“After my mom and I talked to my friend, who had type 1 diabetes, we realized that we don’t know much about it. I thought that it might be the same for many people around us, and I saw the opportunity to start doing this advocacy project.”
courts for change
M oved by the rundown basketball courts he experienced in Philadelphia, sophomore and Conestoga JV basketball player Jefferson Lin founded a nonprofit called Courts for Change. in early 2025. The organization is dedicated to rebuilding and revitalizing children’s basketball courts, particularly those in Philadelphia that were previously neglected.
Since Courts for Change is new, it has not completed any projects to rebuild courts yet. Lin is currently looking for additional board members for the organization and to build a larger team.
The organization plans to implement smaller renovations for nets and backboards in basketball courts before obtaining permission to completely rebuild them later.
Sophomore and secretary of Courts for Change Iniyan Ignaci has been working with Lin to recruit new members and begin their fundraising efforts.
“Our idea was to start with fundraisers, such as bake sales, and branch out to bigger fundraisers for sponsors,” Ignaci said.
Lin believes that restoring basketball courts not only enhances the playing experience, but can also benefit kids’ physical and mental health. He feels that these areas can provide a comfortable space for students to relax by playing a game of basketball with their friends.
“The overall goal is to try to kind of revitalize these courts and make these courts into a better place for the youth of Philadelphia because we're really just trying to target
Easttown Library on Dec. 1. They partnered with local nonpro t Breakthrough T1D to spread awareness about type 1 diabetes.
drivento make changes
“I've been playing a lot since when I was around 10. My biggest inspiration was that I was raised in Philly, so especially restoring the hoops, that's been something that I've seen many issues around Philly, especially around basketball courts. So with my love for basketball, it just kind of made sense.”
Philadelphia and just have a safe, a good place for the kids of Philadelphia to play,” Lin said.
Lin hopes to make an impact in Philadelphia through Courts for Change.
“I wouldn't say it's an easy thing to manage, but I'm truly passionate abot the nonprofit,” Lin said. “So if it's something I'm passionate about, I'll do it. Even if that means having to stay up a little bit later.”
With the realization that type 1 diabetes often goes undetected until serious complications arise, juniors Navami Muglurmath and Vivian Peng founded Type 1 Diagnoses, Education, and Screening (T1DES) in June 2024.
T1DES is a nonprofit organization that spreads awareness about type 1 diabetes and promotes early diagnosis. Muglurmath and Peng were first inspired when they noticed in conversations with friends and family that most people could not differentiate type 1 diabetes from other kinds of diabetes.
Before launching the nonprofit, Muglurmath and Peng focused on extensive research, dedicating time to understand the medical, social and emotional aspects of type 1 diabetes.
“We needed to understand for ourselves what it was,” Muglurmath said. “We used a lot of websites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Health.” Muglurmath and Peng’s research led them to a research and advocacy nonprofit, Breakthrough T1D, that focuses on advancing treatments and improving patients’ access to them. Ultimately, they hope to find a method to cure type 1 diabetes in the future.
In Dec. 2024, T1DES and Breakthrough T1D collaborated to host a guest speaker event at the Tredyffrin Public Library, where type 1 diabetes patients shared their experiences.
Besides engaging in offline events, T1DES regularly updates its website and Instagram, where it reposts helpful tips about type 1 diabetes and makes announcements on upcoming activities. T1DES has accumulated thousands of views on its Instagram video introducing type 1 diabetes awareness.
The two cofounders have run into challenges in growing the organization. One of them is communicating T1DES’ mission and goals to the larger community and encouraging involvement.
“We struggled in finding community participation,” Muglurmath said. “I think what helped us through that process was an Instagram account, where we were able to follow a lot of people from our school who were seeing the post and interacting below it.”
Currently, Muglurmath and Peng are the only members of T1DES and manage all aspects of the nonprofit. However, they hope to see the organization expand into a larger student-driven network.
Written by Nishta Subramanian and Emily Wang, Staff Reporters
Shooting high: Sophomore Je erson Lin plays basketball for the ‘Stoga JV team. Lin started his nonpro t Courts for Change to raise money and organize rennovations for basketball courts in Philadelphia.
Courtesy Je erson Lin
Je rey Heng / The SPOKE
United impact: Juniors Navami Muglurmath (le ) and Vivian Peng (right) hold up a sign promoting their nonpro t T1DES before their presentation at the Tredy rin
Designed by Emily Wang, Staff Reporter
Junior Navami Muglurmath
Sophomore Jefferson Lin