SWENext, SWE’s free pre-college program, recently recognized these exceptional future engineers and computer scientists for their pursuits of engineering projects, their understanding of engineering principles, their roles in inspiring young girls to pursue engineering, and their contributions to the communities they live in.
Global Innovator Award Recipients
The SWENext Global Innovator Award recognizes outstanding young women shaping the future of SWE who have demonstrated a commitment to bettering the lives of women in STEM.
Emma Kao
Grade 11
This year, Emmie is leading her school’s SWENext Club as its current president, helping to organize an annual hackathon that brings together students from across San Diego County. A dedicated volunteer at SWE San Diego outreach events, Emmie was also a speaker at this year’s Girls in STEM Inspiration Day, addressing over 120 attendees as a role model. Emmie also moderated this year’s College Decision Webinar, featuring several SWE college students and alumni from around the country. In addition to her work with SWE, Emmie interned at a nearby university last year to apply convolutional neural networks and machine learning to denoising the results of a form of image analysis called Differential Dynamic Microscopy. She is the founder of an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to highlight interdisciplinary opportunities in data science for high school students. Emmie’s commitment to mentoring students in various STEM subjects earned her the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWiT) National Honorable Mention in 2023 and 2024, as well as the SWENext STEM in Action Award in 2024.
Angelina Kim
Grade 12
Angelina has always been passionate about inventing and promoting technologies for public safety, presenting her research on lifeguard scout and rescue drones at International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conferences. Angelina is the first place winner of the SWE Senior Division awards at the 2024 Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair, a recipient of the SWENext STEM in Action Award in 2023, and a founding member of her school’s SWENext Club. She also combines her love for engineering with her desire to enhance safety through her two inventions, one granted and one pending patent at the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). Angelina is also the president of All Girls STEM Society, a nonprofit organization that aspires to ameliorate the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields by hosting free monthly STEM workshops and NASA Astro Camps to over 9,000+ girls from 300+ schools participating in the San Diego area.
Breanna Thayillam
Grade 12
As the co-president of her high school’s SWENext Club, Breanna has volunteered over 100 hours with SWE and is passionate about empowering girls in STEM. She led her school’s first STEM Week, organized a global hackathon with 75 participants from eight countries, developed STEM lessons for nearly 100 students at local elementary schools, and was awarded the SWE STEM in Action and NCWIT Regional Honorable Mention for her efforts. Outside of SWENext, Breanna enjoys participating in hackathons and app challenges to further pursue her interest in web/app development, earning a Technovation 2023 Quarterfinalist Award and a Special Recognition for the 2023 Congressional App Challenge.
Eniola Aloba
Grade 12
Eniola has served as a SWENext influencer and participated in the SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA) program, which has given her a sense of direction in choosing a STEM career. In her local community, she’s kept in touch with the newsletters and emails to stay in touch with upcoming in-person events. Eniola interned in the field of data science, where she created a tool that identifies communities and individuals across the United States who have a significant risk for co-exposure to extreme heat and poor air quality. In addition to determining the communities and individuals at most significant risk, the project also explores how we might better communicate risks and connect people with solutions. Currently, she is in the process of engineering a responsive web application that can be accessed and utilized from any device as we are currently living in the digital age.
Learning the importance of community at a young age, Eniola is a member of the National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society, and the Army Educational Outreach Program Alumni Council. Eniola’s goal is to equip, encourage, and prepare students with the correct skills to thrive in STEM careers.
Lily Bertrand
Grade 12
Lily, an aspiring game designer, is passionate about promoting STEM education, particularly for underrepresented groups. She is continually working toward her goals through her contributions with SiSTEM, a nonprofit organization she co-founded. She has made countless contributions as a third-year media director for FIRST Robotics Competition team TitanBot 2543 where she has played a pivotal role in amplifying the team’s achievements and inspiring the next generation of robotics enthusiasts. She established a cohesive visual brand to create a professional, recognizable aesthetic that makes the team’s content more visually appealing and memorable. Lily is also a third-year leader for her SWENext Club, where she is the president for the 2024/2025 school year. She has made numerous connections through her volunteer work with SWE San Diego, having volunteered at over 15 events in the past year.
Saanvi Subramanian
Grade 12
Saanvi created her school’s first SWENext Club and has served as its president for the past two years. Last year, she was selected to be a University of Washington Changemaker in Computing and won the NCWiT Aspirations in Computing award at the regional and state level. She intends to pursue electrical and computer engineering in college and beyond, specifically with the purpose of building innovative technological solutions for social good.
Local Innovator Award Honorable Mentions
Alekhya Buragadda
Grade 12
Alekhya Buragadda is a senior in South Fayette High School. Alekhya’s dedication to the STEM field is expansive, and she hopes to use it as a platform to better the world. Being part of the advisory board for TechGirlz, she creates workshops to introduce children from underserved areas to opportunities in STEM. Her efforts have earned her the NCWIT Impact Award and others as she continues to use STEM to drive change.
Community Award Recipients
The SWENext Community Award emphasizes the impact SWENexters can have in their communities to solve real-world problems related to sustainable development.
Abigail Chiang
Grade 10
Abigail is a dedicated innovator and advocate in STEM, focusing on both education and research. She founded a student-led nonprofit to introduce STEM to underrepresented communities, leading numerous workshops and global hackathons and teaching topics such as Python, Java, machine learning, and cybersecurity. Her research spans from developing AI algorithms for cancer detection, studying drug resistance mechanisms in pathogens, and studying enzymatic catalysis. She has been involved in creating assistive technologies like smart walkers for the elderly and has demonstrated her expertise in biochemical experiments, data science, and advanced computer science. A leader in her community, she actively advocates for equitable education and is passionate about bridging gaps in STEM fields.
