Sanika Datar, a freshman at Inglemoor High School, has had her work recognized through some elite nominations (both at state and national levels) including the recent Presidential Daily Point Of Light.

About Daily Point Of Light: In 1989, the late President George H.W. Bush established the Daily Point of Light award during his presidency to celebrate the power of extraordinary individuals to spark change and improve the world are donating their time and talent to better their communities.

Sanika has been recognized for her service initiatives and community engagement efforts with Space For Youth, her non-profit organization. She was recognized both as a Point Of Light National Honoree and for Inspiration Honor Roll that was presented during the 2021 Presidential Gala event in D.C.

She is a prominent youth advocate and is working with our City Council planning committee to promote safer bike lane standards as part of their 2022 Active Transportation Plan update. She is a Sustainability Ambassador for Kirkland and is working with a team of peer ambassadors, local changemakers and city officials to educate and promote Solar Potential in our neighborhoods. Her Vitalize-Earth-Day initiative to celebrate Earth Day with hands-on activities involving young children received a Proclamation by the Mayor of Kirkland and she was nominated as 2020 WA State Honoree by the Prudential Spirit Of Community Awards.

During Summer 2021, Sanika successfully organized her first Kirkland Children’s Business Fair event to promote Entrepreneurship among young kids. This event was a large success and attracted participation from more than 70 children from far and wide, including Oregon.

Through various initiatives under the core areas of Environmentalism, Entrepreneurship, Empathy and Equity, she aspires to build the mindset among the youth and promote these core, universal values that are not emphasized enough in the traditional schooling system.

Besides community kinship, she has a strong affinity for Science and plans to explore one of the sciences as she navigates her academic career in the future. She is the recipient of 2021 National Angela STEM award. This award honors one female student across the country who is in grades 5-8 who has shown excellence of involvement and/or has strong connection to science; evidence of sustained accomplishments or progress/interest in science; evidence that the student’s interest in science has impacted others. The objective of the award is to encourage girls to consider careers in STEM.