Recipients

Georgia Institute of Technology

Major:  Computer Science

Memberships: Shooting Stars Foundation – State President & Lead Organizer, Palm Harbor University High School Robotics Team Captain, Taekwondo Center for Excellence

Krish is a freshman at the Georgia Institute of Technology studying computer science and is the son of Dimple Asknani, Sr. Data Analyst at TD SYNNEX and Hitesh Asknani, Sr Data Engineer at TD SYNNEX.  He describes himself as outgoing, compassionate, and determined despite being more introverted in his youth preferring to “manipulate pixels on his computer monitor rather than go to a football game”, he shared. “Once I belonged to a community, one that appreciated my electronic endeavors, allowing me to build a social network beyond the world of routers and ethernet cables, my passion for coding was validated.”

He expanded his leadership skills in his role as a mentor in the same digital communities that he learned through running programming hackathons to teaching robotic teams, the same crafts that taught him how to be a team player could be shared with others with the same interests at a young age.

It was his experience within the Shooting Stars Foundation that has been the most valuable to him, “It helped me to implement three characteristics in my personal and academic life – flexibility, forethought, and resourcefulness, important for effective event management projects,” said Krish.  He led three academic programs raising over $2,500 for underprivileged students and went on to establish a subsidiary that raised $50,000.  This money has been used to provide a higher-level education to underprivileged students across the world, giving them the opportunity to turn their lives around. These experiences taught him that community and the power to connect with others are what drive vision, ideas, and innovation ahead.

University of Florida

Major: Business Administration

Memberships:  Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, University of Florida Running Club, Enactus – VP of Marketing, Licensed Florida Real Estate Agent

Amanda is the daughter of Keith Robert Evans, Internal Account Rep at TD SYNNEX and is currently a Junior at the University of Florida working on a degree in business administration.  Amanda is most proud of her position as Financial Vice President of her sorority because it compliments her major in business administration providing her practical skills to use in future internships and careers as well as in her work life as a licensed Florida real estate agent. She is excited to begin her newly elected position as President of her Sorority.

Amanda has achieved strong leadership skills including communication, organization, efficiency, efficacy, accountability, and confidence developed during her high school years as an officer in the National Honor Society, captain of her varsity soccer, cross country, track and lacrosse teams. “I strive to be a leader that sets high standards but is approachable when my peers need my assistance,” she said.

Amanda not only spends her time studying for her degree but also involved in her community Enactus- Roots Project helping to alleviate housing instability in Gainesville through empowerment, mentorship, and providing community resources such as financial advisors, energy-efficient housing tune-ups, and medical assistance

“The biggest life lesson that I have learned is to not underestimate anyone and that if you want something, nothing stands in your way except for yourself.” Said Amanda.  As a cross country runner in high school, she strived to have a growth mindset, to learn and grow from her mistakes leading her to be one of her team’s top 5 runners at the state championships, “I no longer underestimate myself or anyone else because I have learned that one can accomplish anything if one puts their mind to it,” she shared.

University of British Columbia, Canada

Major: Business/Commerce

Memberships:  Student Council VP, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), The Future is Feminist Co-Founder

Hilary is the daughter of Sunny He, Financial/Treasury Analyst; she attended high school at York Mills Collegiate Institute and achieved multiple academic distinction awards due to her dedication to excellence, “I truly prioritize my personal education and well-being along with the environment and community I surround myself in. My long-term goal upon receiving my undergraduate degree is to open a business in the hospitality industry, and to achieve financial stability,” said Hilary

Throughout high school, she was actively showcasing and developing her leadership skills as head of marketing for her school’s Distributive Clubs of America Chapter through a focus on mentoring new members and teaching lessons in a creative way to aid in growing their knowledge in marketing, economics, ethics, finance, and branding.  She also participated in the Chinaway volunteer program in Beijing as an English teacher and assisted children in sports activities, exploring nature, archery and even tree-climbing, “I feel a moral duty to contribute to the communities I am a part of,” Hilary explained.

Hilary has learned much about leadership through her involvement in the Founding and leading the Future is Feminist organization and shared, “Throughout my four years in leadership, I have learnt to properly brainstorm, plan, organize, and execute events that raise social awareness for global issues.”

“A life lesson that I have learnt is that interpersonal relationships require a lot of communication and flexibility. The key takeaway is how one goes about solving the issue. With time, better communication, and flexibility, we managed to strengthen and build relationships,” Hilary explained.

University of California, Los Angeles

Major: Computer Science

Memberships:  Lead Teacher- introduction to Game Design with Unity, Forum Project for Study Buddy Society

Grace is the daughter of Hua Wang, Quality Engineer at TD SYNNEX, and a freshman attending the University of California, Los Angeles with a major in Computer Science.  If you ask Grace what led her to be interested in computer science, she will tell you about her eye-opening experience participating in Google’s Game Design Challenge. “Twenty-six pages, twelve storyboard sketches later, my game was born. I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Along with my game, my passion for world-building and design also arose,” said Grace.

