California youth honored as Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Los Angeles and Dublin students will receive $5,000 awards and invitations to the 2024 summit for their work addressing the challenges of a changing world.

NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Remy Tsukahira, 16, of Los Angeles, and Maegha Ramanathan, 16, of Dublin, today were each named a 2024 Prudential Emerging Visionary for their inspiring commitment to improving the lives of others.

As two of 25 Prudential Emerging Visionary winners, Remy and Maegha will each receive a $5,000 award to help take their innovation to the next level. They are also invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential's headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they will be coached by Prudential employees and have the chance to meet other young leaders.

Prudential Emerging Visionaries recognizes young people ages 14-18 whose fresh perspectives and innovative solutions address pressing financial and societal challenges in their communities. The program's goals align with Prudential's purpose: to make lives better by solving the financial challenges of our changing world.

"I am inspired by the students' sense of purpose and commitment to driving positive change in their communities," said Chairman and CEO Charles Lowrey. "We're honored to support these young leaders as they bring their extraordinary projects to life."

During the summit, to be held April 20-23, five winners will also have the opportunity to present their solutions in a pitch-off, where a grand prize winner will be awarded an additional $10,000 in funding. What's more, Prudential employees will again vote to name an Employees' Choice Award winner, who will receive an additional $5,000.

California's 2024 Prudential Emerging Visionaries:

FINANCIAL PROJECTS CATEGORY

Remy Tsukahira founded "Artemis Girls Business Academy," a network connecting teen girls to professional women mentors that expands access to the information, connections and skills needed to pursue careers in business and entrepreneurship.

Remy has experienced firsthand the challenges of accessing the resources and connections needed to pursue her dream career. "I knew that if I was feeling this way, there had to be other girls going through the same thing — so why not help each other by sharing resources, information and access?" she says. "Artemis Girls Business Academy" works to support the next generation of women leaders in business by offering resources including informational interviews and speaker series. The network currently operates on a national level and is expanding through a chapter model.

SOCIETAL PROJECTS CATEGORY

Maegha Ramanathan co-founded "Girls4Sports," a youth-led organization dedicated to expanding sports opportunities for girls in underserved communities so that the benefits of athletics can be accessible to all. Maegha's initiative provides young women with safe spaces to practice, breaks down barriers obstructing their access to sports, and fosters inclusivity and equality in athletics.

Growing up as a passionate athlete involved in several sports, Maegha noticed the lack of female representation on her teams and experienced negative reactions to her involvement. This inspired her to shift the status quo by providing more avenues for girls to engage in sports. "Girls4Sports" holds free summer camps in underserved communities, runs advocacy conferences, and collects and donates sports equipment to local sports teams. The project currently operates 10 branches and has more than 230 members.

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is sponsored by Prudential in collaboration with Ashoka, a leading organization in the social impact sector, with advisory support provided by the Financial Health Network, an authority on financial health and a longtime partner of The Prudential Foundation.

The program is an evolution of Prudential's Spirit of Community Awards, which honored more than 150,000 outstanding youth volunteers over 26 years.

To read about all of this year's Prudential Emerging Visionaries, visit prudential.com/emergingvisionaries.

About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.

About Ashoka
Ashoka is the largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs — individuals with new ideas to systemically address the world's biggest challenges and the entrepreneurial skill to transform those ideas into national, regional and global social impact. Over 40 years, Ashoka has supported more than 3,600 social entrepreneurs in 90 countries with solutions addressing society's most pressing issues. Ashoka's vision is a world in which Everyone is a Changemaker — a society that responds quickly and effectively to challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address any social problem. For more information, visit ashoka.org.

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SOURCE The Prudential Insurance Company of America