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Co-Founders

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  • Rice University-Class of 2026

  • Major: Biology (Pre-Med) 

  • Marist School- Class of 2023

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  • Rice University-Class of 2026

  • Major: Biology (Pre-Med) 

AAH! was founded in 2017 by three middle school students in Atlanta, GA - Elly Kang (senior at Marist School), Abhishek Kona (a freshman at Rice University), and Abhinav Kona (a freshman at Rice University). Elly Kang started out tutoring refugee students from a family who had little to no educational access due to the Syrian conflict and very few economic resources at their disposal. As time passed, word spread, and she regularly visited students in several different households to help them assimilate into their school environment. Abhishek and Abhinav Kona were involved in educational volunteering services from the beginning of middle school. As demand across the community grew, these three students co-founded AAH!​

Elly Kang

My name is Elly Kang, and I'm a senior at Marist School in Atlanta, Georgia! I am passionate about data science and am especially focused on mitigating structural inequalities. I have dedicated much of my work to creating equal opportunities and reducing the wealth and gender gap, with a focus on STEM fields.

I've been tutoring since 2017 at American Assimilation Helpline! (AAH!), and I truly enjoy working with students. So far, I've learned so much throughout my experience and become increasingly passionate for guiding students in need to the right path. Specifically, the AAH! computer science team and I have been making coding accessible for low-income, immigrant, refugee, and homeless students who have little or no access to STEM education. My goal is to reach out to as many students as possible and introduce computer science while promoting academic success. That's why I've decided to dedicate as much as time as I can to igniting students' potential as part of my pursuit to end systemic inequality.

LEADERSHIP

1. AMERICAN ASSIMILATION HELPLINE! INC.

  • Co-Founder and Co-President

: A Global Student-led 501(C)(3) Nonprofit Organization (est. 2017)​

  • Computer Science Department: Chief Executive Officer & Curriculum Developer

  • Global Department: Operations Director

  • US  Department: Operations Director​

  • Health Department​: Executive Officer

https://www.americanassimilationhelpline.org/

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2. THE POLLING PLACE

  • National Director of Outreach & Former Regional Research Director (2021- Present)

  • Leads regional social media/outreach directors covering 4 states, contacts organizations, expands and maintains partnerships with them, and take part in making executive decisions for the nonprofit.

  • a nonpartisan, youth-led nonprofit dedicated to encouraging civic engagement by educating voters on local candidates running for office. We publish detailed and consolidated profiles of candidates, including their backgrounds, endorsements, and key issues. We currently have nearly six hundred candidate profiles and counting available on our site. Just last month, largely thanks to the Arizona primaries, our website garnered over 84,000 views with over 22,000 unique visitors.

  • https://www.thepollingplace.org

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3. EPICS IGNITE!

  • Co-Founder and Co-President

  • ​Everything's Possible in Computer Science (2021- Present) 

  • A computer science outreach organization that shares computer science resources and holds events and competitions to help bridge the educational digital divide for students in several states while focusing on gender and economic diversity in STEM 

  • https://epics-ignite.weebly.com/

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4. MARIST SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM

  • Co-Head of  Software

  • 160 members and over 15% of the Marist student body (2020- Present)

  • Hosting the FTC tournaments and working with REACH, and Cristo Rey CWS Program​

 

​5. MARIST SCHOOL GIRLS WHO CODE

  • Founder of Marist Chapter and Co-President (2020- Present at Marist School, since 2019 at Wheeler HS)

  • These efforts are part of her initiative to close the widening gender gap in computer science.

  • Projects - teaching computer programming languages to 100 low-income students through the Reach for Excellence program and supporting the Marist Coding Competition and events in the robotics team.

  • Working on projects to close the gender gap by equipping its 30 members with computing skills through community service & web development projects, as well as assistance with provided online courses in HTML, CSS, Scratch, Java, and JavaScript

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6. AWESOMETECHGIRLS!

