Mexican students win global award for creativity and innovation

The proposal was developed by first-year students at PrepaTec’s Cuernavaca campus, who competed against 77 global projects.

By Elian Pérez | CUERNAVACA CAMPUS - 06/09/2025 Photo Elian Pérez

First-year students at PrepaTec Cuernavaca have won “The Joan Jacobs Creativity Award” for the most creative social innovation in the 2025 Jacobs Teen Innovation Challenge at the University of San Diego.

The Well-Spring project stood out among proposals from around the world for its creativity, innovation, andcommitment to solving a real problem, demonstrating the power of change driven by young people.

Through a prototype app, their project focused on raising awareness and supporting women going throughmenopause.

The Jacobs Challenge is a competition that aims to empower young people to become agents of change by addressing pressing social, economic, and environmental issues in their communities.

The Well-Spring prototype

Well-Spring was designed as a tool to provide information about menopause and offer emotional and informational support to women with limited access to medical services.

It aligns with the third Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations, which is to ensure good health and wellbeing for everyone.

“This award motivated me to believe in the power of creativity to make an impact on people.” - Denisse Tijera

“Winning this award motivated me to continue believing in the power of creativity to make a real and positive impact on people,” said Denisse Tijera, a student on the multicultural program.

The prototype includes ideas such as a symptom diary, an anonymous forum, medical articles, and a support network.

This idea started as an extra activity promoted by Maria Eugenia Pérez, a Health and Society subject teacher in the high school’s Science Department.

The team includes PrepaTec Multicultural program students Denisse Tijera, Hanna Martos, Leonardo Sánchez, and Ximena Navarro.

Estudiantes de segundo semestre de la PrepaTec Cuernavaca obtuvieron "The Joan Jacobs Creativy Award" por la innovación social más creativa en el 2025 Jacobs Teen Innovation Challenge de la Universidad de San Diego. — *This year, more than 7,000 students from 28 different countries participated, with 77 teams presenting projects through a video pitch. Image: JTIC25 Awards Ceremony*. Imagen: JTIC25 Award Ceremony.

Jacobs Teen Innovation Challenge

The Jacobs Teen Innovation Challenge is a global virtual competition organized by the University of San Diego in partnership with the Pactful educational innovation program, targeting young people aged 13 to 18.

Participants work in teams, guided by professors or educational leaders, and use design thinking methodologies to develop innovative solutions to problems aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

During the competition, various awards were presented, including the Most Creative Innovation Award to the PrepaTec Well-Spring team, which was presented at a virtual ceremony on May 24.

The team was also nominated for the Best Overall Social Innovation Award.

“Our students demonstrated that they can have an international impact.” - Lilia Villalba

“Our students’ participation in these challenges tests the skills they develop throughout high school and demonstrates their social responsibility and international impact,” said Lilia Villalba, Director of the Science Department.