Celebrating Youth Excellence: Shrimayi Shetty Earns National Recognition at the Presidential AI Challenge

Our community continues to be a breeding ground for extraordinary talent, dedication and leadership. We are incredibly proud to celebrate the stellar achievement of Shrimayi Shetty, daughter of Rachna and Vedraj Shetty, a student at Northstar Middle School in Kirkland, Washington State, who recently earned national recognition at the inaugural Presidential AI Challenge.

Shrimayi, together with her teammates Viha Iyer and Arya Pratap, earned First Place in the Middle School Track for their innovative project, SkillUp - an AI-powered platform designed to help individuals learn practical skills, traditional crafts, and hands-on techniques through accessible and engaging technology.

Shrimayi Shetty recognized by First Lady Melania Trump

Championing Innovation on a National Stage

At a young age, Shrimayi has already demonstrated an exceptional ability to harness cutting-edge technology for social good. Competing against a massive field of more than 2,600 teams and 20,000 participants from across the United States, her team’s innovative approach to making skill-learning more accessible deeply impressed the national panel of judges.

The team’s triumphs brought them all the way to the nation's capital. Shrimayi and her teammates were honored at a historic awards ceremony at the White House, where they were personally recognized by First Lady Melania Trump. Proving themselves as confident leaders and ambassadors of the next generation, the students also had the prestigious opportunity to present their work directly to U.S. Senators, global tech industry leaders and officials from the FBI.

Shrimayi Shetty alongside her teammates Viha Iyer and Arya Pratap

Young Innovator and Inspiring Future Leader

Beyond her remarkable technical and academic success, Shrimayi carries a strong sense of community pride. Her historic victory is not only a monumental milestone for her and her family, but it also serves as a powerful inspiration for our youth proving how vision, dedication and technology can be used to create meaningful solutions for society.

Shrimayi's brilliance, focus and commitment to excellence truly embody the spirit of our community.

Honoring Excellence in Technology and Innovation

In recognition of her exceptional achievements and promising contributions to the future of technology, BANA is honored to present Shrimayi Shetty with the BANA Youth Excellence Award in Technology - 2026.

Congratulations, Shrimayi, on this remarkable accomplishment and for inspiring the next generation of innovators.