  • Founder (2020- Present)

  • Virtually teaches Python, Java, and Scratch to low-income girls in Seoul, South Korea & Osaka, Japan

  • Diversifying the STEM workforce

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​7. SCIENCE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY LEADERSHIP TEAM

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8. WHEELER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER (2019- 2020)

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9. WHEELER HIGH SCHOOL PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE TEAM 

  • Founder and President (2019- 2020)

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10.WHEELER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION

  • Secretary (2019- 2020)

ACTIVITIES​

  • American Assimilation Helpline!  (2017- Present)

  • The Polling Place (2021- Present)

  • EPiCS Ignite!  (2021- Present)

  • Marist FRC Robotics Team  (2020- Present)

  • ​Marist Speech & Debate Team (2014 formal schools- present)

  • Marist Girls Who Code  (2019 Wheeler HS- 2020 Marist- Present)

  • AwesomeTechgirls! (2020-present, South Korea & Japan)

  • Ivy Bridge Academy: Coding Instructor  (2020- Present)

  • Ivy Bridge Academy: Debate Coach  (2020- Present)

  • Science National Honor Society Leadership Team 

  • Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society member

  • Marist Student Ambassador (2021- Present)

  • Marist Peer to Peer Tutoring: Math  (2020- 2021)

  • Wheeler High School Student Advisory Board Member (2019- 2020)

  • Wheeler High School Girls Who Code (2019- 2020)

  • Wheeler High School Student Technology Association (2019- 2020)

  • Wheeler High School Public Forum Debate Team (2019- 2020)

COMPUTER SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1. 2022 The Lockheed Martin CodeQuest in the Georgia Region of the Competition (Nationwide Programming Competition)

  • Third place in Advanced Division in state  

 

2. 2022 Georgia FRC state Championships

: Marist FRC Team 6340 (First Robotics Competition) ​

  • Wins Engineering Inspiration Award

  • Advanced to First World Championship

 

3. 2022 Peachtree District Dalton

: Marist FRC Team 6340 (First Robotics Competition) 

  • Finals

  • The Excellence in Engineering Award

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4. 2022 The Carrollton FRC Tournament

: Marist FRC Team 6340 (First Robotics Competition)​

  • Engineering Inspiration Award

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5. 2022 Dekalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair (DRSEF)

: Senior Division (individual)

  • 1st place winner- Math, Computing & Engineering

  • 1st place winner- Robotics and Intelligent Machines (ROBO)

  • International Science and Engineering Fair DeKalb Representative

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6. 2021 National Honorable Mention of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (National Center for Women & Information Technology)

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7. 2021 Georgia Affiliate Winner of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (National Center for Women & Information Technology)

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8.  2021 Georgia Student Technology Competition (GASTC)

  • 3rd place winner in state- EPiCS Ignite! web development project

 

9. 2021 Cobb Regional Technology Competition (CRTC)

  • 1st place winner- EPiCS Ignite! web development project

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RESEARCH

  • 2022 Stanford SHTEM Research Internship (1 of 65 students selected): mentored research in secondary students' understanding of artificial intelligence and mathematical concepts behind it to lay the foundation for future high school artificial intelligence curriculum (published in two national research conferences)

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  • News-Based Sentiment Analysis for Bitcoin Price Prediction in 2021-2022: used machine learning to analyze sentiment of cryptocurrency articles to predict bitcoin prices

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  • 2022 The Mixed Finite Element Method Based on the Crank-Nicolson Scheme for Darcy Flows in Porous Media (published in the Volume 6 edition of the PUMP journal of Undergraduate Research).

