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Team Lead: Steven Xie Team member: Kyla Brennan, Sarah Liu, Ethan Ding Project Abstract:
Part 1: Awareness Our team members: Steven Xie, team leader, rising senior at Pacific Ridge School; Kyla Brennan, photographer, rising senior at Francis Parker High School; Sarah Liu, video designer, rising senior at Del Norte High School; Ethan Ding, editor, rising junior at Pacific Ridge School. This is an ACA project aiming at the goal of promoting coral and coral reef protection. Through this project, our team will achieve this goal by creating educational short videos to raise the awareness of their viewers. Our videos will contain parts such as introduction to coral reef, observations on corals and ideas from interviewing professionals. Part 2: Production Our team has completed outlining the videos and begun drafting scripts for the voiceovers. We’ve also planned and taken trips to the shores of Mission Bay. Although the tide and weather weren’t ideal for filming on that day, we captured some useful beach scenes to include in our videos and will schedule additional filming days to document the local NPS corals In addition to filming, we’ve started developing storylines and editing the video content. Part 3: Publication After we gathered all the clips we filmed and collected that are needed for producing the videos, we edited the clips and did the voice covers for the commentary of the videos. We decided to condensed our 5 videos that we originally planned into 3 four to five minutes long videos, since some clips and information from the 5 videos are being repeated. The first video is an introduction video to give people a sense on what is coral and coral reef, including coral physiology. The second video gives our audience a concept on how fragile corals are through the display of aquarium samples, and has footage of reef losses. Unlike the documentary style of the first two videos, the third video is more of a short video style, interviewing people’s knowledge on coral reefs, and advocating ways to protect corals. Those 3 videos are posted to the public on our YouTube account started last year (@PacificWildlifeAlliance) and on the Chinese social media, Bilibili.
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Team Lead: Lucia Huang Team member: Cara Li, Lily Chen Project Abstract:
Part 1: Exploitation With the influx and advancement of technology, scammers are making it more and more difficult to stray away from their scams, and consequently, financial fraud is on the rise in America. New tactics using artificial intelligence and impersonation have surfaced, and the technology gap amongst senior citizens makes their group a target. According to the FBI’s IC3, in 2024, adults ages 60 and over lost over 4.8 billion dollars due to scams, averaging around $83,000 for each individual. This hole in financial fraud identification for senior citizens is truly evident, and must be acted upon immediately. Therefore, our project, Cents of Community, targets the financial fraud prevention for the elderly Asian-American Pacific Islanders. Founded by three passionate students at Canyon Crest Academy, we believe in empowering our community by making sure elders are able to properly identify scams and make informed financial decisions. Through our workshops for elders and surveys, we aim to identify and provide elders with the knowledge they need to recognize scams and prevent significant money losses. Part 2:Preparation Thus far, our project, Cents of Community, has gone smoothly and according to plan. We began and concluded our initial research. This research allowed us to understand the severity of this problem, as well as identify the most common issues which we would be able to address in our survey. Then, we spent weeks crafting a survey to release to our audience. This included a Google Form with questions that informed us on the gaps for financial education and specifics on which areas needed the most help. Our survey helped us get a better grasp of how we should approach this issue. After finalizing our survey, we booked a seminar room at the Carmel Valley Public Library for our first workshop on the 26th of July. We pushed this survey out, as well as our workshop dates and information, and so far have received nearly 20 RSVPs. Additionally, we outreached to our community by posting flyers and contacting/visiting several retirement homes. Our preparation for our workshop has begun, where we will continue to research and finalize our lesson. Part 3:Impact This summer, we aimed to help elders in our community overcome a huge struggle: financial safety. With so many lives impacted on the daily from cases of financial fraud and scams, we made our ultimate goal helping get one step closer to financial safety. We began by conducting research for identifying the problem, noticing the extreme gap in financial knowledge. Over the course of a few weeks, we created a survey for individuals, particularly elders, to see their financial knowledge. With over 20 responses, we used this information to begin our education initiative. We reached out to several senior communities, reaching nearly 700 people through our outreach, as well as visiting numerous senior homes to contact them to see in which ways we could assist. We held one financial workshop on July 26th, where we had many attendees. This workshop, held at the Carmel Valley Public Library, allowed for us to teach financial safety and education to elders to prevent major impacts. This workshop included interactive games, a slideshow, and input from our financial advisor. Overall, our project helped bridge the gap of financial education, even at a small perspective, and ultimately helped many elders with financial fraud. Team Lead: Henry Hou Team member: Lawrence He, Olympia Georgiou, Athena Georgiou, Jonas Shen, Jaden Shen, Angela Shen, Candice Ding, Anya Kalapanda Project Abstract:
