Why You Should Give

Your gift to SEUT helps us provide students with opportunities to think broadly and deeply about the human impact of their technical prowess, and generate insights and connections that will shape the future of humanity.

With your support, we can build a vibrant community of students and leaders who think beyond immediate profitability to a world where the latest innovations bring greater joy, peace, and meaning to our lives.  

SEUT is a tax-exempt organization under section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code EIN: 33-1747122

The impact SEUT is having:

  • Last year we had five exceptional finalists from our first annual Students for Ethical Use of Technology (SEUT) Scholarship Essay Contest. Selected from over 600 applications nationwide, these five high school students aren't just pondering the future of technology—they're actively shaping it with remarkable insight, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to ethical principles.

  • We are fostering a community of student tech ethicists and building this in conjunction with an educator community. 

  • SEUT has online content for its members (membership is free) 

  • Mentorship programs

  • Webinars and other events with industry leading speakers

You can support SEUT in the following ways:

Help us spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about SEUT and our work. 

  • Tell the tech-savvy high school students in your life about our essay contest. 

  • Share our LinkedIn page and posts with your colleagues 

  • Share our Facebook Page with your family and friends

Volunteer your time and knowledge 

  • Do you play a role in the world of data and technology? If so, join us to become a future mentor, speaker, blogger, or a judge in our annual essay contest

  • Are you a high school student and you’re interested in starting a chapter of SEUT in your school? Have ideas for our future events and content? We want to hear from you!  

  • Send us your ideas for speakers, topics, and events at info@seut.net or by commenting on our social posts

Financial contributions fund our scholarships, events, and programs. 

  • We cannot do what we do without your support. SEUT supports students and educators with online content, mentorship, events, forums, and scholarships.

  • Our goal for 2026 is to raise $10K for scholarships for high school students to use in their future studies beyond high school.

Read about our distinguished finalists from last year and those we believe will do incredible things in the future of ethics and technology.

  • Creating Inclusivity Through Adaptive Technology

    Santiago Ortega-Brown

    Growing up with a family member who faces cognitive challenges, Santiago identified that "the most significant challenge in our current use of technology is not simply access to technology, but access to inclusive technology that serves all learners."

    At a camp for students with disabilities, Santiago witnessed adaptive technology's transformative power, from helping a student discover coding through screen-reading software to enabling a child with speech difficulties to share stories using text-to-voice technology.

    "Is it ethically wrong for society not to work towards meeting individuals' needs when technology and know-how exist? Yes, it is," Santiago asserts.

    He plans to pursue biomedical engineering to create systems where "universal accessibility is a foundational principle, not a supplemental feature."

  • Data Integrity for Climate Justice

    Varsha Vijay

    Inspired by an image of a polar bear stranded on melting ice, Varsha set out to use AI for climate solutions. However, her work with wildfire prediction models and 72,000 wildfire records revealed a troubling reality: "Data isn't always as neutral, objective, or useful as we assume."

    Varsha discovered how inconsistent reporting and missing data led to predictions that overlooked vulnerable communities. She advocates for ethical data practices that empower local communities, writing: "AI is not an all-powerful solution, nor is data an unquestionable truth. They are tools, only as good as the hands that shape them."

  • Reclaiming Authentic Identity in a Digital World

    Ariana Bello

    Ariana tackles how technology reduces our lives into "trackable habits, curated content, and algorithm-fed identities." Through her personal experience and observations of her peers, she names a profound dilemma affecting us all: "In our desire to be seen, we have stopped considering whether we are being truly understood."

    As founder of her school's Film Club, Ariana encourages members to analyze how characters in art resist objectification.

    She also practices digital mindfulness, keeping some creative works private and shares— "Some poems stay folded inside drawers. Some paintings never leave their canvas.”

    "The issue with technology is not just in wires or codes, it is in the mirror it holds up to us... We are stories and souls not made for display."

  • Breaking Down Algorithmic Barriers

    Shawn Ray

    Through 900+ hours of tutoring peers via "Coding With Shawn," Shawn discovered how adaptive learning systems misinterpret ESL students' understanding as knowledge gaps.

    His response combines technical solutions and advocacy: developing data models that capture student capabilities beyond binary metrics, creating culturally responsive testing through his Code Next LMS project, and organizing "Algorithmic Bias Hackathons" where students audit educational software.

    "This systemic blindness extends beyond language barriers," Shawn writes, positioning himself as both developer and activist to bridge technical expertise with human insight.