Theme: The Space Between

What is space? How can we use it effectively? How does it affect us?

Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center
10550 Albion Rd
San Ramon, California, 94582
United States

Airi Pan

Think big cars, lavish paradises, relaxation, or maybe just a really good brownie. Happiness comes in a variety of ways, definitions, and forms. But, how can one achieve the maximum happiness available to them? A student, Airi Pan, adamant on curing her mother’s depression, tries to convey a year's worth of research to answer this question.

Arman Sawhney

The most amazing thing you’ve never heard. Silence, although extremely important for human health, is rarely experienced, and even more rarely appreciated. In light of this, Arman Sawhney attempts to pass on his appreciation for silence, and attempt to help everyone understand why it is so undervalued.

Kavin Kumaravel

Kavin Kumaravel, a freshman who takes part in Speech and Debate and writes for the Wildcat Tribune at Dougherty Valley High School delivers a speech on prison overcrowding, an issue as neglected as prisoners themselves. Horrified screams of agony are silenced behind bars as inmates are subjected to horrendous treatment due to irrational fears and a corrupt criminal justice system.

Kingsun Cheung

Kingston Cheung is currently a high school senior in Dougherty Valley High School. He's the son of Elise Li, a woman who's kind, a strong-willed entrepreneur who is also obsessed with cats.

Michael Yoo

It's not the final frontier, but we reach the beginning of a new one as Dougherty Valley High School senior, Michael Yoo explains how Millennials should be given the space to let their imaginations run free.

Puja Oak

Puja Oak, a 9th grader at Dougherty Valley High School, has experience in speech and debate, winning first place at Stanford Invitational in JV Expository Speaking and first place at a varsity league tournament. Puja also enjoys running, as a member of the DVHS varsity cross country and track teams.

Sainiteesh Maddineni

We all have fears that affect our lives in small and large ways. But what we don’t realize is the detrimental effect that our fears have on our communication with others. Sainiteesh (Sai) Maddineni, a senior at Dougherty Valley High School and incoming undergraduate student to Stanford University, explores the role that fear can have in creating communication gaps among individuals and even societies, as well as the steps we can take to avoid this isolation in communication and its effects.

Saishruti Adusumilli

Saishruti Adusumilli is a sophomore at Dougherty Valley High School. She is the founder and publicity director of a non-profit organization, Ladki Love, that aims to aid abandoned girls in India. She hopes to continue using her voice to advocate for this cause and eventually bring about real change.

Vishruti Ganesh

Vishruti Ganesh is a sophomore at Dougherty Valley. She loves learning and teaching math to students of various ages, and participates in many math programs and competitions. Other than that, she plays the piano competitively for ABRSM, webdesigning, and often gets carried away with mathematical philosophy.