Social Impact of the Year 2000

In July 2019 Smriti founded Project WE to encourage girls in India to pursue further education and vocational training, and empower them to be independent, self-sufficient women. Their curriculum was implemented by the state of Telangana to teach 30,000 students, and more recently adopted by a national NGO, Pratham, to educate students in multiple Indian states. With Project WE’s support, 26 female graduates have passed national examinations to pursue higher education, 38 women have been accepted into universities, and an additional 15 students are eligible for salary-paying jobs from WE’s vocational training.

At 17, Stacy Dina Adhiambo Owino developed an app that allows girls who are facing imminent female genital mutilation to alert the authorities by clicking a distress button on their mobile phone. The female genital mutilation protection app i-Cut, as explained in Ebony, has five options: “”help”, “rescue”, “report”, “information on FGM” and “donate and feedback”.” “Help” alerts the authorities when FGM is about to occur, and “Rescue” gives young women information about places to receive medical treatment after FGM. “Report” informs the authorities that an instance of FGM has occurred.

Stephanie Su is the Co-Founder of Ad Astra Youth, a nonprofit empowering youth to foster their own impactful initiatives. In 2020, they consulted and advised over 114 organizations across operations, marketing, branding, leadership, growth. They mentored countless other orgs and organising virtual conferences which drew attendees from 69 countries.Today, as the Lead Director for Superposition, Stephanie is still a strong advocate for STEM. Stephanie led a global team of 33, spearheaded the company's expansion across 23 countries and raised 5 figures in funding to help the company bridge the gender gap in STEM.

Vivian Tan is the Founder of Student SEAS, a student-led nonprofit empowering students to navigate the seas of adulting and find success. To date, they've run workshops, created tailored resources and supported over 15,000 youth through their initiatives.Outside of Student SEAS, Vivian is an avid public speaker inspiring over 10,000 people in 60 speaking engagements discussing branding, public speaking and self-advocacy. Vivian is a 4x TEDx speaker that inspires young people globally to design their ideal selves.

Ziyaan Virji is the Founder and CEO of For The Menstruator. (previously known as AASW), a global initiative of over 100 volunteers advocating for menstrual equity. For The Menstruator has served over 8500 people in 7 countries globally. They have co-designed a reusable sanitary pac, raised over $50,000 through campaigning and hosted an international Period Month collaboration with 30 organisations globally.