Four Indian Americans among 2024 ‘Girls Leading Change’ honorees

Four Indian American girls were among ten young women, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities, honored by First Lady Jill Biden in celebration of International Day of the Girl.

Indian Americans Sreenidi Bala, Pragathi Kasani-Akula, and Meghna “Chili” and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda were among 2024 “Girls Leading Change” honorees selected by the White House Gender Policy Council.

“Everywhere I travel, I see inspiring girls leading change in their communities,” said Jill Biden at the Oct 10 event in the White House. “These incredible honorees are meeting the challenges they see in the world by developing innovative new technologies, expanding access to education, erasing silence through the power of art and poetry and more. It is an honor to celebrate these young leaders at the White House and I hope that their courage and determination inspires the next generation.”

Indian Americans among the honorees are:

Sreenidi Bala,16, of Farmington, Connecticut, is an advocate for the accessibility of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for students of all abilities.

After recognizing a gap in STEM education for neurodivergent students in her school district, Sreenidi developed an elective to fill that gap called ASPIRE Adaptive STEM.

Sreenidi also founded Code for All Minds—a free online platform offering educators and families comprehensive lessons in coding, digital citizenship, and essential technology skills tailored for students with learning disabilities.

Through partnerships with neurodiversity advocacy groups and local college access programs, Code for All Minds has created and distributed adaptive STEM curriculums to schools across the country.

Pragathi Kasani-Akula, 17, of Cumming, Georgia, is a scientist and innovator dedicated to developing novel solutions that make health care more accessible to people across the world.

Following her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, she developed a prototype for a low-cost, less invasive test to detect triple negative breast cancer.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Pragathi also worked with the ScioVirtual Foundation to teach an online course on epidemiology to students across the nation, including education on how to advance public health.

Meghna “Chili” Pramoda, 17, and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda, 16, from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, are advocates for digital safety for all. As co-founders of SafeTeensOnline (STO), the Pramoda sisters have educated and empowered over five million teens worldwide.

STO’s work consists of year-round online awareness campaigns through social media and teen-led large-scale survey and research initiatives on topics such as internet usage and patterns of cyber incidents.

During the Covid-19 pandemic when the world moved online, the Pramoda sisters noticed that older members of their community often felt isolated due to a lack of digital literacy.

As a result, STO expanded from a teen-focused organization to one that also educates parents, teachers, and grandparents on safe digital practices and on how to build judgment-free spaces online.