Thea Angella Tenorio, grade 12 Redwood High School, Larkspur, CA My design addresses the struggle of amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. The lack of these voices perpetuates a society built to benefit those who are privileged, without making room for other people. I’ve experienced this marginalization and hope to create a better environment for...
Renee Wang, grade 10 The Bishop’s School, La Jolla, CA Millions of people worldwide are denied the basic human right to a home. The typical homeless shelter fails to cater to individuals’ needs because they do not support independent and private living. However, tiny homes offer comfortable living, permanent housing, a sense of community, and...
Lake Wiesmayr-Cheuk, grade 11 Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, New York, NY Living in New York’s Chinatown, I’ve learned from personal experience that ignorance creates prejudice. I took the idiom, “Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes,” as inspiration for my design. In order to empathize with another person it is helpful...
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum launched the National High School Design Competition in 2016. Every year, students around the country are challenged to design a solution to a unique scenario, inspired by Cooper Hewitt’s rich collection and stimulating exhibitions. 2021 CHALLENGE Cooper Hewitt is delighted to announce the 2021 National High School Design Competition: What...
Aditi Jha, age 16, Nidhi Malpani, age 16, and Yasmina Muradova, age 16 duPont Manual High School, Louisville, KY; Westwood High School, Austin, TX; and The Gatton Academy, Bowling Green, KY Many people experience addiction in their lives—drugs, alcohol, self-harm, the Internet, etc. As a common experience among all walks of life, it has touched...
Paulina Caceres, age 17, and Alexis Nicoleau, age 17 Design and Architecture Senior High, Miami, FL Teacher: Eric Hankin Covid-19 has affected the way people move from one place to another. The Pod is made for those who have trouble accessing medical assistance. It provides medical services without the need to travel to a hospital...
Allison Casey, age 14 La Jolla Country Day School, La Jolla, CA People at highest risk for Covid-19 infection, aside from seniors, tend to live in low-income communities and have less access to Covid-19 resources than those in wealthier communities due to barriers such as language, technology, information, and transportation. This makes it difficult for...
Sam Abuchaibe, age 18, and Samantha Azcuy-Batet, age 18 Design and Architecture Senior High, Miami, FL Teacher: Eric Hankin It’s difficult to live a healthy life, physically and mentally, without being connected to nature. Quarantining further isolates and distances people from nature, which leads to many health issues. Hortus, our mobile healing garden, transforms old...
Nitya Ayyagari, age 17 Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA Parkinson’s disease is the leading cause of disability worldwide. I observed the debilitating symptoms that come with the disease while volunteering at my local memory care center, namely Freezing of Gait (FoG), a condition that occurs when patients with Parkinson’s have trouble balancing that may...
