Raina Gupta saw her grandparents struggle to keep track of their daily medications.
Then, she began thinking about a way to make life easier for people like them.
That spark of inspiration has now led the Willetton Senior High School student to become a finalist in the 2025 WA Innovators of the Year Awards.
Her project, called ‘Mendi Manage’, is an automated pill dispenser designed for people who take multiple medications at different times of the day.
It combines a physical device with an app that alerts users when it is time to take their tablets.
“I watched my grandparents take a long time to organise their medicines into boxes, and even then they would sometimes forget them,” Raina said.
“I thought there had to be a better way. I hope ‘Mendi Manage’ can improve people’s health because not taking medications correctly can really affect them.”
The project began as a school task, but Raina quickly took it further after she saw the awards advertised.
She applied on her own, building both the dispenser and the app from scratch.
The recognition has been exciting for the young innovator. “It was really cool to see something I was just thinking about and dreaming about actually become real,” she said.
Her supervising science teacher, Kimberley Atkinson said Raina had shown remarkable initiative in developing the project.
“Raina has done everything herself,” she said. “It is not just about having a pill dispenser with your days sorted out, it is about linking it with an app that reminds you when to take your medication. That makes it something really practical and valuable.”
Ms Kimberley added that the achievement also reflected well on the school. “Whenever we can celebrate what our students do, it is fabulous for us as a school community. This recognition shows the kind of talent and creativity that our students are capable of.”
Raina is part of the Gifted and Talented program at Willetton Senior High School, and she has long been interested in coding.
She said the awards had given her confidence to keep pursuing science and technology. “I was always interested in coding and I think this just built on it. I definitely want to keep working on more projects like this in the future.”
The winners of the WA Innovators of the Year Awards will be announced on November 3 at Crown Perth.
However, for Raina and Willetton Senior High School, being named a finalist is already an achievement worth celebrating.