Grace is not afraid of a challenge as proven by her stepping into a leadership role when a college student with web expertise left unexpectedly. She successfully helped her school community by providing a website for communicating with classmates despite no prior experience and walked away with a complete understanding of how great teams work together. She explains, “As the forum manager, I created the content and guides to teach students how to use the forum. Our whole team worked proactively to make sure that the plans from the forum management, marketing, and coding teams aligned well. It is amazing to experience so much support and collaboration with this project; even though it didn’t go as smoothly as we hoped, we crossed the roadblock through collaboration and initiative.”

Through college and beyond, Grace hopes to use these experiences and future experiences to guide her as a leader, a team member, and as a community member, helping everyone grow together.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Major: Computer Science

Memberships: Lynbrook Math Honor Society, Math Club, Computer Science Club – Co-President/Treasurer

Sumedh is currently studying computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the son of Jayarama Shenoy, VP Technology at Hyve Solutions.  Sumedh has been involved in many organizations but feels his participation in in Lynbrook’s Math Club has been the most meaningful.  “I’ve not only met some of my closest friends, but also been exposed to many different aspects of mathematics that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. As an officer, I’ve had a great time showing others the interesting aspects of math that got me hooked, while simultaneously developing as a leader learning how to organize teams for competitions, as well as organize the setup of large-scale competitions at Lynbrook,” he explained.

As a nine-year-old, Sumedh thought he would be a fantasy writer however, that dream took a backseat to a growing fascination with math and computer science.  Instead, writing became a way to decompress, a mental break from working through an intense stack of math problems.  These “breaks” would include daydreaming about miniature stories to accompany the problems he had just solved, a brief reprise from translating mathematical formalisms into plain English; like using chickpeas as the main character in the mathematical challenge.

He realized the power that these small, simple stories could have with his Math Club work teaching math concepts to sixth graders which proved successful in achieving greater engagement and understanding.

“Although my dream of becoming a fantasy writer has wavered, my desire to write stories has not,” he said.  With stories, I can phrase the often-abstract math and computer science that I know in concrete terms, making them available to a wider audience; and I want to continue using them to spice up explanations, lessons, and questions in the future.”

University of California, Los Angeles

Major: Biochemistry

Memberships: Vice President of Associated Students of Ohlone College – student government

Haru is the daughter of Fumi Tsuchiya, Senior Tax Analyst at TD SYNNEX and studying Biochemistry at the University of California in Los Angeles where she is excited to be learning about the process of conducting research and adapting new laboratory skills.  “I want to take my time at the university to delve into the world of research, specifically in genetics, which I am currently taking a biotechnology class focusing on yeast genetics,” she explained.

In her role as Vice President of the Associated Students of Ohlone College, Haru oversaw the day-to-day activities of each branch under its student administration of more than 30 members.  It was through many experiences with Ohlone that Haru learned the value of curiosity.  “I found that as I become more overwhelmed with tasks that I must complete, I forget to stay curious in my studies, with my peers and myself.  Each conversation held with a curious approach leads to more genuine conversations that are productive in building a connection which in turn leads to collaboration,” she said.

Haru’s proudest academic achievement was being recommended to be an organic chemistry tutor. It was through this experience of walking inquisitive students through each chapter she gained a different perspective on organic chemistry. Her long-term goal is to be a physician’s assistant where she hopes to also explore different specialties during her career.

Harvard University

Major: Economics

Memberships: National Honor Society, Interact Club – President, Cal High Model United Nations Club- Director, Mock Trial Team Captain

Cindy attended California High School in San Ramon and is the daughter of Yipeng Yang, Senior Accountant in California. In the fall she began studying Economics at Harvard University where she hopes to also explore debate organizations on campus where she can enact social change – a topic she is passionate about.

Over the last four years Cindy has achieved many awards including Berkey Model United Nations Outstanding Delegate, 4x Contra Costa County Mock Trial Champions State Finalist – one of 18 schools in the county chosen and selected to be a presenter at UCSB Gritx Talks 2020 (Groundbreaking Research/Innovative Technologies).  During her high school internship at the Asian Pacific Islander Outreach organization, she worked with lawyers to research and create educational workshops and assisted in recruiting $30,000 in grants to organize grassroot advocacy events.  “It was through this experience that I discovered that being heard does not mean being acknowledged or even being listened to. Instead, being heard is measured by your effect on the community around you,” Cindy shared.  This became a new form of expression for her.

Cindy said, “As I continue to examine complex social issues in college and beyond, my ability to build community and leverage collaboration will enable me to create equitable impact”.  She plans on continuing this research journey by attending law school after she graduates Harvard.