Community Corner
San Ramon Students Win First Place In Contra Costa Shark Tank Competition
Dougherty Valley High School students Aditi Ranjan and Sravya Namburu won first prize for their PennyPal financial literacy app.
SAN RAMON, CA — Two Dougherty Valley High School students won the Contra Costa Youth Shark Tank competition, beating out over 300 competitors across the county. Aditi Ranjan and Sravya Namburu won a $2000 prize for their app PennyPal, which uses AI to teach financial literacy to kids and teens.
"[PennyPal] was born out of a passion for empowering the next generation with essential financial knowledge," Ranjan told Patch in an email. "We recognized that many young people lack access to resources that teach them how to manage money effectively, budget wisely, and make informed financial decisions."
Ranjan and Namburu also conducted a survey of over 100 teens in Contra Costa County, 70% of whom said they consider themselves "financially illiterate."
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"Our mission is to bridge that gap and equip kids and teens with the tools they need to build a secure financial future using PennyPal," Ranjan said.
The students hope to expand the app and launch it on the Apple App Store soon.
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