Trending
BOARDMAN -- Boardman High School senior Swathi Padmanabhan has been honored with not one, but two prestigious awards, catapulting her into the national spotlight for her achievements.
Swathi won the Congressional App Challenge in the 6th District of Ohio for 2023. Her winning app, Nalox-Not-Alone, consolidates locations that sell naloxone over the counter and provides locations for people who need it.
Boardman Board of Education members recognized Swathi's achievement at their February meeting. Ex-U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson attended and said, "I'm a former IT guy, so I know the kind of thought process it takes to create something like you did, and I understand the passion and your heart for wanting to address something that's going to improve the lives of potentially thousands of people who need Naloxone, because the scourge of opioid addiction is so rampant across our country."
More than 11,300 students entered the national competition that's designed to encourage students to learn to code and inspire them to pursue careers in computer science. Three hundred and seventy-four members of the House hosted competitions and chose the best app from each district. Padmanabhan's winning app for Ohio's 6th District will be displayed alongside the best from across the country in Washington, D.C., in April.
For her second honor, the National Honor Society announced that Swathi has been selected as an NHS Scholarship semifinalist, and will be awarded a national scholarship worth more than $3,000 as part of that honor. She is one of the only students to be recognized as a NHS national scholarship winner in the history of Boardman schools.
Since 1946, more than $25 million in scholarships have been awarded to outstanding NHS
senior members to support college access and student success. The scholarship program is
supported by the parent organization of the NHS, the National Association of Secondary School
Principals. In the 100-plus years since NHS was founded in 1921, members have been
making a difference in their schools and communities, and the NHS Scholarship is NASSP's
way of recognizing the most exceptional of these student leaders.
Recipients are chosen based
on their demonstrated work to support the four pillars of NHS: scholarship, service, leadership
and character.
Boardman's NHS Adviser Jenefer Basista said, "I am very proud of Swathi.
She is truly deserving. Swathi is driven, compassionate and demonstrates a true sense of
responsibility for her school, the student body and her community."
At Boardman High School, Swathi serves as vice president of the NHS and founded a new
chapter of the national Best Buddies program that pairs exceptionally talented students with
those with specific disabilities. Best Buddies meets monthly at BHS where the students
participate in a variety of social events planned by Swathi.
This school year, she volunteered at the 16th annual Buddy Walk for the Down Syndrome Association of the Valley, helped organize Thanksgiving meal bags for BHS's food pantry, worked with a district fundraiser to aid another Spartan family in need and continues to serve as a tutor.
Swathi also has made her mark with BHS's Speech and Debate Team. She is competing in Congressional Debate in state and national competitions for the third year.
This fall, Swathi plans to major in computer engineering and is still deciding on her
college of choice.