Part 1: Empowerment ROOTS (Refugee Children’s Organization of Technology and Science) is a youth-led nonprofit in San Diego dedicated to empowering refugee children through free, hands-on STEM education. In response to the global refugee crisis and the challenges faced by resettled youth—such as disrupted education, cultural barriers, and limited resources—ROOTS offers programs that build confidence, critical thinking, and academic skills. Through its annual summer STEM camp, STEM field trips, and a STEM library initiative, ROOTS serves refugee students aged 9–13 from communities including Myanmar, Syria, and East Africa. With an annual budget of just $1,800, ROOTS provides all instruction, materials, and meals free of charge, creating an accessible and supportive learning environment. The program aims to reach up to 100 students annually, fostering future innovators and leaders while offering high school volunteers meaningful leadership opportunities. Part 2: Progress As of midterm, the ROOTS STEM Education Program has successfully completed key milestones, including launching the 2025 Summer STEM Camp, which served 18 refugee students aged 9–13 from Myanmar, Syria, and East African nations. Over five days, students participated in hands-on workshops in Chemistry, Engineering, Biology, Math, and Computer Science, led by trained high school instructors and guest university speakers. All materials, meals, and transportation were provided at no cost. Additionally, two STEM Day field trips were conducted, exposing students to real-world applications through visits to local science centers and innovation labs. The STEM Library Initiative has distributed over 100 donated books and established a small physical library at a community tutoring center, with development of the online library underway. The program remains on budget and on track to reach its goal of serving 50–100 students annually. Early feedback shows increased student engagement, confidence, and curiosity in STEM fields, with strong community and volunteer support. Instruction plan can be found at: Refugee 2025 STEM Summer Camp Plan Part 3: empowerment The ROOTS STEM Education Program successfully completed its 2025 initiatives, providing free, hands-on STEM learning for refugee youth aged 9–13 from Myanmar, Syria, and East African communities. The program’s flagship Summer STEM Camp engaged 18 students in five days of workshops across Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Engineering, Math, and Computer Science, supported by high school instructors and university guest speakers. All materials, meals, and transportation were provided at no cost. Complementary activities included two STEM Day field trips to local research labs and science centers, plus the STEM Library Initiative, which distributed over 100 books and launched a physical library at a community tutoring center, with an online library in development. The program remained on budget and achieved its goal of delivering accessible STEM education while fostering leadership skills among volunteers. Early feedback showed strong gains in student engagement, confidence, and curiosity in STEM fields, with enthusiastic community support. ROOTS is positioned to scale toward serving 50–100 students annually. Team Lead: David Liu Team member: Keshu Yang, Benjamin Tang Project Abstract:
Part 1:Inception Mindful Moves is a youth-led initiative designed to promote the mental benefits of chess for children across San Diego County. Led by David Liu (11th grade), alongside teammates Keshu Yang (11th grade) and Benjamin Tang (9th grade), the project focused on expanding access to chess in underserved communities, particularly among children facing challenges such as ADHD, anxiety and depression. To achieve this, the team distributed 30 beginner-friendly chess sets to strategically selected Little Free Libraries, providing families in low-income neighborhoods with free access to the game. Each set included a flyer linking to an educational video series about the mental wellness benefits of chess and an original children’s storybook that emphasized sportsmanship and honesty. In partnership with local organizations such as the San Diego Chess Club (SDCC) and SimplyChess, Mindful Moves highlighted free community resources and opportunities for continued engagement in chess. The project culminated in a final video presentation showcasing its impact and key milestones. Part 2: Mobilization Our team is making steady progress and remains on track to complete the project by the designated deadline. As team lead, David has successfully written and published a children’s book on Amazon KDP promoting fair play and sportsmanship in chess. In addition, David designed the team logo and promotional flyer, ordered team t-shirts and chess sets, and worked on developing