Shaping Future Leaders
The Pinewood Scholars Program in Social Entrepreneurship is a transformative initiative for students, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and mindset to tackle pressing global challenges. This program fosters a strong commitment to social innovation, sustainability, and community impact, empowering students to drive meaningful change through entrepreneurial projects and initiatives.
2024-25 Pinewood Scholars
Junior Class: Dhruv Gupta, Avery Hall, Ian Hsiao, Braxton Kimura, Riya Kolappa, Aretha Liu, Kyle Ma, Harper Moss, Alan Skelley, Mailey Wang, Caitlin Yamaguchi, Harry Yang
Senior Class: Lacey Armistead, Jamie Burton, Annabelle Eaton, Zach Galbraith, Katherine Garr, Ruby Hannelly, Alakh Kapadia, Arnav Karandikar, Leo Shang, Michael Shtrom, Christina Tanase, Koh Taradash, Kathleen Xie
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PSP in the News
Student Spotlight: Braxton Featured in the News for Food Allergy Awareness Walk
We’re proud to share that PSP student Braxton was recently featured in the Los Altos Town Crier for his incredible work organizing a Food Allergy Awareness Walk at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto. His project, Beyond The Shell, began in the Pinewood Scholars Program and aims to raise awareness and support research for the 33 million Americans affected by food allergies. The event, hosted in partnership with FARE and Pinewood’s new Food Allergy Awareness Club, brought together both Pinewood families and members of the broader community. His leadership is a shining example of how Pinewood students are making a real impact.
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Real Problems. Real Impact.
In April, PSP students took the spotlight at our annual showcase, presenting their mission-driven projects to groups of high school students. Each presenter shared the story of their project journey—what inspired them, what challenges they faced, and what impact they hope to make. To deepen the experience, every student created an interactive activity to help their audience better understand and connect with their project’s core message.
From sorting waste to budgeting real cash, the activities brought powerful issues to life. Alan had students attempt to sort everyday trash into compost, recycling, and landfill, revealing how often we get it wrong. Braxton led an activity where participants chose safe snacks for a playdate with someone with a nut allergy, sparking a conversation about inclusion and awareness. Caitlin gave her peers money to manage, asking them to budget for essentials like food, entertainment, and rent—most realized how fast money disappears. The showcase was not only a celebration of student creativity but a powerful reflection of the real-world problems they’re committed to solving. Thank you to the administration and the teachers for helping to run this activity!
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Guest Speakers
Inspiring Future Entrepreneurs
We welcomed back former Pinewood student Lauren Barg—now a junior at Menlo School and founder of two youth-led ventures—to speak with our students about her entrepreneurial journey.
Lauren, once described on Mrs Gannon’s 7th-grade report card as “a force of nature,” has lived up to the name—so much so that she named her own marketing company after it. Force of Nature Marketing helps mission-driven brands build authentic digital presence through design, storytelling, and strategy. Her second venture, Strength in Small Hands, is a nonprofit delivering curated activity boxes to pediatric cancer patients, with a goal of reaching 5,000 children by the end of 2025.
During her visit, Lauren shared how she secured her first clients, manages a team of four, and balances running two organizations while still in high school. Her honesty, energy, and drive left our students inspired and full of ideas for their own impact journeys.
We’re so proud to see the ripple effect of Lauren's time at Pinewood—and grateful she came back to spark that same energy in the next generation.
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Media Outreach Workshop
We were thrilled to welcome Ms. Kim Wetzel to our class for a special workshop on how to gain media coverage for our projects. Ms. Wetzel, who previously served as the education editor at The Mercury News, shared her insights on what makes a compelling story and how to craft strong pitches to local news organizations.
Students worked on writing their pitches during the session, gaining valuable, real-world skills that will help them amplify the impact of their projects. It was an inspiring and practical experience, and we are excited to see how students apply what they learned!
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Real-World Marketing
Our class had the privilege of welcoming back Raja Gopal, an accomplished entrepreneur and marketing expert, for a second visit. He returned to share more in-depth insights into how marketing works for his companies, including how he uses paid advertising to reach new audiences and grow his brands.
The timing couldn’t have been better—many students are actively running their own paid advertising campaigns as part of their marketing plans. Raja’s real-world experience gave them valuable tools to think critically about their strategies, from budgeting to targeting to messaging.
He also introduced his newest venture, Future Creators Lab, a platform designed to inspire and empower young entrepreneurs. We encourage families to check it out and share it with others who are looking for meaningful ways to expose kids to the world of business and creativity.
This was especially evident in the thoughtful questions and energetic discussions that followed—students were clearly inspired to take their ideas further.
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Student Impact
Explore our PSP students' projects and learn how you can get involved in their efforts to make a difference.
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Events
Where Business Meets Heart: Our Visit to Ada's Café
Students in the Pinewood Scholars Program recently visited Ada’s Café in Palo Alto, a social enterprise dedicated to employing adults with developmental disabilities. Founded by Kathleen Foley-Hughes, Ada’s Café operates with a mission to create an inclusive, supportive, and empowering work environment while delivering high-quality food and service.
During the visit, students had the opportunity to meet Kathleen and learn about her journey in founding the café. She shared insights into the challenges and rewards of running a mission-driven business, as well as the values that guide her team’s daily work. Students observed firsthand how social entrepreneurship can create meaningful change by blending business principles with a deep commitment to equity and community.
The experience provided a real-world example of the core principles discussed in PSP, inspiring students to think about how they might build ventures in college and beyond that address social challenges. Ada’s Café served as a living case study in how innovation, compassion, and entrepreneurship can come together to serve the greater good.
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Spotlight on Our PSP Award Winner: Michael Shtrom
We’re thrilled to honor senior Michael Shtrom as this year’s PSP Award winner—a recognition that feels especially full circle. Back in 7th grade, Michael stood in the hallway with a look of longing, saying, “All the cool classes are in the high school!” He had just learned about PSP and the exciting real-world projects, guest speakers, and field trips that came with it. From that moment, he was determined to be part of it. Fast forward to today, and Michael is no longer the curious junior higher looking up—he’s the leader others now look up to. With every pitch, challenge, and late-night brainstorm, he’s embodied the creativity, empathy, and grit that define a PSP Scholar. Michael, your journey captures the heart of what this program is all about. We’re incredibly proud of you.
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Join Us in Welcoming Our New PSP Class of 2027!
This year's PSP cohort is sharp, engaged, and ready to explore real-world challenges. We're looking forward to seeing where their ideas will take them.
Juliet Ahrens, Rishi Chen, Anna Dhalluin, Kelsea Ellis, Dylan Faerber, Zachary Gill, Ryan Gustavson, Will Hewlett, Katie Maier, Lucas Neri, Alisha Ramani, Camilla Shtrom, Riya Srivastava, Kelly Anne Tu, Isabella Wang, Yichen Wang, Alex Watanabe, Claire Wu
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Want to Know More?
Explore our past newsletters to get a feel for program experiences, speakers, and projects • Follow our latest adventures on Instagram!
Questions about the program? Have a fabulous speaker to recommend, or an impactful organization that our class should visit? Please contact Michelle Gannon at mgannon@pinewood.edu.