The Pathfinders Challenge

In summer 2026, hundreds of students turned their firsthand problems in college into creative solutions for a better student experience.

Meet the winnersarrow_downward
The prompt
Create something that helps you navigate your college journey, and what comes after.

Stellic was founded by students who struggled to navigate college. We’ve spent a decade building software for higher ed, and we want to hear directly from you about what still needs to change.

explore
Category 01

Degree Planning & Discovery

Help students chart, change, or understand their academic path.

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Category 02

Overcoming Obstacles

Help students navigate cost, paperwork, scheduling, requirements, and the friction that gets in the way.

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Category 03

Campus Connection

Strengthen community, belonging, and how students find each other.

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Category 04

College to Career

Bridge the gap between graduation and what comes next.

The winners

Three finalists at Stellic Partner Summit 2026

Out of 169 submissions, three teams presented live on stage at Stellic Summit in Philadelphia.

Dormant app on a phone showing a 3D map of campus
Grand prize · $5,000

Dormant

A live social 3D map of Lawrence that shows what's happening, where it's happening, and the social context that makes students want to go.

Nathan Wituk
Nathan Wituk
University of Kansas · Interaction Design
play_circleWatch the demo
Vivifi: stop guessing your grade
Finalist

Vivifi

A live gradebook and an interactive syllabus. Upload it once, then work with it like a living document.

Rachael Chung
Rachael Chung
Carnegie Mellon University
play_circleWatch the demo
Flightplan dashboard showing a student's weekly course schedule, saved internships, and semester goals
Finalist

Flightplan

Flightplan is a personalized college-to-career planner that helps students map their goals, discover opportunities, and navigate international student requirements.

Colleen Zhang
Colleen Zhang
Carnegie Mellon University
Oliver Gan
Oliver Gan
New York University
Alex Zhong
Alex Zhong
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
play_circleWatch the demo
Stellic Summit 2026

Scenes from the finals

Finalists on stage at Stellic Summit
Nathan Wituk accepting the grand prize
A Vivifi finalist presenting the app on the main stage at Stellic Summit
Finalists demoing their projects
A Flightplan finalist presenting on stage at Stellic Summit
Summit attendees watching the finalist presentations
Nathan Wituk talking with an attendee at the Pathfinders booths
A Flightplan finalist walking a Summit attendee through the app
A Flightplan finalist presenting the questions international students face
Nathan Wituk showing Dormant to a Summit attendee
An attendee photographing a finalist presentation at Stellic Summit
Featured submissions

More from Pathfinders

Congratulations to all who built projects for the Pathfinders Challenge. Browse the top 20% of projects in this featured showcase:

How it works

The path, start to Summit.

Stellic Summit is an annual gathering of the colleges we partner with. The top three finalists presented live in front of representatives of top colleges.

July 13
Registration opens
July 20
Submissions open
August 21
Submissions close
Early September
Finalists announced
September 23
Top three present at Summit
Grand prize
$5,000

Plus a career conversation with our leadership team.

Finalists
$2,500 ×2

Two teams take home $2,500 each.

Category winners
$500 ×4

One per category, plus a feature in Stellic’s resources.

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…and every qualifying submission earns a digital badge for your portfolio.