Young Change Makers: Why and How Kavya Patel and Riya Ranjan of Monta Vista High School Are Helping To Change Our World
Take a minute and just be proud of what you’ve done. — It’s really easy to get caught up in the next steps and next goals to make your organization bigger and better and more successful, but it’s just as important to take a breath every so often and look at what you’ve done, all the people you’ve reached, and smile.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kavya Patel and Riya Ranjan.
Kavya Patel is a graduating senior from Monta Vista High School and will be a part of the Beyond Boundaries program at Washington University in St. Louis this coming fall. Riya Ranjan is a rising senior at Monta Vista High School and is interested in computer science and engineering. Together, they co-founded INNO, a nonprofit biotechnology organization with the aim of increasing access to STEM education and sparking innovation amongst high schoolers across the nation.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
We grew up in the Silicon Valley with parents who are computer scientists, engineers, and businessmen. Home to cutting edge technological advancement, we had front row seats to the development of the most essential utilities of modern-day life, including the cellphone, laptop, internet (although this one was before we were born), and social media. Our Bay Area public schools fostered an interest in the sciences, for me it was the life sciences, and for Riya it was the physical sciences. We were given the opportunity to excel academically, taking AP classes from our sophomore years of high school, however, what we found missing was a chance at practical application of our skills. Further, an application that had the ability to create real change in a world badly needing change. With this realization, came the creation of INNO.
Is there a particular book or organization that made a significant impact on you growing up? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Riya and I have both been heavily involved in DECA, a co-curricular business organization, since our freshman year of high school, achieving competitive success and taking on leadership positions. Our experiences with this organization gave us the confidence and skillset to formally pitch and develop our nonprofit organization. We participated in events that had us develop marketing campaigns, analyze a business and then develop recommendations for more efficient operation, and ideate entrepreneurial solutions to real world issues that could then be converted into profitable business models. With all these practical skills we picked up, we also gained 21st century skills, perhaps the most valuable skills we’ve gained through all of high school. Students in the Bay Area have always been very STEM-oriented and technologically competent, but the magical thing about DECA was that it gave us a way to realize our potential in the field in a lucrative, impactful way.
How do you define “Making A Difference”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
In our mind, making a difference means creating the possibility for a different, stronger future, however minute the difference. By providing accessible, inclusive STEM education at INNO, we aim to increase the potential for positive innovation, one that can aid in solving the hundreds of global issues we face today and will face tomorrow, like climate change, economic disparity, and human rights violations.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
INNO is a 501(c)(3) high school run nonprofit organization dedicated to creating biotechnology opportunities for teenagers across the Bay Area and has positively impacted over 100 members at our 13+ high school chapters, in spite of being started amidst the pandemic. INNO has developed comprehensive curriculum tracks in computer science, engineering, and biology, and is currently developing bioinformatics, psychology, and Python curriculum tracks as well. Along with hosting biweekly chapter meetings and curriculum workshops, it hosts a variety of speaker events with reputable leaders in the biotechnology industry. We provide our members with all the hardware and software resources they require to design, develop, and build their own novel biotech/STEM devices at no cost. INNO members’ efforts culminate in a project proposal that is submitted to the annual Innovation Development Conference (IDC) in April. Each proposal which includes a prototype, video pitch, and write-up, is judged by a panel of industry professionals, and the winner has the opportunity to further develop and patent their idea in order to introduce it to the market and provide a tangible medium for change. INNO is meant to be a launchpad for innovators to foster their own 21st century skills while designing and developing products that justify our hope for the future.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
INNO was created when Riya and I noticed how few resources existed for students interested in biotechnology. Students are used to hearing the refrain “Don’t worry about it” or “Just focus on getting into college,” but the thing is, issues like climate change and geopolitics aren’t something we can just not worry about it. We’re the generation that’s going to be the first to feel the enormity of what we’ve done to the planet. We’re the generation that is going to have to live through the culmination of every carbon exhale and deforestation excursion. Climate change is among one of many issues that biotechnology has the ability to positively impact. In the Silicon Valley, we’ve had the opportunity to pursue high levels of STEM academia from a very early age, so Riya and I decided to create a platform that allows students to harness all that developed talent and drive and direct it towards building solutions to real world issues. INNO is primarily run by female leaders that are passionate about supporting women in STEM fields, enabling INNO to foster a diverse environment of thinkers and concepts.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
It was the second week of quarantine, and I was already stir crazy. Classes came with drastically lowered workloads, extracurriculars had almost completely shut down, and Netflix was running out of cheesy rom coms for me to binge. So, when Riya called and asked if I would want to start a biotechnology organization with her, I didn’t blink twice before saying “YES.” Over the course of two weeks, we debated format, teams, and names, settling on an asynchronous curriculum-based innovation process, Anushka De as our VP of Marketing, Anjali Sharma as our VP of Operations, Shailesh Kumar as our VP of Curriculum, and INNO as our name. More than anything, what gave us the motivation to start INNO was a desire to make an impact in a situation where we had so little control. Quite frankly, the pandemic left us all feeling a little helpless, and INNO was our way of helping.