the team's social media presence. Keshu has actively conducted research about the benefit of chess on mental wellness, and has also filmed a video exploring how chess can positively impact people with ADHD and anxiety/depression. Ben has coordinated with the San Diego Chess Club and local chess organizations, securing permission to feature them on our promotional flyers. He also reached out to the Little Free Libraries organization and mapped out a distribution route for our team to donate chess sets to underserved communities across San Diego County. Throughout the project, we’ve maintained consistent communication via email and weekly team meetings, allowing us to monitor progress, share updates, and address any questions related to upcoming tasks. Part 3: Realization Over the summer, Mindful Moves launched several initiatives aimed at improving mental health and promoting chess awareness throughout San Diego County. Most notably, we partnered with Little Free Libraries to distribute 30 chess sets in low-income communities, providing families with free access to the game. Each set includes a flyer featuring the Mindful Moves YouTube channel and information about local chess resources, including the San Diego Chess Club and SimplyChess. Our YouTube channel currently hosts six educational videos covering topics such as chess rules, fair play, chess for kids, and the mental health benefits of the game. We plan to continue to develop and publish new content to support and grow the local chess community. Additionally, we published a children’s book inspired by one team member’s early experiences in chess tournaments. The story highlights the emotional challenges young players may face such as stress and unfair play, and emphasizes the importance of good sportsmanship. Our message is clear: playing fairly not only strengthens character, but also leads to lasting success both on and off the board. Team Lead: Colin Xie Team member: Lauren Kan, Max Yang, Emily Wu, Sophia Wu Project Abstract:
Part 1: Empowerment English for the Elderly is a project by Colin Xie, Lauren Kan, Max Yang, Emily Wu, and Sophia Wu. Our goal is to aid elderly Chinese men and women with limited English speaking proficiency and experience by providing them with accessible English learning resources on a specially curated website, one-on-one lessons with high school or college student volunteer tutors, and workshops for learning how to navigate online tools. We also hold monthly group exchanges to give them an opportunity to put their pronunciation and vocabulary skills into practice, as well as interact with other seniors. This improves their ability to communicate in everyday scenarios and increases their confidence in using English. Furthermore, these programs can be a chance for seniors to connect with youth. With support from volunteers and by maintaining a resource hub for English learning, we hope to leave a lasting impact beyond this summer. Part 2: Adaptation Since our project began in June, we have hosted 8 online tutoring sessions, 2 per week on Fridays and Sundays. These tutoring sessions included 9 different volunteer tutors and 12 different elderly Chinese men and women, mostly split into 1-on-1 pairs for 1.5 hour lessons. These lessons went over English dialogues, short stories, and vocabulary relevant to the students' daily lives. We are also finalizing our plans for the website, workshops, and in person meetups, which had to be postponed because our team is busy with summer camps, other volunteering commitments, and college applications. July’s in person meetup will take place at the Pacific Highlands Ranch library community room, and is scheduled for July 30. In place of the originally planned volunteer workshop hosted on Zoom, we have decided that it would be more beneficial long term to add resources on the website so that anyone with access to the website can use and help asynchronously. We are also working on a summary video that details the process of teaching, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and tips, and multiple links to external resources. Part 3: Implementation In total, we hosted 17 online tutoring sessions on Fridays and Sundays every week. These sessions involved 12 volunteer tutors and 13 elderly students. We also held 2 in-person meetups/workshops, the first to get ideas for our website and the second after a first draft was completed, to demonstrate, get feedback, and make improvements. Our website was completed with resources categorized based on type and difficulty level. These include videos, dialogues, games, and short stories, with options for beginner, intermediate, and advanced English learners. The website can be easily switched between English and Chinese, to make it easier for those with limited English proficiency to navigate. In addition, the website links to an advanced English to Chinese translator for use by elderly students who may have difficulties understanding certain phrases. We also added a FAQ section for new volunteer tutors, and a short summary video with advice on teaching the elderly. Team Lead: Austin Zhang Team member: Ben Wang, Chris Zheng, Peimeng Xu, Ella Zhao, Ethan Tsoi, Claire Wang Project Abstract:
