Mark Leschinsky is an American student and change-maker who has gained recognition for his contributions to the fields of education, the arts, and invention.

Mark Leschinsky
Public headshot of Mark Leschinsky
Leschinsky in 2023
Born
United States
NationalityAmerican
Known forSocial entrepreneurship
TitleFounder of Student World Impact Film Festival
Awards
  • Diana Award 2023
  • 2024 Coca-Cola Scholar

Education

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As of 2024, Leschinsky is a student at Stanford University (Stanford, CA).[1]

Social Entrepreneurship

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Prior to attending Stanford University, Leschinsky founded the Student World Impact Film Festival or SWIFF, a student film festival that does not charge submission fees and that prioritizes underrepresented students.[2][3][4][5] Since December 2020, Leschinsky led his organization to spotlight 12,156 young filmmakers from 149 countries.[6][7][8][9]

In 2023, Leschinsky's leadership and humanitarian work led him to receive The Diana Award[10] from the British Royal Family along with being named a Prudential Emerging Visionary by Prudential Financial.[11] In 2024, Leschinsky was named a Coca-Cola Scholar by The Coca-Cola Company.[1][12][13][14][15]

Advisory Roles to NGOs and NPOs

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In late 2023, Leschinsky became an advisor to multiple socially-driven organizations, including UNICEF at the United Nations, Nickelodeon, PBS, and the Association of Children's Museums.[16][17][18] As a young advisor, he provides organizations with advice on growing their initiatives focused on youth agency and change-making.[19]

Inventing

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In 2014, to protect healthcare workers fighting Ebola in Africa, Leschinsky developed a novel design for a hazmat suit, which was self-disinfecting.[20][21][22][23][24] In 2015, he was inducted into the National Gallery for America's Young Inventors at the National Museum of Education in Akron, Ohio for his design.[25][26][27][28] Leschinsky received a United States Patent for the "Self Disinfecting Protective Garment" in 2016 (patent number US9392824B1).[29][30][25][31][32] In 2023, a second Patent was received for a "Wearable Air Sterilizer with Slidable Face Shield" (patent number D986510).[33]

Leschinsky has also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for his invention of a snack-on-the-go recorder, the "Eat-Corder."[34]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Doyle, Doug (2023-03-28). "Prudential Emerging Visionaries winner Mark Leschinsky of Mahwah, NJ is changing the youth film festival landscape". WBGO. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  2. "North Jersey teen named a 'visionary' for starting an international student film fest". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  3. "New Jersey youth recognized by Prudential Emerging Visionaries program". 2023-02-21.
  4. "Mahwah Teen Founds Festival To Create 'Equitable' Film Community". Mahwah, NJ Patch. 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. by. "SWIFF 2023: Global Storytelling thru Film – UVI VOICE 2.0". Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  7. Donham, Madi. "New Jersey Teen Makes Filmmaking Accessible for Youth Around the World". Points of Light. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  8. "Finalist Award for Best Documentary Announced at 2023 Student World Impact Film Festival". Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  9. FREEMAN, LAURA. "Lifelong Hudson educator inspires documentary by young inventor". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  10. Roll of Honour 2023 Diana Award on diana-award
  11. "Prince William and Prince Harry Unite for Award in Name of Late Mother Princess Diana". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  12. "Our 2024 Semifinalists". Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  13. "Our 2024 Coke Scholars". Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. 2024-02-15. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  14. Strauss, Eric (2023-02-23). "Mahwah teen 1 of 25 nationally to be named 'Emerging Visionary' by Prudential". ROI-NJ. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  15. "Prudential Financial names its next Emerging Visionaries". www.hawaiinewsnow.com. 2023-02-21. Archived from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  16. https://assets-global.website-files.com/63d69cbfa1d7b497810a4372/64da4f5946f840f94d1a73ca_2022-23%20SWIFF%20Impact%20Report%20(Compressed).pdf
  17. "NEI high school student video contest winners visit NIH | National Eye Institute". www.nei.nih.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  18. Prudential (2023-02-21). "New Jersey youth recognized by Prudential Emerging Visionaries program". WFLA. Archived from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  19. "New Jersey youth recognized by Prudential Emerging Visionaries program". Bloomberg.com. 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  20. News 12 Staff (2020-03-02). "Mahwah teen invents self-disinfecting hazmat suit for health workers". News 12 - New Jersey. Retrieved 2023-10-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. "Eight-Year-Old from Mahwah Invents 'Self-Cleaning' Ebola Hazmat Suit". Mahwah, NJ Patch. 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  22. "Gifted, talented 8-year-old inventor tackles Ebola". Dispatch Argus. 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  23. Library of Congress. "Letters About Literature Winners".
  24. "Gifted, talented 8-year-old inventor tackles Ebola". Dispatch Argus. 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  25. 25.0 25.1 "Meet Mark Leschinsky: Camp Invention Alum Turned Inventor | National Inventors Hall of Fame®". www.invent.org. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  26. Ohio, The University of Akron. "mark leschinsky coronavirus film rbc alumni". The University of Akron, Ohio. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  27. "Mark D. Leschinsky | National Museum of Education". www.nmoe.org. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  28. "Inventive New Jersey siblings prove that good ideas can come at any age | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  29. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/5e/85/b9/f2fba6baf28b54/US9392824.pdf
  30. "Generation Make: The Nine-Year-Old Who Wants To Stop Ebola - video Dailymotion". Dailymotion. 2015-10-12. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  31. NJ.com, Myles Ma | NJ Advance Media for (2014-12-09). "Mahwah 8-year-old invents Ebola hazmat suit (VIDEO)". nj. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  32. "Inventive New Jersey siblings prove that good ideas can come at any age". Washington Post. 2022-02-02. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  33. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/08/1d/70/f31198f4ea7da6/USD986510.pdf
  34. Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Clip: Fallonventions: Eat Corder - NBC.com, retrieved 2024-07-15