Finalist

Yara Samad, age 15, and Naira Younas, age 16
Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, CA

Underrepresented minority groups are undervalued in the workforce resulting in a largely untapped reservoir of skill. Women, people of color, and people with accessibility needs face discrimination in the hiring process. This problem was experienced firsthand when my mother found out she was paid less than the men who reported to her. Our idea is the NoFace app, where job-searchers can create anonymous profiles with auto-generated usernames without pictures. Each user’s profile will showcase their resume, skills, and education. Job interviews will be facilitated through the app using a gender-neutral voice transmitter without a camera. NoFace would give every user the opportunities they deserve by focusing solely on their skills. It will assist in ending the gender pay gap and level out the playing field globally for job applicants. By diversifying the workforce, NoFace can ensure that the next generation will have a brighter, less discriminatory future.