Six South Asian American students were among the 102 state honorees selected for the 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards that recognizes middle and high school students across the nation for their volunteer efforts.
The students will have the opportunity to tour the nation’s capital, visit congressional representatives and attend an awards ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Ten students will also have the chance to be named national honorees May 7.
State honorees will be the recipients of awards totaling $5,000 and have the opportunity to use the grant gifted by the Prudential Foundation to benefit non-profits and organizations of choice. Following is a list of Indian American and South Asian American middle and high school students who have been named state honorees:
Connecticut: Sanam Rastegar, 17, senior at Hopkins School. She is credited for raising more than $100,000 for children with diseases, as part of an annual jump-roping fundraiser at her school, which she spearheaded.
Kansas: Saajan Bhakta, 17, senior at Northwest High School. He is the co-founder of the non-profit organization “PovSolve,” which aims to educate the public about poverty in India in addition to raising funds to help poverty-stricken communities in both India and Wichita, Kansas.
Maryland: Saanya Ali, 15, sophomore at Holton-Arms School. Ali created and sold greeting cards that benefit poor and underprivileged youth across the world and give them a chance to get an education. She has raised more than $27,000.
Also from Maryland: Loranika Sharma, 11, sixth-grader at Mattawoman Middle School. She co-founded an environmental group titled “Go Green Environmental Group,” in an effort to raise awareness about recycling and protecting the environment. Sharma and her group have promoted book recycling, and have encouraged people to reduce meat consumption, among many other activities.
Pennsylvania: Neha Gupta, 15, sophomore at Pennsbury High School. She raised more than $240,000 through her nonprofit “Empower Orphans” to benefit disadvantaged children in India and the U.S. while equipping them with educational and other resources. Gupta has also established several libraries in India, and educational facilities, among various other resources.
Rhode Island: Sandanie Ambalangodage, 17, senior at Lincoln School in Providence. She raised money for young cancer patients at a local hospital in Sri Lanka. Ambalangodage conducted various fundraisers in order to purchase toys, medication and other resources for children at the hospital.
Distinguished South Asian finalists include:
Arizona: Vidur Gupta, 18, senior at Desert Mountain High School.
California: Raghav Sehtia, 16, junior at Harker School;
Vighnesh Iyer, 16, junior at Gretchen Whitney High School.
Georgia: Manasa Bhatta, 17, senior at Chattahoochee High School.
Iowa: Pavane Gorrepati, 18, senior at Rivermont Collegiate.
Maryland: Anuj Khandelwal, 16, junior at Gilman School.
Nebraska: Mohit Jain, 17, senior at Millard North High School.
Ohio: Suneil Kamath, 18, senior at Lincoln High School.
Oregon: Meghana Kalavar, 17, senior at Jesuit High School.
Pennsylvania: Shradha-Sonia Chhabria, 17, senior at Moravian Academy.
Utah: Irfan Mahmud, 17, senior at Snow Canyon High School.
Virginia: Apurva Pande, 16, junior at Henrico High School.
Wisconsin: Paige Bani, 17, junior at West De Pere High School.