PROUD SPONSORS OF THE 18 UNDER 18 JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Meet the 2022 18 Under 18 Recipients
They’ve started businesses and nonprofits, broken glass ceilings, and created products for the physical space and cyberspace. Meet the Junior Achievement 2022 18 Under 18. These Arizonans distinguish themselves with their creativity, passion, and drive.
What unites the Class of 2022 is their almost singular ability to find inspiration and motivation from hardship. Whether it was the pure isolation that came from COVID-19, the death of a pet, or the recognition that they were unlike others around them; the Class of 2022 has used their creativity, generosity, and entrepreneurial spirit to make a difference in Arizona and beyond.
Read their stories, and don’t be surprised if you feel a little inspired yourself.
Entrepreneurial Spirit | Leadership | Making the Community Better | Extraordinary Skillset
Arun Moorthy
Age 17 | Junior
BASIS Scottsdale | Scottsdale
With each medical appointment, we see how technology and healthcare are inextricably linked. BASIS Scottsdale junior Arun Moorthy isn’t just aware of the connection between tech and health, he’s helping make those innovations happen.
Karasi Colter
Age 17 | Senior
Betty H. Fairfax High School | Phoenix
Where most citizens look away, Karasi Colter dives in. Her work to bring assistance to and raise awareness about homelessness in the Valley makes this Phoenix Senior one of the state’s rising youth leaders.
Sripriya Srinivas
Age 17 | Junior
Horizon Honors Secondary | Chandler
COVID couldn’t get in the way of Sripriya Srinivas and her volunteer work with memory care patients. When we started social distancing, Srinivas, a junior at Horizon Honors Secondary, came up with new ways to inspire creativity.
Theresa O'Connor
Age 17 | Junior
Tempe Preparatory Academy | Tempe
Tempe Preparatory Academy junior Theresa O’Connor has learned an important lesson about leadership at a young age: The output from a group is exponentially more than that of an individual.
Radia Wong
Age 16 | Senior
Notre Dame Preparatory | Scottsdale
Radia Wong’s passion for synchronized swimming caused a literal ripple effect: This 16-year-old Scottsdale senior now puts her energy toward coaching, recruiting and gender equity in the sport, and finds time to help the community, too.
Charlotte Gould
Age 14 | 8th Grade
Kyrene Aprende Middle School | Tempe
With a simple needle and thread, children across the globe are getting an important boost of confidence. They have Tempe middle-schooler Charlotte Gould, and her creativity, to thank for it.
ARIZONA'S 18 UNDER 18 AWARDS PROGRAM IS PRESENTED BY JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF ARIZONA AND REPUBLIC MEDIA
For nearly 65 years, Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) has been preparing millions of Arizona students to succeed in work and life. We’re empowering their futures by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money, make smart academic, career and economic choices. At the foundation of all our programs is teaching students the ability to think critically. Despite massive disruptions in education and life during the last two years of the pandemic, JA is on track to 90,000 AZ students, K-12, this school year, meeting them wherever and however they are learning today. Junior Achievement is giving these students the tools and confidence to break poverty cycles and achieve new heights. Check out JA’s newest, free digital program for teens, JA Inspire.
Republic Media is Arizona’s largest media company and part of The USA TODAY NETWORK. Home to azcentral and The Arizona Republic, the company helps the community connect, understand, act and thrive by keeping people informed and giving back. From raising funds that help at-risk children and families, to sponsoring local events and so much more, Republic Media identifies problems, supports solutions and fulfills its mission to enlighten, education and empower.
Sthuthi Das
Georgia Bukata
Aparna Chandrasekar
Julia Black
Hersh Nanda
Thanh Dao
Salil Naik
Hannah Zhang
Nikhil Johnson
Diya Nath
Sam Bregman
Aidan Lin
Vienna Doty
Sophie Clyne
Sophia Lin
Sahitha Vuddagiri
Sathyanarayanan Padmanabhan
Brooke Sanders
Katherine Wei
Alyssa Diaz
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FINALISTS
Eden Sapien
Age 16 | Junior
Sandra Day O’Connor High School | Phoenix
As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Eden Sapien found a slightly different interpretation of the adage – this junior at Sandra Day O’Connor High School realized that the things we forget about in our junk closets could save someone’s life.
Mallika Sunder
Age 17 | Junior
Catalina Foothills High School | Tucson
Mallika Sunder doesn’t need to wait until she’s eligible to vote to use her voice. This 17-year-old Tucson resident is inspiring her classmates and youth around the world through her activism.
Hurshneet Chadha
Age 16 | Junior
Mountain Ridge High School | Peoria
With an army of volunteers helping to spread his message of positivity, Mountain Ridge junior Hurshneet Chadha is getting a firsthand lesson in the power of positivity.
Mihira Karnik
Age 16 | Junior
Arizona College Prep High School | Chandler
What happens when you combine a talented chef and a scientist? You get Mihira Karnik. This junior at Arizona College Prep High School doesn’t just want food to be delicious, she wants to know when it’s reached its peak nutritional state.
Claira Chong
Age 17 | Junior
Xavier College Preparatory | Phoenix
Realizing that there was a dearth of practical, life-skills education for girls, Claira Chong decided to create her own forum. EmpowHerX, the Xavier College Preparatory junior’s creation, holds monthly meetings on topics ranging from personal finance to safety.
Prisha Shroff
Age 15 | Freshman
Hamilton High School | Chandler
Prisha Shroff encountered a devastating wildfire during a trip to California that made her wonder: What could we do to better prevent them? Her ideas might give us hope.
Eduardo Rangel
Age 18 | Senior
Phoenix Union Wilson College Prep | Phoenix
The concept of “building blocks for success” is more than a metaphor for Eduardo Rangel, a senior at Phoenix Union Wilson College Prep. Thanks to a hands-on internship, he’s focused on a career in construction.
Ashley Nevison
Age 15 | Freshman
ASU Prep Digital | Scottsdale
Ashley Nevison channeled her grief and turned it into inspiration. Thanks to her nonprofit, Sargeant’s Army, this high school freshman has raised more than $50,000 and helped more than two-dozen homeless organizations.
Sonya Colattur
Age 15 | Sophomore
Xavier College Preparatory | Glendale
Supporting a pet on a fixed income can be a challenge. Sonya Colattur, a sophomore at Xavier College Prep., founded GrandPaws Pantry to make sure seniors have a way to feed their beloved pets.
Jessica Burke
Age 16 | Sophomore
Hamilton High School | Chandler
An aspiring food scientist, Hamilton High School sophomore Jessica Burke is discovering that some of our most valuable and most meaningful interactions come over our shared love of food.
Jenna Lee
Age 18 | Senior
BASIS Chandler | Chandler
Talk to Jenna Lee about leadership, and you’ll hear stories about listening, collaboration and sacrifice. This senior from BASIS Chandler looks back fondly on the opportunities her city and community provided.
Ivanna Viloria Enciso
Age 14 | Freshman
Catalina Foothills High School | Tucson
That sound you hear is a glass ceiling shattering into a million pieces, thanks in part to Ivanna Viloria Enciso. A freshman at Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, Viloria Enciso became an Eagle Scout in October 2021.
Karen Fletcher | Katherine Cecala | Karen Quick
Karen Fletcher | Katherine Cecala | Karen Quick
Free Online Awards Event – May 15 at 4 p.m.
For questions or more information contact 18Under18@jaaz.org or phone 480.377.8500.
AZ's 18 UNDER 18
These 18 teens are making a difference. They bring us hope and inspire us.
MEET THEM NOW