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CERTIFICATE

The certificates are linked to each logo

  • IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

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  • Deep Learning Certificate

 

  • 2021 Wharton Global Youth Program's Data Science Academy Certificate with the R language (1 of 75 students selected, Upenn)                  

DEBATE

1. Qualified to the 2023 gold division of the Tournament of Champions

  • Earned 6 gold bids

  • Earned 1 silver bid

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2. 2023 Barkley Forum for High Schools

(National Debate Tournament)

  • 19th Place Individual Speaker award out of 276 competitors

  • Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

  • Earned 6th gold bid to the 2023 Tournament of Champions

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3. 2023 Cavalier Invitational at Durham Academy

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Quarterfinalist: Varsity Public Forum

  • Earned 5th gold bid to the 2023 Tournament of Champions

4. 2023 Sunvite

(National Debate Tournament)

  • 1st Place Individual Speaker award out of 232 competitors

  • Double Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

  • Earned silver bid to the 2023 Tournament of Champions

5. 2022 John Edie Holiday Debate Tournament

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

  • 14th Place Individual Speaker award

  • Earned 4th gold bid to the 2023 Tournament of Champions

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6. 2022 Bellaire TOC Public Forum

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Quarterfinalist: Varsity Public Forum

  • Earned 3rd gold bid to the 2023 Tournament of Champions

 

7. 2022 Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

  • Earned 2nd gold bid to the 2023 Tournament of Champions

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8. 2022 Nova Titan Invitational 

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Finalist: Varsity Public Forum

  • 2nd Place Individual Speaker award

  • Earned 1st gold bid to the 2023 Tournament of Champions

 

9. 2022 Mid America Cup

(National Debate Tournament)

  • 8th Place Individual Speaker award

  • Double Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

 

10. 2022 National Speech and Debate Association District Championship

  • International Extemp 3rd place individual Speaker

 

11. 2021 The Paradigm Dowling Catholic

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Double Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

 

12. 2021 MID AMERICA CUP

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Double Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

 

13. 2020-2021 20th International Public Policy Forum (IPPF)    

(global debate competition)

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14. 2021 Sunvite

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Triple Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

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15. 2020 The Paradigm Dowling Catholic

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Double Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

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16. 2020 Millard West Wildcat Debate Tournament

(National Debate Tournament)

  • ​Octofinalist: Varsity Public Forum

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17. 2020 Nova Titan Invitational

(National Debate Tournament)

  • ​8th Place Individual Speaker award: Varsity Public Forum 

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18. 2020 Georgetown Spring International Tournament

(International Debate Tournament)

  • Finalist: Junior Varsity Public Forum

  • 4th Place Individual Speaker award

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19. 2019 Georgetown National Public Forum Debate Tournament

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Semifinalist: Junior Varsity Public Forum

 

20. 2019 Chattahoochee Cougar Classic Varsity Public  Forum Debate Tournament 

(Local Tournament)

  • Quarterfinalist: Varsity Public Forum

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21. 2019 Middle School National Tournament of Champions

(National Tournament)

  • Octofinalist

 

22. 2019 Georgetown University International PF Debate Tourment

(International Debate Tournament)

  • Octofinalist

  • 10th Place Individual Speaker award

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23. 2019 Harvard National Tournament

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Octofinalist

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24. 2018 Middle School National Tournament of Champions the    

University of Kentucky

(National Debate Tournament)

  • 3rd Place Individual Speaker award

  • Octofinalist

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25. 2018 Georgetown Public Forum Invitational

(National Debate Tournament)

  • 6th Place Individual Speaker award

  • Octofinalist

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26. 2016 National Georgetown Public Forum Invitational

(National Debate Tournament)

  • Semifinalist

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27. 2016 Middle School National Tournament

(National Speech and Debate Association/ National Forensic League)

  • Octofinalist​​​

SAT, AP, HONORS

1. SAT score of 1560


2. SAT Subject Test (Mathematics Level 2) score 800

 

3. Finalist in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program 

  
3. Georgia Certificate of Merit

  • Recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement throughout the first  three years of high school by ranking in the top five percent of each high school's junior class.

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4. Ohio State University Junior Book Award   

  • Recognition for outstanding achievement in science and math

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5. A STAR student

  • Recognition of highest SAT score and top 10% or top 10 students in Marist School's graduating class.

