Distinguished Finalist

Medha Verma, 17, of Inverness, Ill., a senior at Barrington High School, has raised $7,000 since 2011 by making and selling custom dresses to support her "Beads of Courage Program," for which pediatric patients at Children's Hospital and Research Center in Oakland receive beads for every medical procedure they endure. Medha, who conceived of the program while volunteering at the hospital and witnessing the pain many children go through, secured sponsors to offset the cost of materials, and has partnered with crafters in India to help her make the dresses.