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
The very first step we took, undeniably the most important, was finding a team. Your team’s dynamic will determine your organization’s success. We looked for people who were not only highly qualified, reliable, and forward-thinking, but people we genuinely enjoyed talking to. Since the founding of our organization, we’ve held weekly, 30-minute-long executive team check-ins to make sure the organization is running with efficiency and transparency, however, without fail, our check-ins would run overtime, lasting an hour, hour and a half, occasionally even two hours. We’d get so caught up in talking to one another, having a good time, that while building an organization we also built relationships and memories, and I truly believe that that is what has made INNO the success that it is.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
We just had our annual Innovation Development Conference (IDC) this past April where members are able to share the products that they’ve been developing through the year using the curriculum and resources we provide. Looking through the entries that were submitted, we found one that stood out in particular, a solar nanotechnology device that was able to increase the efficiency of solar panels, tackling one of the biggest issues with solar energy in a relatively simple way. We were mind blown. Despite hoping and praying for this kind of innovation, I don’t think any of us were truly expecting it to come within our first year of operation. Needless to say, that project won first place this year, and we are currently working with them to secure a provisional utility patent to then further develop their product.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
When starting out, we had to file a whole bunch of documents to achieve legal status as a 501(c)(3) organization. With it being our first time, Riya and I struggled quite a bit, from figuring out which documents we even had to fill out to determining how to best answer the questions to ensure that we wouldn’t be flagged and have a delayed incorporation process. We spent about two weeks trying to muddle through the process ourselves before we realized: we had someone on the team who had already started his own nonprofit organization, had been through this process before, and quite frequently provided consultation to other students trying to start their own organization. Why we didn’t delegate the work to him to begin with, I’ll never know, but I’m glad it only took us a couple weeks to figure it out.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
Our parents have been our greatest cheerleaders through this entire process. They are why we’ve gotten the incredible education that we have, had access to all the resources and materials we needed, and they’re the reason we are in a position where we can focus on increasing access to education for others. But I’d like to take this question to thank my dad, Mayur Patel. Since both Riya and I were below 18 through the founding of our organization, my dad consented to being the legal name on all our accounts and a part of our executive team. While he was treasurer in name only, it was enough for us to legitimize our status as a 501(c)(3) organization. Thanks dad ☺.
Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I’ve talked a little bit about our IDC winners this past April, developers of a solar nanotechnology device. Through our initial meeting with them, it was quite clear that they didn’t expect their product to go very far; they had submitted the device as a competition project and nothing more. However, once winning, we started working with them more closely, one on one. We’ve connected them to a university professor to further develop their project, and we’ve provided them the funds and pro bono legal advice to apply for a utility patent. Seeing how a mere competitive project has turned into a passion for them has been incredible. Giving students the opportunity to see how much potential they already have to change the world has been our goal at INNO, and this was one of the first times we got to see it realized firsthand.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
264,000,000 children across the world don’t have access to education (UNESCO). For most others, it is neither comprehensive, inclusive, nor curiosity driven. Education is crucial to solve global issues like climate change, economic disparity, and human rights violations. INNO is working to increase STEM accessibility and inclusivity.
