fritsch-Anderson, 18,
of Chicago, is the creator of
"Choose to Breathe," a movement to educate young people about
asthma and reduce the stigma around using inhalers.
Kylee Hamamoto, 17, of
Honolulu, created "WeGo!
Hawaii" to foster strong and
independent female leaders and create a community space for young
women to pursue changemaking.
Zoya Haq, 18, of
Dallas, leads "HiStory Retold," a
global initiative to promote inclusivity in history classrooms by
encouraging community storytelling and new classroom policies and
curriculum resources.
Lillian Hertel, 17, of St.
Louis Park, is the founder of "Students Stand Up," an international
program that provides young people with the necessary resources to
get started in advocacy and grassroots organizing.
Shraman Kar, 16, of Louisville,
Kentucky, co-founded "Community AI," a nonprofit that trains
youth in creating scalable technology products that better the
world.
Sidney Keys III, 17, of
Marietta, Georgia, founded "Books
N Bros," a book club that improves the relationship young Black men
have with reading by amplifying African American stories and
literature.
Isheta Kulshreshtha, 16, of Hockessin, Delaware, is the founder of
"Leveled Legislation," an initiative that aims to increase gender
parity around the world by advocating for equitable policies and
increasing youth civic engagement.
Vaishnavi Kumbala, 15, of Metairie, Louisiana, is the founder of a
mobile app developed to improve teen mental health as well as
expand access to mental wellness resources, particularly in
disaster-prone areas.
Mark Leschinsky, 16, of
Mahwah, New Jersey, is the founder
of "Student World Impact Film Festival," a film competition that
elevates the voices of young storytellers from underserved
communities.
Aanand Mehta, 17, of
Phoenix, co-founded "Magical
Motors," an assistive technology initiative to help children with
mobility impairments regain autonomy by rewiring ride-on toy cars
to be hand-controlled instead of foot-powered.
Joshua Oh, 14, of
Gambrills, Maryland, co-founded an
initiative to increase access to diapers across the United States through innovative
distribution methods and lobbying to remove diaper taxes.
Rishan Patel, 16, of
Atherton, California, leads "The
Lending Locker," which increases youth access to sports by
providing free athletic gear year-round to underserved schools.
Riyah Patel, 17, of Concord,
New Hampshire, started "New American Scholars" to close the
achievement gap between students who are refugees and their
American-born peers by providing academic support and educational
resources.
Austin Picinich, 17, of
Kirkland, Washington, created the
"Save Our Salmon Through Art" initiative, which stages public art
projects that encourage community members to be stewards of local
salmon to preserve their once-thriving populations and spawning
streams in the greater Seattle
area.
Siona (Dolly) Pramoda, 14,
of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, is a
leader of "SafeTeensOnline," a peer-led and experience-sharing
community that teaches young people online safety and privacy
skills.
Kosha Upadhyay, 16, of
Bellevue, Washington, started
"Buzz Bowl," a quiz game that aims to elevate the percentage of
female STEM graduates by giving fifth- through eighth-grade girls
access to an AP-level education in science and math subjects.
For more information about Prudential Emerging Visionaries and
to learn more about their stories, 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 everyone has the freedom,
confidence and societal support to address any social problem. For
more information, visit ashoka.org.
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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.