Teen Vogue Summit 2023 was filled with inspiring leaders and important discussions, and one particular panel focused on three people who have all become winners of a global initiative that helps boost promising young people.
Rise Global winners Mia Lee (2023), Rishabh Ambavanekar (2022), and Hawi Annette Odhiambo (2021) spoke with Teen Vogue contributing editor Alyssa Hardy during the Elevating the Voices of Tomorrow panel, sponsored by Rise. The global competition awards one person between the ages of 15 and 17 each year for a special project they’ve worked on by providing scholarships, mentorship programs, and more. The winners also get to attend a fully-funded, residential summit that rotates locations globally — this year it was in London!
Teen Vogue and Rise were honored to host these three brilliant minds, who have already made an impact on their communities at such a young age. During the panel, they discussed the power young adults have to make change and how they can shape a better future for themselves and others.
Mia Lee, this year’s Rise Global winner, comes from Southern California where she is a published author, influencer, and public speaker. The project that earned her the Rise Global award was her development of “LingoX,” a nonprofit organization that helps underserved communities access language education. The organization is one of many that Lee has started. On top of what she’s doing for the community, she’s also one of Instagram’s top Chinese language and culture content creators.
Rishabh Ambavanekar, 2022’s Rise Global winner, earned his spot on the panel after developing a brain-computer interface to help stroke patients communicate via translation of their inner dialogue. Ambavanekar was inspired to create the interface after his father suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is a stroke that lasts a few minutes. The young teen also has his own interest in neuroscience after his own experience with OCD. He said he plans on continuing his education to the highest level — by completing his PhD.
First appeared on www.teenvogue.com