Praneeth Alla '19 has been named one of Pennsylvania's top two youth volunteers of 2018 in the 23rd annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
"I got involved with community service after I visited India in the summer of 2015," explained Praneeth. "I saw a bunch of kids, like myself, who sat on the side of the road wearing tattered clothing covered with mud and dirt. I could not help but think about the fact that I could have easily been in their situation had my father not brought my family to America 20 years ago."
When Praneeth returned from that trip, he contacted the District NRI Foundation, an organization that strives to develop rural villages in India.
"I found out that they did not have an efficient method of managing their projects and donations, so I spent over one thousand hours teaching myself how to code and creating one for them," said Praneeth. "The end product was an all-inclusive website through which any non-profit can easily collect and manage donations, publicize projects, and track various bank accounts' income and expenditure."
To date, the website has raised over $250,000 for various projects that aid the underprivileged people of rural villages in India. "I believe that technology is a wonderful tool that can be used to efficiently improve the lives of underprivileged people across the world," said Praneeth.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors middle and high school students nationwide for outstanding volunteer service.
As a State Honoree, Praneeth will receive a $1,000 award, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. in late April to join top youth volunteers for several days of special recognition events.
Praneeth is also a member of Episcopal's Community Service board where he has been involved with ACLAMO's after school tutoring program.
"When I found out I won the state award, I was already extremely hyped about the Eagles Super Bowl win that happened the night before. My dad texted me that I had won while I was at school. Looking back, that was an amazing series of days."