By Jasmine Gokingco

03/5/2025

News

Spark Named Winner of the SXSW EDU 2025 Student Impact Challenge

Student Impact Challenge - SXSW EDU 2025 - Shannon Johnston

The SXSW EDU 2025 Student Impact Challenge, presented by The Allstate Foundation, named Spark, from Pittsburgh, PA, as this year’s winner.

Spark
Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Spark is a highly developed prototype that provides comprehensive resources and engaging activities for children with autism while equipping caregivers and therapist with collaborative monitoring and configuration tools. The application embraces the unique needs of children on the spectrum, offering a safe and enriching environment for growth and development, advancing them at the appropriate pace, while providing key data to caregivers.

The Student Impact Challenge celebrates what youth leaders are doing to improve facets of society through projects and solutions they develop to address social, economic, and environmental issues. It also provides high school students who are making an impact in their community with an opportunity to share their talents, validate and refine their ideas, and gain experience. This year, six groups of young entrepreneurs out of over 40 applicants were selected as finalists:

Finalists

Judges & Emcee

The competition was emceed by Founder, Filmmaker, & Futurist of Reimagine Story Lab, Anatola Araba. The competition was judged by:

  • Greg Weatherford II, Managing Director at The Allstate Foundation & Social Impact
  • Juanita Soranno, Head of Impact at Cengage Group
  • Rohit Srinivasan, Founder of Trashbots
  • Tiana Day, Founder & Executive Director of Youth Advocates for Change

Coaches provided by Case at Duke helped Student finalists refine and perfect their pitch in the months leading up to the live competition.

Congratulations to Spark!

Photo by Shannon Johnston

By Jasmine Gokingco

03/5/2025

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