Isabella Choi, age 16 Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ Teacher: Scott Lang Countless people of diverse backgrounds feel isolated in America, and miss a sense of inclusivity because of the lack of visual indicators of their culture and identity. The lack of visual exposure leads to ignorance, feelings of exclusion, and the need to “fit...

Norah de León, age 14 Brownsboro High School, Brownsboro, TX Teacher: Courtney Elmore LGBTQ+ people may feel excluded or misunderstood by doctors, counselors, and therapists who aren’t trained to aid with their struggles or who are close-minded and treat them unfairly. They may also feel ignored due to the fact that some schools ignore the...

Taylor Fang, age 17, and Hsar Sar Lwin, age 18 Logan High School, Logan, Utah We have struggled with language barriers growing up that have made it difficult to form friendships and a sense of community. English as a Second Language (ESL) students are separated from the rest of the school—further leading to exclusionary labels...

Dara Girel-Mats, age 16 Design and Architecture Senior High, Miami, FL In Miami, the city attempts to control sanitary problems downtown, however, it doesn’t address the challenge that the homeless face with hygiene. The homeless have their dignity stripped away because there are not enough public spaces that include showers and bathrooms or allow access...

Julia Kacur, age 17 Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ Teacher: Scott Lang Homelessness, and in particular anti-homeless architecture and design, makes people feel excluded by pushing the homeless out of public places and moving the issue outside of the public consciousness. Homelessness is not only an obstacle for those who are directly impacted by it,...

Mohen Li, age 17 Radnor High School, Wayne, PA A major obstacle to inclusion is the lack of understanding of different cultures. Children are often fed false stereotypes about other cultures, leading to a harmful bias. Growing up as an Asian American, I have experienced this in the form of jokes and stereotyping, resulting in...

Lila Nathanson, age 18, and Adriana Poznanski, age 18 Communications High School, Wall Township, NJ Teacher: Laura Fallon People of all genders may feel discouraged with skincare and beauty products that aren’t catered to them. In a growing world of non-binary gender identification, people need to feel accepted now more than ever. Users might feel...

Sasha Palmer, age 17, Marlea Rust, age 17, and Lucy Sheerin, age 17 Springfield High School, Springfield, OR, Thurston High School, Springfield, OR, and South Eugene High School, Eugene, OR Feeling isolated and like you don’t belong is a common obstacle in high schools. We observed in three different schools how these feelings can feed...

Robin Paul, age 14, and Abel Vayalinkal, age 14 Granada Charter High School, Granada Hills, CA Teacher: Jackie Ying Prisoners face exclusion because they are not able to talk with others about subjects in the news and aren’t able to get jobs because of a skills deficit. This makes it hard for them to reintegrate...

Willow Rosser, age 16 Lakewood High School, Lakewood, OH Teacher: Anne McQuay One obstacle that prevents people from feeling included is the difficulty of finding a support group. Finding people with similar interests is fundamental to feeling comfortable and included, but to find that group is daunting. Making friends can be difficult, especially when someone...

Meredith Rupe, age 18 Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette, CO Teacher: Kristie Letter The voting process holds many biases against certain groups in the voting pool. Whether it’s the complex language of the bills or physical and financial barriers, there is a clear bias in a process meant to be for all. These barriers...

Nicolas Sanchez, age 18 Samueli Academy, Santa Ana, CA Teacher: Patricia Vining As a student interested in medicine, I have had a lack of experience with mentors who had similar backgrounds to mine. When I go to the hospital, I rarely see doctors of color, and I feel as though I won’t fit in. I’ve...

Anna Sparling, age 18 Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette, CO Teacher: Kristie Letter Women in developing countries cannot always go to work or school when menstruating because they do not have proper resources. Gender inequality increases due to this natural process beyond women’s control. My design is a backpack with supplies that enable women...

Gabrielle Toms, age 17 Lakewood High School, Lakewood, OH Teacher: Anne McQuay The obstacle I’m tackling is the accidental use of incorrect pronouns at my school. As a non-binary person who doesn’t frequently use things like makeup, I’m often referred to by the wrong pronoun. It’s an incredibly frustrating obstacle to deal with almost every...

Hannah Warmbrod, age 17 St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School, Sewanee, TN Teacher: Osei Hill People experiencing homelessness or poverty often do not have regular access to facilities where they can bathe and do laundry. This is especially hard on kids in school, who may feel discomfort and insecurity in addition to facing bullying caused by this issue....