May 11 :
The 2024 President's Innovation Prize was presented to Yash Dhir and Rahul Nambiar, two Indian students from Pennsylvania University, for their web-based solution called Jochi, which is used for educational management.
Students in middle school and high school with learning disabilities, such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), can use Jochi to keep track of their homework and extracurricular activities.
Jochi is a management tool that schools can licence and incorporate into their system. This allows educators to better support their kids, as reported by Penn Today.
The idea for a system that helps students organise their time outside of class with the same amount of support they receive in class came to fourth-year student Yash Dhir in the autumn of 2020 while he was studying remotely from his home in London. Dhir has been working on this system since his first year at Penn.
The reason behind Dhir's decision to attend Penn is that she overcame numerous challenges, including learning disabilities in high school. A lot of our work with Jochi has struck a chord with me.
Dhir is partnered with Rahul Nambiar, a fourth-year student from Dubai. Dhir is majoring in systems science and engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, while Nambiar is majoring in computer science and is submatriculating for a master's degree.
Nambiar lived in Riepe and Dhir in Fisher, and they became friends during a student move-in that was postponed due to a pandemic in January 2021. During their second year, they lived together in Harrison Hall; by their third year, they had become business partners.
They have just been awarded the President's Innovation Prize. They will each receive a $50,000 living stipend in addition to $100,000 for Jochi. Also, Penn's business incubator, the Pennovation Centre, will provide Jochi with office space.
The President's Innovation Prize and the President's Engagement Prize encourage undergraduates at Penn to create and implement projects after graduation that have a good and enduring impact on the world. These awards are given out annually. When it comes to academic awards, the Prizes are unparalleled.
Fundamentally inventive, Yash Dhir and Rahul Nambiar saw a need and developed a way to help kids who have learning disabilities. The team's ingenuity and tenacity have realised a lofty goal, according to Interim President J. Larry Jameson.
"As they juggle the rigours of university life, they came up with Jochi, a project that we are happy to present with the President's Innovation Prize for this year."
Recently, Jochi and its founders have received multiple accolades from Penn, including the Innovation Prize. Contributions totaling $50,000 from Penn's Venture Lab and $30,000 from the Startup Challenge bring the total financing to over $300,000. In addition, they advanced to the semi-finals of the global Milken Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition in 2024.
With the help of the Innovation Prize and the encouragement of their professors, the duo will be able to move quickly towards their lofty objectives. Penn's support validates our concept and us as student founders, which is crucial in the education sector, according to Dhir.
