Medha Gupta
Student at New York University, Podcast Host and Founder of the Debugged Podcast at the Congressional App Challenge
New York, New York, USA / Asian/Asian American
👩 she/her/hers
🎓 Pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science and Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology at New York University
🎓 Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
😁 Medha and her brother were born on the same day at the same time although they are four years apart.
Medha creates solutions to address struggles faced by young women, such as an app to help them walk home safely from bus stops.
ABOUT HER WORK
Medha has been advocating for equality in computing since the beginning of high school and has always viewed computer science as a tool to alleviate sociopolitical issues. Her journey began after she decided to create an iOS mobile application to solve her problem of feeling unsafe while walking home from school. After teaching herself Swift through websites, Medha’s app, SafeTravel ended up winning the 2017 Congressional App Challenge and the 2018 Technovation Social Innovation Award. Medha also regularly volunteers to teach coding, CAD/3D printing, and robotics with Girl Scouts, community centers, and Girls in Technology. Medha mentors high school students, and founded, hosts, and produces a podcast called Debugged, where she dispels the seemingly intense barriers to entry to technology for middle and high school students.
WATCH & DISCUSS
Watch: 16 year old wins apps challenge
Discuss:
What was Medha’s motivation for creating an app?
If you created an app, what problem would your app solve?
What would be the name of your app and why?
OTHER RESOURCES
Saree Not Sorry (podcast designed to provide a youthful and funny outlook on growing up as a South Asian in the United States
ARTICLES
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Ideas for creating your own app
Resources to create your own podcast
(be sure to read the Terms and Agreements for each resource for age usage restrictions)
Audacity (downloadable for both Windows and Mac)
WeVideo (desktop and mobile app)
GarageBand (Mac OS)
Soundtrap (online available)
Anchor (read the terms and agreements) (must be 13 to signup)
ADVICE TO YOUNGER SELF
Medha first learned computer science in elementary school.
“If I were to talk to my 9 year old self who was just learning how to code NXT Robots, I would tell her that the journey ahead of her is going to be extremely rigorous. Not only will she learn to be confident, responsible, and trust her own intuition, but also how to solve difficult problems, approach vagueness with specificity, and create her own initiatives. I would advise her to remain resilient and trust the process because she has a lot to learn but she’s just getting started.”
