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Chantilly High School student Meghana Nannapaneni captured first place in the 10th annual Fairfax Area High School Shark Tank Technology Challenge with an app designed to help older adults and their caregivers.
Nannapaneni was formally honored May 19 during a reception at the Fairfax County Government Center. Attendees included Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity, Fairfax County School Board member Sandy Anderson and INTEGRITYOne Partners CEO Pete Lamont.
The regional competition asks Northern Virginia high school students to develop practical, compassionate assistive technologies or mobile apps for older adults and people with disabilities.
Nannapaneni’s winning project, Sage4Health, focuses on cognitive decline and social isolation among seniors. The app is intended to help older adults manage their mental and emotional wellness, build stronger social connections and reduce the emotional and physical strain on family caregivers.
Other students recognized at the event included Audrey Wang of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and Marcus Wang of McLean High School, whose Memory Wall project placed second.
Woodson High School students Logan Lee, Mayu Zuniga and Lucas Shen earned third place for N1 Glasses.
Honorable mentions went to Silver Glide, created by Jacob Colon, Kalab Getachew, Natanim Getachew, Elijah Greene, Caleb St. John and Chloe Roberts of Accelus Academy, Reston Community Center and South Lakes High School; Sunny Talk by Langley High School student Jason Wu; and Empowerment Hub by Thomas Jefferson student Sahas Rajeshirke.