Community News

Dragon Kim Foundation Fellows Entertain and Educate Kids at Carnival

 

by: Dan Pittman
Published: August 10, 2026

 

 

SANTA ANA...High school students who are members of the 2026 Fellowship cohort of the nonprofit Dragon Kim Foundation - http://dragonkimfoundation.org. – recently participated in the annual Carnival  for Kids  presented by Illumination Health + Home held in Santa Ana.

The teens entertained and educated hundreds of kids from the low-income and homeless families in Illumination programs and in the surrounding school districts with engaging hands-on projects modified for younger kids.

The projects included:

The Limitless Labs teens, Ashley Chun, Sana Rehman, and Sudheera Polu of Gretchen Whitney High School, held a booth where kids were able to assemble their own Lego cars and test them out on a race track. This activity gave them the opportunity to demonstrate their engineering skills as well as watching their craft be used for fun activities.

Project Speak’s Beeta Barkhordar of Mission Viejo High School, and Maxwell Tran of Corona Del Mar High School hosted a bottle ring toss game where children could win toy microphones as prizes. The activity encouraged fun, confidence, and engagement while giving kids an interactive experience they could enjoy with their families throughout the event.

Talking Points teens  Ethan Shapiro and Krish Prem of University High School
hosted interactive communication games like "This or That?" and "Sell Me This Pencil" to help children develop quick thinking, decision-making, selling, and persuasion skills in a fun environment. Kids practiced speaking into a microphone, built public speaking confidence, and took home candy.

The Mindset Mission teens Jasmine Mazloumin and Sophia Trinh of Corona Del Mar High School had children play a basketball game where they had unlimited chances to make a shot. Instead of rewarding them only for making the basket,  their persistence was celebrated by giving them a squishy toy after they kept trying until they succeeded.
Also participating was Creative Labs, which was founded by Foothill High School students Carson Ly and Robert Padilla, and judged the 2023 Dragon Challenge winners. Their hands-on chemistry experience delighted children.

“We are proud of these motivated high school students and applaud them for bringing attention to important issues they have identified in their communities,” said Dragon Kim Foundation CEO  and Co-founder Daniel Kim. Photo:DragonKim