Transform Rhode Island Scholarship
Giving Rhode Island youth a voice, and power to change our communities with the greatest need, one big idea at a time.
The Transform Rhode Island Scholarship (TRIS) gives voice to young people who have ideas and want to make a difference in the Ocean State’s communities with the greatest need. TRIS also serves to remove barriers to higher education. If you had $1-million how would you change Rhode Island? We’re listening.
Scholarship Information
Now in its third year, TRIS is designed to seek out their most creative ideas from high school students on how to transform the Ocean State in the areas of education, skills training, business, healthcare and housing. Additionally, TRIS is designed to help clear financial barriers for high school students who want to further their education.
Leadership Rhode Island’s work with Siya Singhal.
Papitto Opportunity Connection Partners with Leadership Rhode Island to Make 14-year-old Siya Singhal’s Million-Dollar Idea Come to Life.
2022 Winner: Mariam Kaba
In 2022, almost 100 high school students from across Rhode Island applied for the first Transform RI Scholarship. Meet the five incredible winning students, whose ideas can truly change their communities.
Restoring The Villiage: Mariam Kaba
It takes a village to restore a village. Woonsocket High School senior Mariam Kaba, the Papitto Opportunity Connection 2022 Transform Rhode Island Scholarship (TRIS) winner, has spent the last year collaborating with a team from Leadership Rhode Island (LRI) to execute her vision of making her hometown of Woonsocket a better place to live and work.
2024 TRIS Scholars
Sebastian Connolly (Winner)
Classical High School
Sebastian’s Winning Idea –
Sebastian’s big idea would use $1 million to fund the administration, transportation, and compensation costs for an inter-school tutoring program.
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Adrian Bautista
Providence
Adrian’s big idea is to create a traveling job center that provides resources and support to individuals experiencing homelessness.
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Naomi Delgado Pedraza
Central Falls HS
Naomi’s change-making idea is to create an art therapy program to help children and young adults struggling with mental health challenges and those with disabilities, trauma, social, cognitive, behavioral, and physical conditions.
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Pummukau Harris
The MET School
Pummukau’s big idea is to create community hubs across Rhode Island, called Narragansett Footprints, that celebrate the diversity and richness of Rhode Island’s cultural heritage.
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Mariely Madera
Moses Brown
Inspired by the time she spent teaching art classes at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic last summer, Mariely returned to Rhode Island and developed Art Matters.
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Folajimi Olagundoye
Blackstone Valley Prep
Folajimi knows first-hand that social anxiety can profoundly impact a child’s self-esteem. Drawing from his own experience as a youth who suffered from a rare medical condition, Folajimi developed Compassionate Connections.
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Caroline Kanaczet
St. Mary’s Bay View
Caroline’s big idea is to expand and provide basic resources at public libraries for people most in need. The library always welcomes everyone and provides equal access, and most libraries are accessible to all on bus routes.
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Zachary Jean-Philippe
Cranston West
Sweet Talkers is a multi-sensory platform aimed at empowering young children with speech and language impairments to learn to speak through baking. By merging speech therapy techniques with hands-on activities, we help develop language and confidence in a fun environment.
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Katelyn Santilli
LaSalle
After learning about food insecurity and the lack of access to healthy food that people experience throughout the country, Katelyn created Grandma’s Kitchen to help those here in Rhode Island.
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Jason Lebrun
LaSalle
Jason’s big idea: EmpowerUp Entrepreneurship is a program for BIPOC communities designed to educate students about business, cultivate their creativity, and enhance their entrepreneurial skills. Jason’s program also offers a platform to voice concerns and to address issues within the community, thus contributing to the creation of a safer environment.
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Reyan Datta
Moses Brown
Reyan aspires to transform Rhode Island by elevating digital literacy amongst underserved students, enabling them to create lasting stories and express themselves through their own digital creative art.
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2023 TRIS Scholars
Siya Singhal (Winner)
The Wheeler School
Siya’s Winning Idea –
Crossing Borders, Creating Bridges – providing youth access and connecting elementary schools to non-profit cultural organizations through interactive seminars to create cultural confidence.
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Adriyonna Lockhart
Rogers High
Adriyonna’s change making idea is to create a family support center for BIPOC families and single parents struggling with food insecurity, housing, and the increasing high cost of childcare.
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Darius Ajakaiye
Moses Brown
Darius’ big idea is an immersive gaming experience built around life lessons, learning, career awareness and workforce development. Hiis focus is to combine education with fun where youth already are (gaming), making it an easy way to reach them in the future.
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Donovan Turner
Classical High
Donovan’s change making idea is to create a program that offers ESL classes and provides its students with childcare services and transportation.
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Ellie Vest
Moses Brown
Ellie’s big idea is to partner with local businesses to create internship opportunities, which will be accessible in a convenient website and app. InternXRI will put the internship opportunities directly in the hands of RI’s BIPOC teens.
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Jayden Chagnon
The Met School
Jayden’s big idea is to create “The Art & Maker Bus,” designed to provide access to creative learning opportunities, arts and entrepreneurship training to RI’s BIPOC communities and offers exposure for artists of color.
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Keyla Cintron
Johnson and Wales
Keyla’s change making idea focuses on transforming unused areas into temporary living spaces for the homeless.
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Krystallyah Ratsabout
Dr. Jorge Alvarez High/Rhode Island College
Krystallyah’s big idea is centered around a multi-faceted leadership program that would educate students about their culture’s history and, in turn, empower them to help others embrace their identity.
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Nicolas Upegui
North Providence High / Yale University
Nicolas’ big idea is anchored around a mentorship and enrichment program specifically for students of color through BIPOC mentors. The program would help students build confidence, critical learning skills, and leadership skills, while simultaneously destroying prejudice.
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Zachary Pinto
Shea High School /Emerson
Zach’s big idea is to create street medicine teams that would bring critical services to RI’s homeless population, people struggling with addiction and those facing mental health challenges.
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2022 TRIS Scholars
Mariam Kaba (Winner)
Woonsocket Career & Tech
Mariam’s Winning idea –
Develop a program that offers career exploration, financial literacy, provides mental health wellness opportunities for young people of color and restores communities through dedicated activities.
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Daisha Jackson
The Met / Study Abroad
Yoga4All: Yoga Mats with a QR code that would provide constantly changing information on health and mental wellness.
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Isabelle Mitchell
The Wheeler School
Create an annual BIPOC festival to celebrate the job and strength of the BIPOC communities.
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Jalisa Ramos
The Met School / RIC
Urban Agriculture Project: to create sustainable urban agriculture projects to combat food insecurity and create access to healthy foods.
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Ziondre Ogiba
The Met / RIC
A program that combines athletics and education to combat summer learning loss.
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Submit Your Ideas
Only by listening, can we truly help change narratives.