Speak With Courage

Every child deserves to speak without fear.

Speech challenges can make a child feel alone, misunderstood, or afraid to speak up.

Speak With Courage was created to help children with speech and communication difficulties feel supported, confident, and heard.

WHO WE ARE

A student-led movement helping children speak with confidence.

OUR INITIATIVES

Workshops, toolkits, resources, and mentorship for children with speech challenges.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Connecting families, schools, and experts to build a more supportive community.

GET INVOLVED

Help us raise awareness and support children on their speech journey.

About Me

I'm Hrishi Datta Terlapu

I created Speak With Courage because I want to help children feel confident in their voice and their communication. Every child deserves to be heard and supported. Through consistent encouragement, practice, and mentorship, I hope to give young people the resources needed to express themselves with confidence.

I am a high school student interested in medicine and service. I have completed 50+ hours of physician shadowing, tutor refugee students, serve as Vice President and Treasurer of a Robotics & AI Outreach Club, and have helped raise $31,000+ for education and community causes. I am also an AP Scholar with Distinction and a Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award recipient.

My Mission

Speak With Courage initiative helps children with speech and communication challenges build confidence, find helpful resources, and feel supported.

My goal is to make sure every child to feel heard, understood, and brave enough to use their voice.

Honors and Awards

Guinness World Record Certificates_edite

Guinness World Record Participant – Largest Simultaneous Hindu Text Recital

AP Scholar with Distinction – College Board

Guinness World Record Participant – Largest Carnatic Band

National Honors Society

Presidents Award Gold_Silver_edited_edit

Gold Presidential Service Volunteer Award

Leadership

1 / Vice President & Treasurer, Robotics & AI Outreach Club

Introduced refugee students to Python programming, robotics, and artificial intelligence through classes, workshops, and competitions.

2 / Fundraiser Coordinator, Fantastic Four

Led fundraising efforts that raised over $31,000, collected 328.8 pounds of candy for military families, and supported educational and community causes in the USA and India.

My Research

Stanford Mini Fellowship Medical Program

Studied molecular imaging, including tracers, radiochemistry, luminescent imaging, cellular imaging, and how AI supports clinical research and treatment.

Wrote a 2-page abstract/report and connected this research to EMT training by learning to view patients through both a whole-body and cellular-level perspective.

NASA GeneLab for High School (GL4HS)

Studied NASA omics datasets to analyze how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect genomic and transcriptomic changes in organisms.

Created and presented a space biology capstone project, strengthening skills in bioinformatics, data analysis, and computational biology.

Medical Experience

Medical Shadowing with Dr. Srilakskhmi Chavali

I shadowed doctor during patient rotations, observing assessments, diagnostic reasoning, post-hospital care planning, and compassionate communication between healthcare teams and patients.

Plano Children Health Hospital Summer VolunTEEN

Served as a hospital volunteer, assisting patients and families, managing visitor flow, providing directions, and supporting staff with daily operations.