The following article contains information from a press release from chegg.org:
Hikaru Hayakawa, Columbia High School Class of 2019, was named a top 50 finalist for the $100,000 Chegg.org Global Student Prize. Hayakawa was selected from more than 11,000 students from 176 countries. The award recognizes extraordinary achievements of young change-makers from around the world.
The top 10 finalists of the Global Student Prize are expected to be announced in September this year. The winner, who is expected to be announced later in the year, will be chosen from the top 10 finalists by the Global Student Prize Academy, made up of prominent individuals.
Hayakawa, 23, a Japanese and Caribbean American climate justice activist, is set to graduate from Williams College. As Deputy Executive Director of Climate Cardinals, he will become its first full-time executive director. Hikaru’s advocacy began after Hurricane Sandy, focusing on climate education and global cooperation.
From the Climate Cardinals website: “Climate Cardinals is an international youth-led nonprofit working to make the climate movement more accessible to those who don’t speak English. We aim to educate and empower a diverse coalition of people to tackle the climate crisis. We have over 14,000 volunteers who are translating and sourcing climate information into over 100 different languages with partners like the United Nations. This international movement has reached millions of people across 40+ countries. We have leveraged the power of Artificial Intelligence to translate over two million words of climate information to date in partnership with Google.”
At CHS, Hayakawa excelled academically, earning numerous accolades. Besides founding and directing programs like the Indigenous Peoples Celebration Organizing Committee, he also was a member of the championship CHS fencing team (foil).
At Williams, he engaged in social impact activities and led initiatives for Climate Cardinals, promoting language accessibility and youth empowerment. Overcoming personal challenges and discrimination, Hikaru’s leadership and creativity have significantly advanced global climate education and advocacy.
“Huge congratulations to Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa,” said Heather Hatlo Porter, Chegg’s Chief Communications Officer. Chegg not only celebrates your achievements but also the endless possibilities that exist when young minds are driven by a passion for change. The top 50 Global Student Prize finalists deserve the opportunity to have their stories told and have their voices heard. After all, it is their dreams, insights and ingenuity that will illuminate a more hopeful future for everyone.”
“Our finalists this year have made a huge impact in areas from the environment to equality and justice, from health and wellbeing to education and skills, from youth empowerment to ending poverty. I can’t wait to see how this year’s inspiring cohort of changemakers use this platform to lift up even more lives.”
The winner will be selected by a Judging Academy that includes Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, FIFA World Cup champion Julie Ertz, NFL star Zach Ertz, Cynthia Bissett Germanotta, president and co-founder of Born This Way Foundation, which she launched with her daughter Lady Gaga, as well as education experts and public officials from around the world.
Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation added, “Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa’s story is a testament to the crucial role that education plays in building a better world for us all. As time runs out to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, it is more important than ever to prioritize education so we can face the future with confidence.”
Applications and nominations for this year’s Global Student Prize opened on Thursday 1 February and closed on Sunday 5 May. Students are being assessed on their academic achievement, impact on their peers, how they make a difference in their community and beyond, how they overcome the odds to achieve, how they demonstrate creativity and innovation, and how they operate as global citizens.
Last year’s winner was 24-year-old South Sudanese refugee Nhial Deng, who empowered over 20,000 refugees in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya through peacebuilding, education, and entrepreneurship programmes, as well as creating a safe space for young people to heal from their trauma. He was selected as the winner of the 2023 Chegg.org Global Student Prize from almost 4,000 nominations and applications from 122 countries around the world. Nhial accepted his award in New York during UN General Assembly week.
The winner in 2022 was Ukrainian teenager Igor Klymenko, a 17-year-old student from Kyiv, Ukraine, who moved to the countryside at the start of the Russian invasion to finish his final year of high school. Sheltered in the basement of his new home, Igor successfully completed his studies while refining the mine-detecting drone he had been working on for eight years. He was selected as the winner of the 2022 Chegg.org Global Student Prize from over 7,000 applications from more than 150 countries.
The first winner in 2021 was Jeremiah Thoronka, a 21-year-old student from Sierra Leone, who launched a start-up called Optim Energy that transforms vibrations from vehicles and pedestrian footfall on roads into an electric current. With just two devices, the start-up provided free electricity to 150 households comprising around 1,500 citizens, as well as 15 schools where more than 9,000 students attend.
Chegg.org is the impact, advocacy, and research arm of Chegg, Inc. addressing the issues facing the modern student. For more information, visit www.chegg.org.
