Biography
Praja Tickoo, a 16-year-old student, has spent the last four years learning Design Thinking. In the summer of 2019, as part of a design thinking program, he participated in a collaborative effort to design a better ankle brace for a multiple sclerosis patient. This experience revealed to him the power that young people have to reshape their world, while reinforcing his conviction that problems can only be solved by questioning assumptions and involving those directly affected. Praja has taken multiple courses in design thinking associated with institutions such as IDEO, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University. Additionally, he is the founder of Impact The Future, an organization aimed at teaching the process of design thinking to middle and high school students. He continues to work through Impact The Future to empower students to break down their assumptions of society, develop their skills of critical thinking, problem solving and creativity, and work to have an impact on the world.