 

6. Science National Honor Society Leadership Team


7. Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society member


8. 2021 AP Scholar with Distinction Award 


9. 2020-2021 Dean's List at Marist School

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10. 2021-2022 Honor Roll at Marist School

COMMUNITY SERVICE

1. 2020, 2021, 2022 President's Volunteer Service Award Gold Medals

 

2. 2022 The Princeton Club of Georgia Community Service Awards

  • Recognized six juniors for commitment to community service 

 

3. 2021 United Way of Greater Atlanta's SPARK Prize

(The Northwest Region SPARK Prize competition)

  • American Assimilation Helpline! won the Spark Prize of $5,000 

  • Funding going toward learning labs and devices for low-income, immigrant, refugee, and homeless students

 

4. 2021 Invisalign ChangeMakers Winner

  • The Invisalign ChangeMakers Initiative awards $5,000 to 100 winners across the country, awarding efforts to change the world for the better

 

5. The 2021 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Certificate of Excellence​

  • Has been designated one of the top student volunteers in Georgia, judged to be among the top 10 percent of all those considered in the state.

  • For those who demonstrated exceptional initiative in service to the community 

2022 SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS

  • Gold Key in Georgia Art Region: Behind the Wall (Mixed Media)

Abhinav Kona

Hello everyone, my name is Abhinav Kona, a co-founder of AAH! I'm a freshman at Rice university. I've been a tutor since 2017, and I enjoy working with students and value the time I spend with each child. Since not everyone has access to sound education, I make sure to teach in a way so that each child has the potential to succeed in academics. My belief is that the improvement and success of each individual is key to affecting a family's life in an improved world. As we keep improving and expanding, immigrants' lives will change.​

LEADERSHIP

 

-American Assimilation Helpline! INC.

Co-Founder and Co-president: A Global Nonprofit Organization

AAH! (2017- Present)

1. Academic Department

  • Chief Executive Officer

  • Curriculum Developer

2. ​Health Department​

  • Chief Executive Officer

3. US Department

  • Operations Director​

4. Global Department​

  • Operations Director

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-Fundraising Director Protein Modeling Club 2020-2021

-Fundraising Coordinator Math Team 2020--2021

-Treasurer HOSA (2020-2021)

-Vice President HOSA 2021-2022

-Research Leader Protein Modeling Club 2021-2022

 

ACHIEVEMENTS

SAT

  1. 1600 perfect score in SAT

  2. 800 perfect score on SAT subject test- Chemistry

  3. 800 perfect score on SAT subject test- Math II

 

Math

  1. 800 Math SAT Score

  2. 1st Place Cobb County Math Tournament 2021, Spring 2020

  3. Top 5%-10% in  Kennesaw State University Mathematics Competition

  4. Competed in UC Berkeley and Harvard Mathematics Tournament

 

Music:

1. All State 9/10 Full Orchestra (9th Chair) State Level

2. Alternate for All State 11/12 Orchestra State Level

3. Walton Chamber Orchestra (Made Midwest Clinic)

 

Latin:

1. Gold Medal on NLE, NCEE and Silver Medal on NLVE

2. Bronze on Medusa Mythology Exam

3. Roman Geography Exam-4th Place and Latin Vocabulary Exam-2nd Place at state

4. Latin Reading Comprehension Exam -1st Place

5. 2nd Place at Walton High School Novice Tournament and 3rd Place East Side High School (Latin Certamen)

 

Science Olympiad:

1. 2nd Place Experimental Design (State)

2. 3rd Place Chemistry Lab (State)

3. Multiple Top 3 finishes at regional and district level in Disease Detectives, Microbe Mission, and Anatomy and Physiology

 

Science Fair:

  1. 1st Place and GSEF Finalist (Regional)

  2. Society for In Vitro Biology Award (Regional)

  3.   2nd Honors GSEF (State)

