Mahima Subramaniyan and Devangna Jadeja, two Indian American students from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, have won the top $10,000 prize in Net Impact 2025 Community Innovation Challenge.
Their DinéLink team impressed judges with their $12 million sustainable connectivity program for the Navajo Nation, where only 33% have reliable internet, compared with 97% nationally, according to a media release.
Reflecting on their win, Subramaniyan and Jadeja said, “Designing this Social Impact Program and participating in the Community Innovation Challenge has been incredibly meaningful for both of us.”
“We’re deeply grateful to Net Impact and Cisco for creating a platform where ideas like ours can grow. A special thank you to our Cisco Mentor, Sean Cherry, for his guidance, and to Ethan Tacheene, an ASU Student from Many Farms, Navajo Nation, for trusting us with his stories, which shaped our perspective and the direction of the program,” they said.
“The entire experience strengthened our commitment to community-centered innovation, and we hope this program becomes a meaningful step toward bridging the digital divide,” the duo added.
Net Impact, in collaboration with Cisco, organized the global student case competition designed to generate tailored social impact programs based on Cisco’s technology and services.
Students were asked to propose how to leverage Cisco’s portfolio of technologies and services to design a custom corporate social impact program for the global technology firm. The criteria were to drive meaningful community impact in a specific city or region and deliver business value for Cisco.
The challenge received 84 applications from 12 countries. The top five teams were selected to pitch their ideas at the Final Showcase. With the support of United Airlines, they travelled to Cisco’s campus in Research Triangle Park, NC, where they presented to the final judging panel of Cisco executives, competing for prizes totaling $17,500.
HealthHorizons, led by Priya Rao of the University of Connecticut, Julia Kuang of Wellesley College, and Grace Chen of Swarthmore College, won the $5,000 second prize.
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HealthHorizons proposed addressing critical healthcare access challenges in Greene County, Alabama — a “dead zone” where only 50-55% have internet access, 27% live in poverty, and chronic disease rates are among the nation’s highest.
Third place $2,500 prize went to OncoALERT, led by Dr. Jayanti Kumari and Sweta Pandey from the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute in India.
OncoALERT proposed combining AI-powered oral cancer screening devices with Cisco’s networking infrastructure to deliver remote diagnostics in rural India.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate these winning teams who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and strategic thinking in leveraging technology for social good,” said Net Impact CEO Karen Johns. “Cisco’s partnership on this initiative has provided emerging business leaders with invaluable experience in driving social impact through innovative business solutions. These winning proposals showcase the power of combining cutting-edge technology with deep community understanding.”
Net Impact, with almost 300 chapters in over 40 countries, focused on impact, engages over 50,000 students and professionals annually, according to the release.