“To me, America is a promise that we should all care for each other, no matter who’s watching.”
For Vikram Dasa ’29, that belief shows up in both his words and his actions. This summer, his response to the question “What does America mean to you?” earned first-place honors in America250’s America’s Field Trip contest. A panel of current and former educators selected 125 first-place awardees from students in grades 3–12 across the country, recognizing original work reflecting the creativity, curiosity and civic spirit that will shape America’s next 250 years. Vikram recently joined Good Day Columbus to talk about his winning essay and what the experience has meant to him.
Watch Vikram's Good Day Columbus interview.
Vikram has already found his own ways to make a difference. After noticing the concessions available while traveling for basketball tournaments, he wondered what Wellington Athletics events could offer and pitched an idea. That experiment grew into Snacks for $uccess, a student-run concessions club with more than 20 members that has generated $2,700 in revenue while giving students experience in sales, data analysis and financial decision-making. More recently, volunteering at food banks led Vikram to notice another problem: fresh produce could spend days in distribution centers before reaching families. “I could fix something about this,” he recalled thinking. This summer, he founded Harvest Forward, a nonprofit that works with local farms, gardens and community organizations to connect surplus produce with people who need it.
Snacks for $uccess leaders Sophia Scott '29, Sasha Swarthout '29, Vikram Dasa '29, Ahmad Awan '29, Jasiri Dial '28.jpg
Writing is another way Vikram is finding his voice. Before his America250 recognition, he earned first place and a $1,000 scholarship in VFW Post 7005’s Voice of Democracy essay competition. And his latest writing award came with an opportunity to explore something new: As a first-place America’s Field Trip awardee, Vikram chose a trip to Yellowstone National Park, marking his first visit to a national park.
Asked recently about his future, Vikram said he is still figuring out where his interests will take him, but the nonprofit sector is already one possibility. Wherever that path leads, he is learning now how his interests, ideas and talents can become ways to contribute.