San Ramon Students Win A Total Of $15K In Community Event Competition

SAN RAMON, CA — Six San Ramon students received a$5,000 per team from the first Discover San Ramon Event Innovator Competition, for a total of $15,000. The competition, sponsored by the nonprofit that aims to promote the city as a destination, invited local high school students to design future events that celebrate San Ramon's community spirit.

Students in grades 9-11 who either live in San Ramon or attend a high school in the city were invited to submit original ideas for upcoming future events. The Discover San Ramon judging panel awarded prizes of $5,000 to three teams. Discover San Ramon said that it will use the winning ideas as it builds future budgets and event calendars.

The winning ideas offered everything from glowing water lanterns to a two-day Olympiad:

Shiven Balaji, Dougherty Valley High School: San Ramon Festival of Lights lantern and drones festival

This two-day event would center around light. In Balaji's vision, Central Park would would host performances, foods, crafts, and light-based attractions like glowing water lanterns and colorful drone shows.

Samhita & Akshita Chikoti, Dougherty Valley High School: San Ramon Summer Olympiad

The San Ramon Summer Olympiad is a lively two-day mini Olympics style community event that would feature a wide range of sports and activities located at the city's parks and schools.

Dhyan Shetty, Pranav Raghunath, Sohan Babu, Dougherty Valley High School: San Ramon Scavenger Stroll

The walking scavenger hunt would take participants through the city's best spots on a search for different items.

“San Ramon is a city built on the energy, engagement, and creativity of its people — especially our youth. This competition demonstrates how next-generation leaders can help us create events that reflect who we are, bring us together, and make our city stronger,” Mayor Mark Armstrong said in a statement.