Dragon Kim Foundation Announces 2026 Dragon Challenge Finalists

The Dragon Kim Foundation, an Orange County-based nonprofit - http://dragonkimfoundation.org - whose mission is to inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions, has announced the finalists from California who have advanced to the Dragon Challenge, September 26.

The finalists were chosen from 37 Fellowship projects run by 77 California high school students this summer.

The teams will then present their projects to a panel of judges at the 2026 Dragon Challenge competition, set for Saturday, September 26 at the Margaret A. Webb Theatre on the campus of the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Foundation, whose Fellowship program empowers high school students of all demographics and social backgrounds to go out into the world and make a difference in the lives of others, especially those who are disadvantaged.

Annually, the Fellowship program awards community service grants of up to $5,000 to the teams that enables them to create and manage a service project that will impact their community. The winner of the Dragon Challenge will receive another $5,000 to continue their project.

For more information and tickets, visit http://dragonkimfoundation.org.

The teams include:Healing Hoops is a project created by Maranatha High School of Pasadena students Ethan Kim, Ryden Shiozak and Ryder Wong that featured a summer camp in Altadena where many students were negatively impacted by the fires. By incorporating basketball and social-emotional activities, their goal was to help them heal from their trauma.

Green Steps, a project created by Arianna Lai of University High School in Irvine, helped to spread climate and sustainable awareness through arts and crafts

Loops of Love by Anisha Ravi and Anusha Jauhri of Portola High School in Irvine brought comfort, connection, and hope to children facing difficult circumstances through handmade crochet toys and plushies. Through the project, youth volunteers combined creativity with community service to help children in hospitals, foster care, homeless shelters, disability centers, and crisis-affected communities feel seen and cared for.

MindcraftHers, a project created by Eugenia Kang and London Niemiec of La Canada High School, helped grade school girls build strong mental foundations and positive self-images by using 2–3-hour workshops to introduce them to various mindfulness techniques and activities.

Talking Points by Ethan Shapiro and Krish Prem of University High School in Irvine included a summer camp that developed students' confidence and skills needed to effectively communicate with teachers, peers, and future employers, helping to eliminate the socioeconomic “voice gap”—the imbalance between students who have learned real-world communication strategies and those who have not.

Untold Pages by Dana Elquza of Yorba Linda High School included a creative writing initiative that empowered immigrant and first-generation students to share their stories and journeys. Through guided workshops, mentorship, and publication opportunities, students developed personal narratives that explored identity, culture, and lived experience while helping challenge stereotypes and bridge cultural divides.

To learn more about sponsorship levels for the Challenge, contact Dragon Kim Foundation Co-founder and CEO Daniel Kim at daniel@dragonkimfoundation.org

Last year, the project winning the Dragon Challenge was Life Savers Phoenix, a free program that equipped under-resourced children aged 8-12 with essential life-saving skills, including CPR, AED use, first aid, choking response, bleeding control, and other emergency preparedness procedures, through hands-on training led bythe teens, who are certified instructors. By fostering confidence and readiness, the program empowered youth to prevent avoidable fatalities and serve as leaders for change in their communities. Felloes are Sanath Seetharam, Sahil Bagai, and Suhaan Sharmaall of Brophy College Preparatory.

For more information and to apply for the 2027 Dragon Fellowship, visit http://dragonkimfoundation.org.

The Fellowship was founded in honor of the late Dragon Kim, a talented young musician, athlete, and scholar who wanted to help others, and has become a seedbed for the next generation of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in their communities.

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About the Dragon Kim Foundation

The Dragon Kim Foundation was established in 2015 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by Grace and Daniel Kim to honor the memory of their late son Dragon Kim, who had been attending the Orange County School of the Arts. The mission of the Dragon Kim Foundation is to inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions. Visit the website at http://dragonkimfoundation.org.