Theme: The Marathon

The Marathon is about understanding endurance. Some guiding questions: What drives society forward? What drives YOU forward?

Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center
10550 Albion Rd
San Ramon, California, 94582
United States

Ashwat Chidambaram

Student

Ashwat Chidambaram, a junior at Dougherty Valley High School, explores the ongoing efforts in the field of aviation as scientists and engineers work to produce the best that technology can offer. He has been passionate about aviation for as long as he can remember, and loves to fly anything from paper airplanes to recreational drones. Currently working on his pilot’s license at the age of 17, Ashwat wishes to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering and computer science so he can combine the best of both disciplines to innovate for the future.

Ashwathi Nair

Student

As a junior at Dougherty Valley High School, Ashwathi Nair knows all too well how homework-induced lack of sleep affects her daily life - and catching up on it by taking power naps in class is far from the best alternative. She enjoys thinking about human behavior and psychology, and loves observing how human behavior is influenced externally and unconsciously.

Ashwini Murali

Student

Ashwini Murali is a junior at Dougherty Valley High School that enjoys creative writing in her free time. She has won many awards for her works and is currently a Staff Creator and Ambassador for the youth activist blog Threading Twine. She also cares deeply about animals and invests a lot of her free time playing with her dog, hanging out with friends, watching Grey’s Anatomy, and volunteering for the American Red Cross. She wants to pursue a degree in Animal Sciences and eventually become a veterinary surgeon.

Edwin Mui

Student

Holding a profound passion for innovation, Edwin Mui is currently an enthusiastic, aspiring entrepreneur in his senior year of high school. His unique experiences with the edge of the business realm throughout his life have inspired him to delve into the unknown and make new discoveries. As a result, he possesses a strong affinity for sharing his knowledge to benefit the lives of others. Edwin is the founder of Green Apple Education Foundation, an organization that fosters creativity among students of all different backgrounds through the teaching of entrepreneurship and computer science.

Mena Basta

Student

Although still young, Mena Basta has gained lots of experience throughout his life in dealing with religion. In his speech, he addresses how religion is the prominent factor in moving society forward while still maintaining a lighthearted attitude. If you’re looking for a serious yet entertaining talk about religion, Mena will tell it all in his short and sweet talk.

Ruchir Baronia

Student

Ruchir Baronia is a self-taught coder with several published Android and Alexa apps. After working with Stanford University to produce linguistic models using Machine Learning, he became intrigued with AI and began working on his own Machine Learning projects. When he is not listening to music or coding, he is usually blogging about his tech findings on his blog, The Millibit.