  4.  ISEF Finalist (International)

Protein Modeling:

  1.  Invited to the International Experimental Biology Conference to present STING, PD-L1, and RUVBL-1/2

 

Community Service:

  1. Presidential Volunteering Service Award Gold Level 2020 and 2021 

  2. 2021 United Way of Greater Atlanta's SPARK Prize

(The Northwest Region SPARK Prize competition)

  • American Assimilation Helpline! won a Spark Prize of $5,000 

  • Funding going toward learning labs for low-income students

Abhishek Kona

Hello, my name is Abhishek Kona, and I’m one of the co-founders of AAH! I'm a freshman at Rice university. Since 2017, our program has been tutoring students in order to enlighten the futures of many bright tutees as well as provide opportunities to those who may have been denied such chances. It gives me great pleasure and delight in working with these students, as everyday, I’m more than happy to share my knowledge and create a better world for them.  By helping everyone, I hope to not only see their growth and potential but expand these educational circumstances even further globally.

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​LEADERSHIP

​

-American Assimilation Helpline (AAH!) INC.

Co-Founder and Co-president

: A Global Nonprofit Organization

AAH! (2017- Present)

1. Academic Department

  • Chief Executive Officer

  • Curriculum Developer

2. ​Health Department​

  • Chief Executive Officer

3. US Department

  • Operations Director​

4. Global Department​

  • Operations Director

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-Secretary Protein Modeling Club 2020-2021

-STEM Representative (2018-Present)

-Event Coordinator HOSA 2021-2022

-Research Leader Protein Modeling Club 2021-2022

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ACHIEVEMENTS

 

Math

- Perfect Math SAT Score, 1570 SAT Score

- 2nd Place Cobb County Math Tournament 2021

- Passed Kennesaw State University Mathematics Competition First Round (5-10% of State, Georgia)

- AMC Honors 10th  (National)

 

Science Fair

- 1st Place and Georgia Science and Engineering Fair (GSEF) Finalist

-  Society for In Vitro Biology Award (Regional)

-  2nd Honors GSEF (State)

-  ISEF Finalist (International)

Protein Modeling 

-  Invited to the International Experimental Biology Conference to present a RuBisCO and RSV (International)

 

HOSA

- HOSA State Convention Cultural Diversity and Illnesses 4th Place (State)

Latin Convention and Certamen

-  National Latin Exam (Summa Cum Laude/ Gold) (National)

-  National Classical Etymology Exam (Bronze) (National)

-  National Roman Civilization Exam (Gold) (National)

-  Medusa Mythology Exam (national-Gold) (National)

-  East Side High School Intermediate Certamen (2nd Place) (District)

-  Walton Kickoff Novice Tournament (2nd Place) (District)

-  State Latin Convention 2019: Mythology 4th Place, Daily Life and Culture 4th Place, Classical Art 1st Place, Literature 4th Place, Latin Derivatives 4th Place (State)

-  State Latin Convention 2018: Latin Oratory 2nd Place, PMAQ 3rd Place, Geography 4th Place, Greek History 3rd Place, Mythology 4th Place (State)

-  Medusa Mythology (Perfect Score Gold) (National)

-  National Latin Exam (Gold)(National)

 

Orchestra

-  All State -- Full Orchestra (7th Chair) (State Level)

-  Walton Chamber Orchestra, Midwest Clinic 2021-2022 (National)

Science Olympiad

-  Princeton (7th) – Water Quality (National)

-  District Level, Multiple Top 5 Finishes in Chemistry Lab, Dynamic Planet, Water Quality

 

Community Service

1. Prudential Spirit Community Award 2020

2. Presidential Volunteer Service Award Gold Medal 2020 and 2021

3. 2021 United Way of Greater Atlanta's SPARK Prize

(The Northwest Region SPARK Prize competition)

  • American Assimilation Helpline! won a Spark Prize of $5,000 

  • Funding going toward learning labs for low-income students

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