Today we’d like to introduce you to Vedant Tapiavala, Akhil Peddikuppa, Dat Tran, and Benjamin Peckham.
Vedant, Akhil, Dat, and Benjamin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
All of the Forward Future team members had volunteered at various food pantries or helped underserved communities in other ways in Dallas during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last summer and witnessed the large influx of people requesting assistance in the form of food and housing. We saw the processes by which these pantries worked and noticed the lack of technology in these operations. Furthermore, we noticed the amount of good food wasted in our school’s cafeterias and thought of different ways to reduce the amount of food being wasted. All team members had computer science experience, and we decided we could create an app that could connect donors with surplus food to organizations that would need it.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Managing time between forwarding Future and other pursuits has likely been the greatest struggle so far. Akhil and Dat captain the Quiz Bowl and UIL Computer Science teams at their school, respectively. Vedant works on developing two other apps: AlzBuddy, an app for Alzheimer’s patients with 5,000+ downloads, and RxConvert, an app that helps non-literate individuals understand prescription labels that he works on with Akhil. Furthermore, Ben serves as the president of the Investment Club.
However, we believe in the goal of our organization and understand the impact we can have on our communities, which motivates us to continue working on forwarding our Future.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Forward Future, recently certified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has two pillars: FoodNex and chapters. FoodNex is a mobile app that connects donors to hunger assistance organizations such as food banks and food pantries. Forward Future also has chapters, which are high school clubs with goals aligned with the nonprofit. These chapters run a food drive per semester and a Forward Project, an annual project that aims to reduce food waste at the school level or higher. Generally speaking, we specialize in combating food waste and food insecurity and are probably most known for FoodNex. However, we’re most proud of our chapter system, which connects like-minded students across the country to fight one big issue. Not only are we technology-based, but we’re also a student-run initiative, which sets us apart from other programs fighting food waste.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Akhil: My favorite childhood memory was our road trip to Disneyworld. We drove from Dallas to Orlando that year, and it was fun to see all of the states we drove through. Once we got there, we had fun going on rides with characters we had grown up watching. I enjoyed the Avatar rides, especially the Flight of Passage ride, which simulated flying on a banshee from the Avatar movies.
Vedant: At the end of 6th grade, I visited India and met some of my cousins, whom I usually only get to speak to via video call. During the trip, we saw beautiful beaches and mountains with waterfalls known for flowing like milk. I also met family friends my age and played cricket for the first time. That month-long trip has remained one of my favorite childhood memories since I could not make that visit again during the pandemic.
Dat: My favorite childhood memory is playing with my cousins and friends in our old run-down apartment complex. There was this one area in the apartment that only kids could fit through, so we would be the only ones there. We would play anything from Tag to Soccer, just having fun. Once it turned to night, we’d all go back to my grandma’s house and have a nice homemade meal, relax, and watch Disney Channel.
Ben: Some of my favorite childhood memories came from elementary school recess. Growing up, recess was the one thing I always looked forward to during school. Every day, my friends and I would rush outside with a football and organize ourselves into teams. We played football every single day, and I loved it. Rain or shine did not matter to us. We would roll around in the mud, get scrapes and bruises, and tear up each other’s uniforms. My parents weren’t the happiest with me when I did this, but I just couldn’t help myself. We would all get so involved in these games. We imagined ourselves playing in an NFL stadium in front of crowds of thousands who were cheering us on. We even had kids who would referee or commentate on these matches at recess. My friends and I always talked about how we wanted to play in the NFL, and I remember that my best friend and I vowed to play on the Washington football team when we grew up. Some of my happiest days were when I got to play on the field with my friends at recess. Life was simpler then, and I made many lasting memories I will cherish forever.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://forward-future.org/
- Instagram: @forwardfuture_us
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Forward-Future-105715982232761
