Honors

The Global Youth Fund provides secondary school students with funding and mentorship to implement community projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through this international competition, projects can receive up to $3,000 in grant funding. In 2025, I was selected as a Global Youth Fund recipient and awarded a $1,500 grant to expand Toys for Thoughts, a project that supports the cognitive health of older adults through 3D-printed toys. In addition to the grant, I received mentorship and networking opportunities within the International Baccalaureate (IB) community.

To apply, I created a three-minute project presentation video and a detailed project proposal centered on SDG #3: Good Health and Well-being. Inspired by watching my 90-year-old grandfather gradually lose parts of himself to Alzheimer's disease, I proposed a solution that uses thoughtfully designed 3D-printed toys to support memory and cognitive engagement for older adults. In my proposal, I provided a detailed description of the production process, from brainstorming toy concepts and creating CAD models to prototyping and mass production. I also explained the expected benefits of the toys, including improving memory, reducing anxiety, and enhancing mood. In addition, I outlined future community engagement plans through collaboration with the local elderly center in Jeju and developed a detailed budget covering the required materials, equipment, and estimated project costs.Throughout the application process, I collaborated with three teammates, led group discussions and coordinated task distribution, dedicating more than five hours to the final submission.

Throughout this project, I learned the importance of effectively communicating ideas across different media. In the video, I focused on introducing the project idea in an engaging way using sound effects and visual icons in the video, rather than laying out every detail about the project. In the proposal, by contrast, I focused on presenting detailed information concisely so the judges could clearly understand how the project would actually be implemented.