Dragon Kim Foundation Announces 2025 Dragon Challenge Semifinalists

The Dragon Kim Foundation, an Orange County-based nonprofit - http://dragonkimfoundation.org - whose mission is to inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions, has announced the semifinalists from California, Arizona, and Nevada who have advanced to the CEO Summit on August 23.

The top five teams selected at the CEO Summit on August 23 will then present their projects to a panel of judges at the 2025 Dragon Challenge competition, set for Saturday, September 13 at the Margaret A. Webb Theatre on the campus of the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California. The event’s presenting sponsor is COX.

For more information and tickets, visit http://dragonkimfoundation.org.

To learn more about sponsorship levels for the Challenge, contact Dragon Kim Foundation Co-founder and CEO Daniel Kim at daniel@dragonkimfoundation.org

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Foundation, whose Fellowship program empowers high school students of all demographics and social backgrounds to go out into the world and make a difference in the lives of others, especially those who are disadvantaged.

Annually, the Fellowship program awards community service grants of up to $5,000 to the teams that enables them to create and manage a service project that will impact their community. The winner of the Dragon Challenge will receive another $5,000 to continue their project.

The semifinalists from California are:

A Thousand Words offered a platform dedicated to destigmatizing invisible conditions within the AAPI community by capturing individual narratives via photography and written stories. Through in-person storytelling sessions across all age groups in the community, participants shared their experiences, which were authentically documented and showcased in a gallery exhibition and digital platform. Fellows are Amber Chih and Johan Simon of Northwood High School.

Beyond the Stage empowered disadvantaged youth in California’s underfunded schools through theater workshops that enhanced literacy, creativity, and confidence. Students wrote and performed their own stories, culminating in a final performance and a documentary showcasing their growth. Fellows are Sophie Hsu and Aya Hana of Legacy Magnet Academy.

Decade Prep Robotics included a free community summer camp for underserved communities in the Bay Area that taught introductory robotics end engineering principles using VEX IQ. Between camps, the materials were used to host shorter, more condensed workshops in public libraries and schools. Fellows are Jerry Yu and Petro Papahadjopoulos of Piedmont High School, and Jason Yan of Head Royce School.

Glean on Me hosted hands-on workshops where middle and high school student volunteers harvested fruit trees from registered properties in the San Gabriel Valley area, learned about food insecurity, and donated their harvested fruit to local food banks, shelters, and organizations, helping feed those in need. Fellow is Apollo Won of Polytechnic School.

Morality Matters is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting morally conscious decision-making and empowering the next generation through ethics education. Advocating for legislative change, Morality Matters aimed to integrate values-based instruction into school curriculums and ensure its accessibility for all. Fellow is Asmi Aggarwal of Orange County School of the Arts.

Note by Note's goal was to create strong, lifelong connections by igniting a passion for singing and music in visually impaired students, all the while empowering them to tap into their hearing and voice Fellows are Lubaina Habib and Aleena Khan of Orange County School of the Arts.

TechTies achieved its mission by teaching senior citizens about social media platforms by going to senior centers and daycare centers. As many seniors experience depression and anxiety, the team hoped that along the way to make connections and friendships through technology . Fellows are Raina Kim of Brea Olinda High School, Arah Lee Orange County School of the Arts, and Nathan Lee of Troy High School.

ViviSTEM gave low-income kids the resources to make an impact on the science world and fuel their love for science. The team wanted to empower the next generation of scientists with resources and connections they may not otherwise have, ensuring that the cycle of mainly highly privileged students being able to participate and succeed in science fair ends. Fellows are Theertha Hariharan Arulmozhi, Leah Chen, and Sebastian Moaleji , all of University High School.

Wise and Wonderful included a four-day camp to connect students with seniors through engaging activities like storytelling, art, and music, culminating in the creation of memory books that celebrate shared experiences. By fostering empathy and understanding, the project combats social isolation and inspires students to make volunteering a meaningful part of their lives. Fellows are Isabella Strickland- Martinez and Kayla Stephanos, both of Mater Dei High School.

The semifinalist from Arizona is:

Life Savers Phoenix was a free program that equipped under-resourced children aged 8-12 with essential life-saving skills, including CPR, AED use, first aid, choking response, bleeding control, and other emergency preparedness procedures, through hands-on training led by the teens, who are certified instructors. By fostering confidence and readiness, the program empowered youth to prevent avoidable fatalities and serve as leaders for change in their communities. Felloes are Sanath Seetharam, Sahil Bagai, and Suhaan Sharma all of Brophy College Preparatory.

Last year, the project winning the Dragon Challenge was Heart-to-Art developed by Irvine residents Ashima Sharma and Vedant Dayal, both 16 and students at the Orange County School of the Arts that included a two-week summer camp established in partnership with CHOC’s After Cancer Treatment Survivorship Program that exposed ambulatory cancer patients and survivors to integrated art therapy in six art forms, with proceeds benefiting CHOC’s social workers. They were awarded an additional $5,000 to continue their work.

For more information and to apply for the 2026 Dragon Fellowship, visit http://dragonkimfoundation.org.

The Fellowship was founded in honor of the late Dragon Kim, a talented young musician, athlete, and scholar who wanted to help others, and has become a seedbed for the next generation of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in their communities.

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About the Dragon Kim Foundation

The Dragon Kim Foundation was established in 2015 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by Grace and Daniel Kim to honor the memory of their late son Dragon Kim, who had been attending the Orange County School of the Arts. The mission of the Dragon Kim Foundation is to inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions. Visit the website at http://dragonkimfoundation.org.