Angela Elena Olazarán Laureano stands on the terrace of the 29th floor of a hotel in Midtown Manhattan with a mysterious face.
Dressed in traditional clothing from the region in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, where she lives, at 10 a.m. on Monday it has not yet been clarified that she is the winner of a grand prize, although she has been told that she is among the finalists and has a good chance.
However, she does not look at any of the other 11,000 students from 176 countries with whom she competed for the $100,000 prize.
Finally, Nathan Schultz, CEO and President of Chegg, Inc., broke the news to Angela that she was the winner, presenting her with the trophy and a check. “It is an honor to extend my sincere congratulations to Angela for winning the 2024 Chegg.org Global Student Prize,” Schultz then proclaimed.
“At a time when innovation and bold thinking are crucial, students like Angela are leading the way in finding solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges,” said the same official, who indicated that “whether it’s developing an AI medical assistant or encouraging young people to pursue STEM careers, Angela’s commitment to making a difference is remarkable.”
Since 2021, Chegg.org has partnered with the Varkey Foundation to launch the Global Student Prize (GSP), a sister prize to its Global Teacher Prize. The GSP was established to boost the efforts of extraordinary students around the world who are improving their environment. Requirements include being at least 16 years old and enrolled in an academic institution or a training and skills program. Part-time students or those enrolled in online courses are also eligible for the prize.
“At Chegg, we want to help students succeed,” Schultz concludes. He explains that GSP will be their tool to help students with inspiring stories from around the world “have the opportunity to have their voices heard.”
Angela’s light illuminates Manhattan
Finally, after raising her trophy and communicating via video call with her parents in her native Papantla, Veracruz, 17-year-old Ángela Olazarán tells El Diario de Nueva York her story.
He recalls that in 2020 his brother and father were already signing up for robotics and programming competitions. “I saw them in a hurry, always working on projects, and that’s when my dad started to push me to learn how to program, to make circuits, to build my first robot in Bluetooth.”
She admits that it was hard work at first, but “once I got the hang of it, I didn’t stop.” Her brother, Luis Enrique Olazarán, a few years older, reinforced her knowledge at home so that she could better understand the whys and wherefores of many things. “Since I was 14, they have been involving me in this kind of knowledge and these are the results,” she says, holding up her trophy.
Graduated from a technical degree from CONALEP, Ángela is currently studying Information Technology Engineering and Digital Business at the Anáhuac University of Veracruz, Xalapa campus.
The work that led her to win the 2024 Global Student Prize was for helping create Ixtlilton, an AI-powered medical assistant that can diagnose 21 diseases based on a series of questions. The app was designed alongside local doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and aimed to help people living in areas far from medical centres, sometimes travelling over an hour to help them determine what kind of medical care they require.
Papantla, where Angela was born and raised, is famous for the famous voladores, a dance of pre-Hispanic origin where five dancers climb a log more than 100 feet high and from a platform, four of them launch themselves into the air tied by their feet, while the fifth remains up there, playing soft flute and drum music. Papantla is also a powerhouse in vanilla production, but despite these attractions, it is a municipality where 48.1% of the population was living in moderate poverty and 21.6% in extreme poverty according to figures from the 2020 Census.
That’s why the tool that Angela Olazarán helped create is especially useful in marginalized communities that have struggled with a shortage of doctors. The Ixtlilton app has the advantage that once downloaded to a mobile phone or computer, it doesn’t require Internet access, so limited connectivity doesn’t cause any problems.
After winning the GSP, local officials in Papantla, as well as those in the state of Veracruz, will surely be able to help Angela and the Ixtlilton team connect with local pharmacies and medical centers that want to encourage their patients to use the tool.
Slender and petite, Angela is already getting used to winning. In November 2021, her team participated in the National Robotics Competition in the “Home Care Challenge” category, in which they took first place at the state and national levels. She won the STEM Talent Award: National Student Prize Mexico 2022, organized by Movimiento STEM, and in 2023, she achieved international triumphs with two silver medals in the international robotics competition RoboRAVE World Championship, competing against countries such as China, Australia, and Canada.
The paths of STEM education
As a beneficiary of STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), Angela even went to the Mexican Senate to ask legislators to support this type of interdisciplinary approach that combines the aforementioned subjects.
She is an example that STEM effectively helps students develop critical thinking, problem solving and other skills that drive success in their studies and in life. The Veracruz winner also believes that it is also necessary to develop socio-emotional skills in students.
Next Thursday, Ángela Olazarán will return to Mexico with a new award to add to her impressive resume.
Finally, she clarified that she plans to use the $100,000 from her prize to create and install a STEM classroom in Veracruz and thus help others who may not have had the help that she did have at home.
Innovators
- Chegg.org is the impact, advocacy, and research division of Chegg, Inc. that addresses issues facing the modern learner. For more information, visit www.chegg.org
- The Varkey Foundation supports global teacher capacity and seeds excellence and innovation in educators. They also founded the Global Teacher Prize which awards $1 million to highlight the incredible work being done by teachers around the world. For more details: www.varkeyfoundation.org