17-Year-Old Arlington Resident Honored With $36K Diller Teen Award

ARLINGTON, MA — A 17-year-old Arlington resident has been honored with a $36,000 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award for his work to build a better world.

Robbie Khazan is one of 15 teen leaders who won a 2022 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award. The awardees are addressing a range of societal challenges, from the growing risks of climate change to the need to support veterans, refugees, and senior citizens.

“These 15 teens are true leaders of social change,” Phyllis Cook, Philanthropic Consultant for Helen Diller Family Foundation, said in a statement. "Each of the 2022 Awardees is tackling a critical issue of our time with an innovative effort to create change and repair the world. These extraordinary teens are fulfilling their own personal commitments to tikkun olam, as they also inspire so many others in their communities, creating ripples of good that will have lasting impact.”

Khazan leads Kiddo Byte, an organization with a mission to offer equitable access to computer science education. The program, led by teen instructors, teaches hundreds of kids in marginalized communities and provides computers and other tech to those who need them.

To date, Kiddo Byte has recruited over 50 volunteers and 15 organizational partners, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Lab, and has taught coding and development courses to more than 400 students worldwide.

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, founded in 2007, were the vision of Bay Area philanthropist Helen Diller, who sought to recognize the next generation of socially committed leaders whose dedication to volunteerism exemplifies the spirit of tikkun olam, a Jewish value meaning “to repair the world.” Award funding can help support Awardees’ education or deepen their project’s impact.

The 2022 Awardees either applied directly or were nominated by teachers, rabbis, and mentors and were selected by national committees of community leaders and educators. They join 159 Awards alumni as recipients of this honor, unique in its national scope, Jewish focus, and emphasis on service and impact.

A full description of all 15 Award recipients and their projects can be found at www.dillerteenawards.org.