Varshini Hari
Grade 11
Varshini is passionate about her community and has volunteered over 500+ hours through her own nonprofit initiative and various others as a STEM instructor by creating coding curriculum and leading 50+ workshops impacting over 100+ youth. With her love for baking, she has raised $10k+ through fundraisers for nonprofits. She received the U.S. Congressional Gold medal, which is the highest youth honor by the U.S. Congress this summer. As an elected president of IMAGINE (I am a girl in engineering), she empowers girls in STEM and has led several workshops. Recently, Varshini also won the NCWIT Regional award for her contributions. Varshini has also qualified twice for the FBLA National conference and is a two-year state champion. As a varsity high school swimmer and flutist in the local city orchestra team, she enjoys exploring new challenges.
Navya Veeragandham
Grade 11
Anarghya Polisetti
Grade 11
Smrithi Sudharsun
Grade 9
Smrithi Sudharsun is an aspiring biomedical engineer and a rising sophomore at the Edison Academy Magnet School where she is majoring in electrical engineering. Outside of SWENext, she participates in research projects, her school’s WiSTEM club, math competitions, and other STEM activities. She is passionate about art and is a volunteer at an art museum, an art teacher, and a published artist, as well as a pianist. She hopes to make an impact on the medical field and inspire the next generation of women in STEM.
Serena Gandhi
Grade 10
Serena is a passionate innovator dedicated to integrating sustainability with technology and education. She founded a student-led nonprofit introducing young students to nature-inspired design through hands-on projects and interactive workshops, sparking interest in environmentally conscious STEM fields. Her commitment to sustainability is further reflected in her Girl Scouts initiatives, where she organizes Warm Coat drives, leads community cleanups, and spearheads tree-planting efforts. Serena’s technical experience spans developing bio-inspired gadgets and assistive devices for animals, highlighting her dedication to technology that benefits both people and the planet. As a mentor to young students, she fosters environmental responsibility and curiosity, envisioning a future where technology and sustainability combine to drive impactful solutions to global challenges.
Anjana Nair
Grade 11
McKayla Davis
Grade 10
McKayla is a rising junior from Atlanta. She is passionate about engineering and plans to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. Outside of SWENext, McKayla participates in other STEM organizations, such as Women in Technology, Aerial Robotics, and her local 3D printing club. In her free time, she likes to teach 3D modeling, watch videos about the field of engineering, and come up with new engineering projects.
Giovanna Carvalho
Grade 11
Zenia Haroon
Grade 11
Zenia is a senior at Glenelg High School and advocates for STEM education for underrepresented children in the Muslim community through an organization called STEMEdKids, which she founded. She also is captain of all-girls FTC robotics team, where she uses her engineering, coding, and documentation skills to lead her team. She has taken multiple engineering courses at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL). Additionally, she has been an intern at JHUAPL for the past two years, working on improving the number of retained surgical instruments using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Zenia is president of her school’s Future Health Professionals (HOSA) and Muslim Student Association clubs. She has hosted SWENext interest meetings at her school and is currently in the process of starting the club.
Allison Wong
Grade 11
Narayani Sakthinathan
Grade 10
Narayani is a rising junior who aims to give everyone, no matter who or where they are, the opportunity to thrive with STEM education and motivate them to share their newfound knowledge with others who are where they used to be. She is a state officer of the Pennsylvania Technology Student Association and is involved in clubs such as HOSA and the Crisis Care Club, a community service club she started. Outside of her love for STEM, particularly in the medical field which she aims to pursue, she loves playing her viola and always being there to put a smile on anyone’s face!
Clubs Best Practices Award Recipients
The SWENext Clubs Best Practices Award recognizes outstanding SWENext Clubs around the world who have developed exceptional best practices in engineering engagement to share with and advance the SWENext Clubs program as a whole.
Utah SWENext
Founded in Aug. 2023 by Erin and Lana Chan, co-captains of the all-girls community-based FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics Team 19697 SOUP (Serving Our Underserved Population) in Salt Lake City, Utah SWENext was established to address the gender disparity within FTC teams in the state and create a supportive network for girls in robotics. Dr. Tracy Nguyen, SWE counselor, played a pivotal role in its inception and guidance by recruiting Regan Tracy, a SWE Utah State University collegian, as an additional SWE counselor who has been instrumental in providing local support.
Joined by members from fellow all-girls FTC teams 20515 Cubed ETs and 21676 Traffic Cone Pigeon Girls, Utah SWENext quickly set ambitious goals for 2023. These included launching the first annual Inspiring Girls in STEM Day in November 2023 and organizing STEM and Robotics Day events at two Navajo Indian Reservation schools in Southern Utah.
By forging strong connections with the science community and leading impactful outreach efforts, Utah SWENext is dedicated to sustainability and empowerment. Their advocacy efforts culminated in the successful passage of SJR 7: Joint Resolution Providing Opportunities for Women in STEM through both the Senate and the House. This significant achievement highlights the club’s unwavering commitment to gender equity and diversity in STEM, earning the support of policymakers and the Utah Senate. Their work has laid a foundation for lasting empowerment and opportunities for future generations, making them well-deserving of recognition with the SWENext Best Practices Award.
