Connection Through Invention: Suhani Gandhi’s Invention Journey

For Invention Convention alum Suhani Gandhi, invention is all about connection. Through Invention Convention Worldwide, Suhani has had the opportunity to find common ground with people from a variety of backgrounds. Whether it’s through inventing, providing mentorship or working as an ICW student reporter, Suhani has seen how Invention Convention can serve as a platform for connection. After nearly five years of participating in Invention Convention in middle and high school, Suhani now studies computer engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she continues to value the connective and inventive mindset she learned through Invention Convention.

Connection Starts with Identifying a Problem

Suhani first got involved with Invention Convention when she was in eighth grade. Her mentor, Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed, along with her mother, Dr. Shiri Vivek, worked together to launch an Invention Convention Michigan hub in the Ann Arbor area. Suhani became the hub program’s first student inventor and was closely mentored through the invention process. Her first invention, the Reinnervate, was an acupressure-based device that gave the user a 30-minute boost of energy.

While this invention solved a problem she was personally facing, Suhani’s later inventions were driven by empathy. For example, one of her other inventions, the Sitter Upper, was inspired by a desire to help her grandparents in India and other community-dwelling elders across the globe who might struggle with mobility should they experience a fall.

During her senior year of high school, Suhani gave back to the Invention Convention community by becoming a mentor to local youth inventors and serving as an ICW student reporter. After meeting with many young inventors, she recognized a common thread. “At the end of the day, the theme you end up seeing across [all inventions people create], is that they’re always inspired by either themselves or somebody that they know,” she says. “Very few people end up solving a problem that has nothing to do with them at all, [and] no problem is just yours alone.

Throughout her own journey with Invention Convention, Suhani found that problem-identification is an incredible way to connect with others, by communicating to better understand problems and inventing with empathy to create solutions for others.

Invention as a Shared Language

When asked about the skills that she’s gained from her time with Invention Convention, Suhani was quick to respond with “problem-solving.” Through her ICW student reporter interviews, she heard a similar response from many students, teachers, mentors and parents. For Suhani, it’s the problem-solving and inventing mindset that brings the Invention Convention community together. “I’ve seen a 30-year-old person who has been inventing for 15 years apply the same inventing process as a second grader, even though they’re solving two vastly different problems. That shows how variable the invention process is and how it can be applied to anything,” Suhani says. “Once you start learning the problem-solving process, it just becomes something that's in your brain.

In Suhani's experience, when problem-solving becomes second nature, it becomes easier to connect with other like-minded individuals — no matter their age or background. “In Invention Convention and at invention conferences, we see people from multiple fields coming together. They can actually communicate with each other and explain what's going on [in their inventions] because of this shared process,” she said. “I've even seen younger inventors get a lot more comfortable talking to older people than they were before.” This shared language and mindset of invention is something that Suhani experienced herself. Whether interviewing elementary-aged inventors or veteran educators, understanding that everyone was coming to the table with the inventive mindset helped her find common ground and made conversations more impactful.

Staying Connected with Invention Convention Worldwide

As a college student, Suhani fondly looks back on her journey as an Invention Convention student inventor. “I would say that Invention Convention is the leading reason behind why I’m studying computer engineering,” she said. According to Suhani, Invention Convention gave her the opportunity to obtain new skills and solve real-world problems at such an early age, guiding the path she’s on today.

As an Invention Convention alum, Suhani continues to be an ardent supporter of the organization and its programs, giving back to the community that influenced who she is today. By staying connected with Invention Convention through mentorship and the Invention Convention Alumni Program, Suhani hopes to give younger inventors the same opportunities she had, thereby allowing the next generation to experience similarly the power of connection through invention. “Invention Convention helps us see what the future is going to look like,” says Suhani. “These are the students who are going to be working, who are going to be creating things in our future.” We at Invention Convention have immense hope knowing these young inventors are leading the way to a better tomorrow.