SRHS students among Remarkable Teens
Vedant Nahar and Lea Nepomuceno, both Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) students, were among the honorees when the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office recognized the 25 Most Remarkable Teens in San Diego County during its fifth annual awards ceremony on Nov. 10 at the San Diego Central Library.
The 25 teens were selected from a pool of more than 155 nominees after virtual interviews and a review of supplemental materials by a panel from the Public Defender’s Office. The 25 Most Remarkable Teens in San Diego County are set apart from other teen award honorees because students selected to be “Most Remarkable” are not only talented, but are driven to succeed, overcome adversity and are passionate about civic issues or projects.
Here is more information about the honorees from SRHS.:
Vedant Nahar, 16, Scripps Ranch High School junior, won the Most Enterprising award. He is the CEO of a startup company called MedAlert. He led his team from a basic idea to the development of an iOS/Android app. MedAlert is a task management app that allows nurses to create, claim and delegate tasks using tablets. No longer constrained by paper and having to convey information verbally, nurses can use the app to communicate in real time, avoiding errors in patient care and drug dispensing. Under Vedant’s leadership, the MedAlert team won the Best Healthcare Pitch and placed in the Blue Ocean Entrepreneurship Competition, the most prestigious high school entrepreneurship competition in the world. Vedant and his team were invited to pitch MedAlert to investment groups such as the NuFund Investment Angels. Vedant reveals his competitive spirit athletically as well as academically. He is a club and varsity swimmer and a second-degree black belt in taekwondo.
Lea Nepomuceno, 16, Scripps Ranch High School senior, received the award for Social Justice. In 2019, Lea co-founded Youth for Juvenile Justice Reform – interviewing more than 200 formerly incarcerated individuals in efforts to educate youth on the criminal justice system. Through the organization, she has collaborated with artists and been featured as a panelist on the VIBE Movement’s “What’s Color Got to do with it? Dismantling the School-to Prison Pipeline” series in 2020 as well as Youth Summit NYC 2021. Nepomuceno is also the youngest member of the University of Southern California’s Prison Education Project. Nepomuceno created the podcast “Evidence for Change,” in which she interviews alumni from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions Summer Youth Institute. Evidence for Change has more than 15,000 listeners. In 2022, Nepomuceno was invited to President Biden’s signing ceremony of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act alongside the nation’s leading activists and policymakers on gun violence prevention.
“San Diego youth are acting as leaders, innovators, activists and trailblazers throughout the county,” said Public Defender Randy Mize. “Demonstrating courage, spirit and tenacity, these 25 teens are leading the way to a successful future with creative, smart solutions both for their lives and our community.”
The Most Remarkable Teen program recognizes San Diego youth ages 13-19 for their contributions and efforts in 25 categories including environmental advocacy, arts and culture, technology, civic involvement, entrepreneurship, courage to overcome adversity and other outstanding accomplishments. However, all students interviewed received a certificate of recognition for the honor of being considered.
In partnership with the San Diego Public Library, the awards event was held at the Shiley Special Events Suite at the City of San Diego Central Library. Elected officials presented the awards. Among them were San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, President Pro Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe, Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, Councilmember Joe LaCava and Councilmember Raul Campillo. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria opened the evening with welcoming remarks congratulating the teens for their exemplary efforts and accomplishments.
—Tracy DeFore
County of San Diego Communications Office