PC: Points of Light
Karissa Tang, a 2026 Coca-Cola Scholar from Milpitas, California, co-created the educational strategy board game Booted! with her brother, Skyden, after the pair quarantined with COVID. Which named her a Daily Point of Light honoree on 31 March 2026, the trademarked game has reached all 50 states and given more than 10,000 children access to educational play, according to Points of Light. For the initiative, she has contacted more than 1,000 institutions over two years, mainly primary schools and nonprofits serving low-income communities, and ships boxes individually or in bulk. Points of Light reports that the trademarked game has reached all 50 states and given more than 10,000 children access to educational play.
Educational Initiative, which follows a “one game bought, one game donated” model, she has donated more than $15,000 worth of games to children in 120 schools and 70 nonprofits. She said the most rewarding part of the work is receiving emails from teachers, school principals and community leaders, often on an ordinary weekday afternoon, with feedback and photographs of pupils playing the game. Tang said she found starting daunting and never expected Booted! to grow as it has. ” She also urged people to identify their “why”, which she links to her faith and its call to love others.
Through the Booted! California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber has recognised her achievement. Tang described her early work on the project as game-testing, design, making a promotional video, running a Kickstarter campaign and launching the game on Amazon. Her current tasks include refining Google search and Amazon keyword strategy, working with board game reviewers, finding retail distributors and hosting tournaments. The organisation also notes that California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber recognised her. She advised newcomers not to be intimidated, saying that “small and consistent effort when volunteering compounds real change. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
She is one of 16 people representing 400,000 young people to the board of supervisors. Her research paper on the impact of AI on teenage employment predicted a 27 per cent decline in teen jobs over the next five years. For years, Tang has spent five to 10 hours a week as a church youth group leader and worship leader, writing more than 150 newsletters and leading music sets. As a magician and Guinness World Record holder, she has performed for more than 1,000 people, including Afghan refugees and senior citizens. Points of Light adds that she has built eight mobile apps with 15,000 users and won 25 international awards as a music composer.
Beyond Booted!, Points of Light says Tang serves as a Youth Task Force commissioner for Santa Clara County. The organisation says it drew attention from outlets including CNN, NPR and Forbes. She is also president of the National Honour Society, a basketball coach and an executive board member of the Youth Entrepreneurship Association.