Part 1: Initiative Black Mountain Open Space Park in San Diego faces a significant threat of biodiversity reduction, wildfire and drought due to its expansive 2,350-acre rugged terrain and conditions. The park's dense vegetation and varied topography make it particularly susceptible to environmental threats. Our project aims to raise awareness and educate communities about habitat restoration and promote organism diversity. By organizing workshops, events, and conversations with local authorities, we aim to foster a community-wide effort towards sustainable practices. By hosting fundraising events, we aim to raise money for high tech tools of sustainable park management. Project Goals:
Part 2: Advancement Our team is making strong progress on a two-part project focused on habitat restoration and technology integration to support environmental conservation. We believe using drones and other technologies will help improve restoration outcomes, making fundraising for this equipment a critical goal. Since May, we’ve brainstormed ideas, submitted proposals, and presented at the Black Mountain Board Meeting (7/8) and Torrey Pines Docent Society (7/12). We’ve partnered with Friends of Los Peñasquitos for restoration events and are in ongoing discussions with City rangers about upcoming fundraising events. Alongside fieldwork, we are leading educational workshops at Casa De Amistad and volunteering as teaching assistants at SDSU’s Drone and Robotics Camp, helping introduce STEM tech skills to underrepresented students. We’re also preparing a restoration workshop for local children at the 4S Ranch Library (planned for 7/29, proposal https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1enRG6fWYWGsRqkKWqufk_JwrGw1WRIao0msP84AHJ1o/edit?usp=sharing) and organizing a STEM outreach event at Children Without Borders in Tijuana on July 25th. These activities are helping us combine hands-on restoration with technology-driven solutions, building a model that supports both environmental sustainability and community education. Part 3: Execution This year, our efforts centered on community engagement, environmental stewardship, and youth education through a variety of service and outreach initiatives. We joined biweekly restoration projects with Friends of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, spending every other Sunday watering native plants and removing invasive weeds under the guidance of naturalists Del and Mike. These consistent restoration efforts directly contributed to habitat recovery at Black Mountain. In addition, we organized a series of educational workshops highlighting both technology and environmental conservation. Topics included drone technology, robotics, and sustainability, with one workshop dedicated entirely to Black Mountain restoration. Highlights included:
Through these initiatives, we strengthened our community’s connection to nature, advanced the role of technology in conservation, and empowered youth to take part in sustainable action. Team Lead: Audrey Zhou Team member: Sarah Jafari, Nathan Lee, Marcus Hwang, Sabine Kuo, Joseph Sung Project Abstract:
Part 1: Mission Speaking History is a non-profit organization that seeks to educate, empower, and empathize. First, educating the world about the refugee crisis. By educating the world on the stories of yesterday, we hope to supply the leaders of tomorrow with insights, ideas and an understanding to build the structures and policies of tomorrow. We do this through our podcasts about the history of the world. Second, empowering the voices of refugees and individuals. We don’t find specific documentation of people who lived in difficult time periods of history in our school textbooks and everyday media. Speaking History seeks to solve this problem by lifting up the voices of refugees and individuals who have experienced difficulties and bring them to light. We do this through interviews. Third, empathizing with those of us who have endured much hardship. It’s one thing to learn and hear the voices of refugees, and another to feel their hardships and empathize with them. Once we understand the pain and the sadness, our perspective changes. We help people empathize with these resilient people through our book series for children to put you into this perspective of difficulties refugees face. That is Speaking History’s mission. To make history speak. Part 2: Progress As of July 15, Speaking History has made substantial progress in accomplishing its goals to educate, empower, and empathize through podcasts, interviews, events, and books. Regarding podcasts, we have written, extensively edited, and recorded two (roughly 15 minute) podcasts, as well as making Instagram posts to share these. The first podcast provides a historical analysis on Homer’s Odyssey, while the second describes the Castle Garden Emigrant Depot. We recently conducted and recorded an interview with the director of an organization dedicated to refugee education and are contacting several other refugee centers in order to host more interviews. We are currently planning multiple events, including the Back to School Bash and a Lower School project. Our first book, detailing a boy’s time travel into Ancient Egypt with the help of a magical vespa, is now complete and awaiting editing. After printing, we plan to donate copies to refugees and kids. Additionally, we have been successfully recruiting more members, designing organization jackets and logos, and brainstorming plans for the future. Part 3: Impact Speaking History has been working