Finalist

Sohan Chunduru, grade 12
La Jolla Country Day School, La Jolla, CA
Teacher: Dan Lenzen

The world is witnessing growing discord among people of different cultures, religions, and beliefs. This distrust is rooted in fear of the “other” and suspicions of the unknown. Enabling children to interact with peers from other countries increases cultural awareness and provides hope for a more peaceful and just future world. Whale Tales is a web application that allows children around the world to connect with each other for collaborative storytelling. Whale Tales exposes children to different cultures and teaches them the values of teamwork and cooperation, building a community of empathetic future global citizens.