A group of GSPIA students made it among the final ranks of this year’s Randall Family Big Idea Competition. The team of Yuliana “Nike" Ndaumanu (MPIA ‘24), Jingyan Cheng (MPA ‘23), and Simiao "May" Wang (MPA ‘24) are in competition with 16 other teams from schools across Pitt, including the Swanson School of Engineering, the College of Business Administration, and the School of Pharmacy.
The GSPIA team’s idea is the Dare to Dream Project (“DARETO”), a platform for young people striving for personal growth, developing hard skills, and training in technology literacy. For the past two months, they have participated in multiple judging rounds and worked with entrepreneurs in residence, their competition mentor, and other resources to develop their idea.
Since its inception in 2009, the prestigious Randall Family Big Idea Competition has provided an experience-based learning opportunity for Pitt students and postdocs with “Big Ideas” who enjoy working in diverse teams to bring those ideas to life.
The winning team will be announced at the Student Innovation Showcase event on April 18 and will earn a $25,000 reward.