PLEASANTON, Calif. — April 18, 2022 As Tri-Valley corporate leaders, elected officials and citizens plan for the region’s growth and sustainability over the next decades, they look to the generation who will ultimately lead the charge. At the 11th Annual Dreammakers and Risktakers awards event, Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group (ITV) will spotlight those Gen Z innovators at the forefront of our future workforce. For the past eleven years, ITV, Tri-Valley public school districts, Tri-Valley ROP, and Las Positas College nominate students who are innovating the future while fearlessly pursuing their dreams.
“It is impossible to attend the Dreammakers and Risktakers event and not leave feeling optimistic about the future of our society. These young innovators and entrepreneurs will not only amaze but inspire you. This is one of the very few ‘can’t miss’ events on my calendar every year.” says ITV Executive Board member and Sensiba San Filippo Managing Partner, John Sensiba. In all, seven student projects will be featured during this year’s luncheon ceremony at the Palm Event Center in Pleasanton, hosted by NBC Bay Area’s Jessica Aguirre.
Generation Z, or people born between 1995 and 2010, is uniquely defined as a generation of “digital natives ‘ with a knack for mobilization to drive social responsibility. The roster of 2022 Dreammakers and Risktakers features students inventing new technologies to solve real-world problems and inspiring their peers to engage in social responsibility.
While the nation grapples with a worsening opioid crisis, Dublin High School Senior and 2022 Dreammaker and Risktaker awardee Ankita Khatri found a way to cut through the rhetoric and directly impact her fellow classmates. Overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl tripled among teenagers in the past two years. Khatri saved classmates’ lives by sharing a better understanding of the science and chemistry behind addiction and prescription drug abuse.
“Ankita Khatri exemplifies why we refer to the Tri-Valley as the ‘heart of California innovation’” states ITV CEO Lynn Wallace Naylor. “Using statistics and science-based anecdotal evidence, networking and her position as a community leader, Ankita’s innovation is impactful and inspirational”.
16 students will be honored for their innovations at the May 5th event.
About the 2022 Dreammakers and Risktakers Awards Event:
Join NBC Bay Area news anchor, Jessica Aguirre, Master of Ceremonies for this annual lunch event presented by Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group
Thursday, May 5, 2022 11:30AM – 1:30PM
Palm Event Center in the Vineyards, 1184 Vineyard Ave, Pleasanton
Tickets: $60 for ITV Partners and $65 for Non-Members
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About Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group:
Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group (ITV) is a collective of leaders and influencers committed to connecting the businesses, educational institutions, research labs, and civic leaders in the Tri-Valley region. ITV showcases the region as a technology and innovation powerhouse, outpacing the Bay Area mega-region in both job creation and economic growth. According to the Tri-Valley Rising report published by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the Tri-Valley is home to 450 technology companies and the regional innovation economy drives a $42 billion GDP. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
To learn more about Innovation Tri-Valley (ITV) and the 2040 Vision Plan, click here.
Media contact information:
Katie Marcel
Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group
[email protected]
