National Museum of Natural History
Washington DC
May 3, 2015
Raghav
Ganesh
Middle
Level State Honoree
Raghav
Ganesh, 13, of San Jose, Calif., a seventh-grader at Joaquin Miller Middle
School, designed and built a device that uses sensors to detect objects beyond
the reach of the white canes used by many visually impaired people. Raghav got
the idea after watching a video about the challenges faced by those with
limited or no eyesight. “I saw how, despite being used for several centuries, the
white cane does not provide users enough information about their environment,”
he said. “I also saw why many high-tech alternatives are not meeting the needs
of visually challenged folks.”
Because
he enjoys science and electronics, and has become familiar with sensors and
motors through a toy-building hobby, Raghav decided to see if he could design
something better. He built a small prototype and entered it in a local science
fair. He then sought advice from the head of a local blind center, and over the
next several months made five major revisions based on feedback from blind
center staff and actual cane users. He ended up with a device that clamps onto
the cane, uses ultrasonic and infrared sensors to detect obstacles more than
six feet beyond the end of the cane, and communicates this information to the
user through vibrations in the cane’s handle. Raghav secured a grant to make
multiple copies, and hopes to create an open patent so that organizations for
the blind around the world can make the device for their clients.
Carolina
Gonzalez
High
School State Honoree
Carolina
Gonzalez, 18, of Coral Gables, Fla., a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in
Miami, started a nonprofit organization that has helped more than 500 undocumented
young immigrants apply for temporary residence and employment in the U.S. under
the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and has raised more
than $22,000 to pay the application fees of those who cannot afford them.
Carolina’s grandparents fled Cuba to give their family and future generations a
better life, Carolina said. “Since the time I was able to hold a conversation,
my mother would remind me of what they went through. And always at the end of
the discussion, she would accentuate how, because of her parents’ decision, I
was born an American citizen,” said Carolina. “It has been engraved in me to
never take my citizenship for granted.”
Carolina
had been volunteering in various ways since she was 5, but was trying to think
of some way to do more for her peers in her community. When her father, an
immigration lawyer, mentioned how difficult it was for young immigrants to
apply for deferred status, Carolina realized she had her answer. She began
organizing clinics for DACA applicants and recruiting pro-bono lawyers to help
them through the complex and time-consuming application process. She also
raises funds to give small grants to applicants who cannot afford the $465
application fee. “I am not only giving them hope for their future, but also
giving them the chance to achieve the American dream,” said Carolina.
Eunsuh
Chin
Eunsuh
Chin, 18, of Seoul, a senior at Daewon Foreign Language High School in Seoul,
has provided translation services and other support to a competitive athlete
with special needs. Six years ago, Eunsuh met Sejin, who was known as the
“robotic leg swimmer.” Eunsuh was impressed that Sejin was never deterred by
physical challenges as he pursued his dream of becoming an Olympic gold
medalist. From then on, she wanted to become a good supportive friend for Sejin
as he pursued his dream.
As
Sejin was getting ready for the International Paralympic Games, he and his
mother were struggling with all the procedures and document preparations
required in English to get into the international competition. Eunsuh was not a
professional translator, but she did her best and volunteered to assist Sejin
with his IPC admission. Eunsuh also was closely involved in translating Sejin’s
stories into English with a couple of other friends, believing that Sejin can
become a good role model for other young people with disabilities. She and her
friends have finished the translation and the book is out in the market.
Suhho
Lee
Suhho
Lee, 18, of Busan, a senior at Bugil High School in Chungchungnam-do, is a
leader of a club that provides support to a group home that cares for neglected
children. For more effective support, the club, called “ConGo,” adopted a
one-on-one mentoring program for children in the home. To build a systematic
operation process, they introduced club rules on volunteering and a
pre-training curriculum on volunteerism. Their customized mentor-mentee system
goes beyond volunteering activities for the children, including ConGo members
studying baking by themselves to support a kid who wants to become a baker and
using baked Korean letter cookies to teach children with Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder to help concentrate on learning the Korean alphabet.
Through
these activities, children at the group home have started to dream of a new
future thanks to the genuine care and support of the ConGo members. A child who
learned how to play a guitar became a main guitarist in his school band, and
another child who was afraid of English is now able to speak it fluently. And
many other children have also become more cheerful and positive, enjoying their
time at school. Suhho and his friends take great pride in the changes they see
in the children’s lives.