Different parts of the world require different approaches in generating access to education. Socioeconomically poor parts of Asia and Africa are still overcoming gender and racial biases, fighting systems that don’t acknowledge a girl’s right to education. This is rooted in the perception of children as necessary labor. We have to reframe the value of education within the context of financial stability, in order to then ameliorate said educational opportunities.
In developed countries, once access to education is established, socioeconomic divisions cause inevitable disparities in quality of education. Inability to afford a good education doesn’t equate to a lack of potential, nor should it equal lack of opportunity.
To provide comprehensive, innovation-driven education, the initial steps we need to take include:
- Revise curriculum every 3–5 years (the more frequent the better) enabling students to succeed in the current global context
- Reduce class sizes and upgrade classroom technology, increasing personalized attention
- Provide ongoing education helping teachers adapt to new challenges (e.g. online-teaching)
Public education is uniquely positioned to meet these goals due to their population reach. Implementation can then be achieved through nuanced policy making, federal funding, and establishing higher minimum standards. However, districts should be in charge of specifics like curriculum materials, teaching methods, and staffing to cater to community needs.
Education will cultivate new generations of problem solvers, analytical thinkers, and change-makers for a better tomorrow. Help us make education accessible.
Fantastic. Here is the main question of the interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
- Take risks, be ambitious. — Making INNO was a risk. We could have poured hours and hours of time, passion, and energy into this organization, yet had it eventually go nowhere. But it paid off. Anything worth doing is going to be scary. The most rewarding tasks are also the most challenging. Regardless of whether or not you think yourself capable of something, shoot your shot, the worst possible outcome is a “no.” You’ll take that “no,” learn from it, and try again.
- Mistakes build character, make lots of them. — I’ve made my fair share of mistakes in creating INNO, from simple email typos to blundering an entire interview. In blundering that interview, we failed to set up an INNO chapter at our home high school, a devastating loss in the first couple months of founding the organization. However, in failing that set-up, we were able to come up with an innovative solution: creating chapters that are school specific yet unaffiliated with the educational institution. In doing so, we were able to set up further chapters at schools whose club initiation process was far too difficult or schools whose club initiation schedules conflicted with INNO’s timeline.
- Have a flexible vision. — If your organization ends up being exactly what you imagined it to be on day one, you’ve done something wrong. You should be growing alongside your organization, and with that your visions and goals. You’ll come across many, many obstacles, and they should alter your path as you go, leading you to a different, better destination. Staying rigid in pursuit of a one-dimensional ideal can only hurt you as you go. It limits your ability to build a resilient, flexible organization that is able to stay current in a rapidly changing global market.
- Rely on the people around you. — As a leader, you’re not the best at everything, nor are you supposed to be. Once you’ve got a solid team, trust both them and yourself, you chose them. The more you let the people around you invest in your organization, the more it becomes our organization, and the more diverse, innovative, and inclusive it becomes. Know when to ask for help and know that the people to ask are the very ones you brought onto your team. Your job is to know who the best at every specific task would be, not to do them all yourself.
- Take a minute and just be proud of what you’ve done. — It’s really easy to get caught up in the next steps and next goals to make your organization bigger and better and more successful, but it’s just as important to take a breath every so often and look at what you’ve done, all the people you’ve reached, and smile. It’ll give you perspective and replenish your drive. At INNO, our mission is to foster think spaces that promote the very diversity our organization reflects with female leaders and voices of color. Our chapters and members are a testament to our success in that respect.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
This is the one and only world we get to live in. Why wouldn’t you want to make it better?
You’re far more capable than you think yourself to be. Be confident and make those changes that you know need to be made.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Michelle Obama — Her strong and compassionate character are incredibly awe-inspiring alongside her multitude of accolades and career-based accomplishments. She’s been a role model and figure of inspiration for both Riya and I since she stepped into the White House (we were around nine at the time) and she’s continued to lead with grace and perseverance ever since, something we both aspire to follow. We’d love to hear about her personal experience with working on the education system, initiatives, and reform.
How can our readers follow you online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Young Change Makers: Why and How Kavya Patel and Riya Ranjan of Monta Vista High School Are Helping… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.