4 North Allegheny students make Junior Achievement's 18 Under Eighteen list

Four students from North Allegheny School District were chosen out of 36 finalists to make the Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania 18 Under Eighteen Class of 2025, presented by the EQT Foundation.

The 18 honorees were celebrated at a Feb. 4 banquet at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

“They are truly a remarkable group of students so intertwined with their school community, their towns, the Greater Pittsburgh region and even worldwide. It’s truly impressive,” said Kim Sterling, a spokesperson for Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania.

North Allegheny recipients included seniors Ashley Jang and Avni Khandelwal and juniors Sritej Padmanabhan and Sagar Raghavan.

For Jang, the 18-year-old was noted for co-developing the SoLunar Panel that generates power at night through the Seebeck Effect, a thermoelectric process, and radiative cooling. Jang, who lives in Mars, also helps tutor Ukrainian students and acts as a mentor for elementary school students in marginalized communities.

She said it felt “incredibly rewarding to know that my efforts are making a tangible impact in my community.”

She was nominated by NA gifted education teacher Cris Ruffolo, who “has been a constant source of guidance,” Jang said.

Being recognized reminds Jang that she is on the right path and to keep pushing forward.

“It encourages me to keep striving to create more meaningful impact within my community and beyond,” Jang said.

Raghavan, 16, is founder of Futr, an organization that provides financial assistance and resources to immigrants with a focus on making financial systems more accessible.

The Marshall resident came up with a calculator “tailored to immigration status” helping more than 2,000 people navigate tax terminology and raising nearly $1,000 to help toward his efforts, according to a description from JA of Western Pennsylvania.

“It starts in my own family (with) my mom, specifically. I noticed her lack of understanding of the finance space, particularly taxes, considering her overall genius in other areas,” he said. “I realized the barriers immigrants face in finances, and I knew I had to act, in order to help my family here and my community at large.”

Khandelwal, 17, founded curingwithCARE, a nonprofit raising awareness by supporting cancer research and educating communities. The program has grown to 500 members across 40 global chapters. She was nominated by Janellen Lombardi, her gifted education teacher at North Allegheny.

“Youth cancer awareness is personal to me. I’ve seen firsthand how isolating and overwhelming the journey can be for cancer patients and their families. There’s a gap in the support and understanding for young people affected by cancer, and I wanted to bridge that gap,” she said.

Khandelwal of Franklin Park is a member of the Youth Research Advisory Board and works with UPMC Chat on mental health and addressing substance abuse in health care, according to JA of Western Pennsylvania.

Padmanabhan, 16, co-founded the Youth Research Initiative to lead a team of 100 young individuals to create 300-plus mentorship guides and seven artificial intelligence-powered tools, helping mentor low-income students and expanding research opportunities worldwide.

The Youth Research Initiative’s mission is “to bring youth research opportunities to communities that typically don’t have access to the privileges,” Padmanabhan said.

One of his research endeavors, inspired by his grandfather who has Parkinson’s disease, was using video technology to diagnose and monitor its progress. This interest in telehealth led to his involvement in the first Vet Tech Center to help veterans at the VA hospital use technology for secure messaging and remote patient monitoring and home telehealth.

The Franklin Park resident said “each person holds a unique story, shaped by distinct challenges that cannot be overlooked by in-person health alone. The common desire among them all was ease, an accessible health care system and a world where telehealth is embraced.”

The honorees will receive leadership training taught by BeNeca Griffin, an author, producer, speaker and expert in brand and leadership development, according to JA Western Pennsylvania.

The awardees also receive networking, mentorship and scholarship opportunities.

Founded in 1919, JA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the skills they need to plan for their future, working in 56 counties in Western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia.

For details about the organization, visit jawesternpa.org.