hard to achieve their mission to educate, empower, and empathize. First, we educated by writing and recording 4 podcasts, which are ready to be published on Apple Podcasts. The first 2 come from our Great Books series about Dante’s Inferno and about Homer’s Odyssey. Our other 2 come from our American Immigration Station series which discusses the Castle Garden Emigration Depot and Angel Island. Additionally, Sarah Jafari wrote and has written 2 books from the Miraculous Journeys of Theo and His Vespa series which showcases the history of Ancient Egypt and Greece. By educating the world with the stories of the past, we ensure that the world is better fit for the future. Second, we empowered the voices of refugees by conducting interviews with people who work with and are themselves refugees which help us learn about their lives which we so easily overlook. Third, Speaking History has fostered empathy with refugees and their hardships. By volunteering at SDRT’s Bike Day and Back to School Bash, we stepped into their daily lives and assisted them with school supplies, and necessary toiletries. Speaking History’s mission is flourishing, ensuring history continues to speak. Project Lead: Arwen Fu Team member: Cindy Wang, Shridha Krishnan, Luna Zhao, Annie Jin Project Abstract:
Part 1: Connection “Generations United: Interacting with the Elderly Community” is a project dedicated to helping the elderly community of San Diego. Our goal is to help the elderly maintain their mental and physical health. We will host sessions with seniors that include gardening, drawing, music therapy, technology lessons that will bring them together. In addition to this, we hope to help the elderly by assisting them with translation and adapting more comfortably. We have Chinese, Spanish, and Tamil speaking students that will help accommodate seniors who don’t proficiently speak English. This not only benefits the elderly but it also gives us a chance to learn about the difference in lifestyles and develop meaningful social connections. Part 2: Outreach We have contacted over 10 local senior living facilities. We’ve successfully connected to Serving Seniors, a meal welfare program that runs through all of San Diego and have started helping them edit their calendars/meal calendars and event flyers (Traditional Chinese, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese). In addition to this, we have also connected with Karen Ingrande from Cathedral Arms Apartments and plan to start visiting soon. Currently, we are also forming potential relationships with Lions Community Manor and Columbia Towers as well. Part 3: Collaboration We have successfully established a stable connection with Serving Seniors and have worked with them multiple times over the course of these few months. We have translated the July & August calendars for them and have also translated trivia questions into different languages. Unfortunately, Columbia Towers and Cathedral Arms did not respond to emails, so we are unsure if they are still processing information or have forgotten. However, we do plan to reach out to Serving Seniors to help them fully re-translate most, if not all of their calendars, meal plans, customer service flyers, handouts, and more. Team Lead:Afina Liang Team Member: Brunda Unadi,Cathy Ji Project Abstract:
Part 1: Amplification - Afina, Cathy and Brunda This year, we’ve decided to amplify the voices of San Diego’s AAPI community through the medium of a podcast. Through the mini series of about eight episodes, we will spotlight the personal stories, nonprofit work, and meaningful experiences of community leaders such as Lily Zhou and collaborate with local events. Our podcast will explore themes of challenges and triumphs faced by these speakers while celebrating the diverse stories of AAPI individuals of San Diego. Our goal is not only to preserve these valuable narratives but also to inspire youth to embrace their identities and advocate for themselves. We believe in the power of storytelling as a tool for education, connection, and social change. Part 2: Update We’ve released 2 episodes so far in the series on Not Your China Doll and David Seid. We are editing the third episode on Lilly Cheng and are in contact with a few other speakers to organize interviews. 2 additional interviews scheduled on 7/21 and 7/22. The estimated date for the release of 5 total episodes would be on 7/27. https://www.instagram.com/reallyandtruly_podcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== Part 3: Milestone By graduation, we would finish and polish all 6 episodes on Spotify. This meets the original proposal of our projects. Below are the interviews and episodes we have produced. 1.Not your china doll (event cover from Chinese Historical Museum) 2.Interview with Lily Zhou 3.House of China with David Seid 4.No story about US w/o US with Lilly Cheng 5.Open mind open heart with Nanda Mehta 6.Little Saigon with Tram B Lam 7.Japanese Garden with Laurilyn Our last episode is still in the process of fine editing. This will definitely be done by 8/23. Additionally, we are also working on a special episode on mental health during the college applications. Presentation slides at award ceremony https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Dh5Hk-Xj0JX5HsbUwCLalaxrGXl23iyaq8TLdQaD5xM/edit?usp=sharing |
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