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2007 Silver Winners
CANDICE BAREFOOT
Dinwiddie High School | Dinwiddie, Virginia Candice is positive about life. She works hard to succeed in all that she does, but also works hard to remain optimistic and cheerful through it all. Rodeo is a huge part of her life and has led to many skill awards including 2006 State Finals Champion C-1 Division Header and Year End Reserve C-1 Header for the Virginia Cowboys Association. Winner of numerous sportsmanship awards; Candice is especially proud of those from the Mid-Eastern Team Roping Association and the Virginia High School Rodeo Association, as they showed her “the impact a smile or simple ‘good luck' can have on a person.” Rodeo is not the only area where Candice excels. Ranked third in her class, she is involved in the National Honor Society and the Student Organization for Developing Attitudes, as well as junior class president. Candice's many successes and contagious optimism make her an excellent leader. She also serves as vice president of her church youth group and president of the Ruri-teens Community Service Club. “Having been raised in a rodeo family, my life revolves around hard work and dedication. Taking care of horses, practicing my events, and competing in rodeos…has taught me the importance being a good competitor and a good sport.” Candice counts herself lucky to have such a supportive family, and believes that her family and community have led her to become the responsible and respectable young woman she is today.
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MARGARET ELIZABETH BECKWITH
Stafford Senior High School | Fredericksburg, Virginia Margaret is a very competitive person and is driven by success. She strives to be well-rounded and endeavors to do her best whether in school, on the sports fields, or at work. During her career at Stafford, she has been named student of the year in earth science, honors English, world history parts I and II, biology and creative writing. Not only a top player on her soccer team, she also works diligently to improve her track times. Though having little background in business law, she studied the book and placed first in her regional Future Business Leaders of America competition -- then went on to take third at the state level before even finishing the course! Chosen a delegate to Girls State, she will also participate on the Washington Youth Leadership Tour this summer. Margaret is also very active in her school and community. She is a student mentor at her school and helps organize activities that encourage high school kids to respect themselves and others. As an active member of the National Honor Society, Margaret functions as the Virginia Department of Transportation Road Service chair and organizes roadside clean-ups for her school. She is captain of the school's Battle of the Brains team and is a member of Young Republicans and FBLA. She is a leader for RSVP (Raise Student Voices and Participation), through which she tries to improve her school by collecting student recommendations and suggestions. Outside of school, Margaret has worked with Special Olympics and the YMCA Sunshine Group; a summer camp for developmentally-challenged kids. She has been a camp counselor for three years and is a local soccer and basketball referee.
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MARI KAI BENNETT
Henry Sibley High School | West Saint Paul, Minnesota “I am a leader, who knows when to listen and take initiative,” writes Mari Kai. An example she cites occurred when her gymnastics team was struggling because many team members were themselves struggling with personal issues. Mari Kai called the team together and opened the discussion by talking about what she was going through as a result of her mother's diagnosis of cancer. Other members poured out their own emotions and struggles, and as they did the team bonded as never before. Mari Kai will be the gymnastics team captain in her senior year. Scholastically she stood fifth in her class of 348 at the end of her junior year and is a member of the National Honor Society. She is a member of Link Crew, an organization of junior and senior students chosen to act as positive role models for younger students; co-founded her school's environmental club; and is chairperson of the school dance committee. As a gymnast she was all-conference, all-section and all-American, and a first place all-around winner. But her athletic achievements are not limited to gymnastics: Mari Kai is also captain of her school's soccer team. Mari Kai is involved in her community through several important projects. She raised funds in support of the Plymouth Neighborhood Foundation, an organization with a goal of ending homelessness; organized a fundraising effort to benefit a young student who was the victim of a hit-and-run accident; and is active in her church's Third Sunday Meals program, which serves nutritious meals to the area's poor and homeless.
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GLORIA CORALY BOLOHAN
Rex Putnam High School | Clackamas, Oregon Born in Romania, Gloria has only been in the US since she was nine but has adapted well to the challenges of life in a new country. She is junior class president at Rex Putnam and ranks fourteenth in her class of 377 students. She is chairperson of her class prom, leads her school's Link Crew program and is involved in homecoming week planning. She has numerous responsibilities in chairing her school's blood drives, and participates in food drives to help the needy in her community. A few years ago Gloria decided to learn tennis, and despite her relatively late start is now a stalwart on the varsity squad. Gloria is also associated with the Locks of Love program, whose participants grow their hair long in order to donate it for hairpieces used by people with illnesses. In just a few years Gloria appears to have become not just an all-American girl, but one destined for considerable success in life as well. Recognizing that she has choices and that those choices have positive or negative ramifications, she selects her friends and associates with care. “My friends are awesome!” she writes. “We share the same goals and have fun no matter what we do.” But she credits her hardworking parents and religious faith for her successes, saying of her parents, “I know how much they have worked in their lives and how far they have come.”
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KEM CHATFIELD, JR.
Miami Carol City Senior High School | Miami Gardens, Florida Kem is not easily deterred from his goals. If he wants something, he will go out and make it happen! At one time, Kem concluded that the clubs and activities available to him were insufficient, so he took it upon himself to expand the possibilities. Founder and president of his school's Social Studies Honor Society, he also revived two organizations which had become inactive: his school's Key Club, and The Boys' Mentor Group, which works to guide and tutor at-risk inner city boys. As vice president of his church's youth group, Kem has organized a variety of fundraisers and community service activities. He also participates in an organization called My Backyard, through which he tutors and mentors middle school students. Not only a skilled leader, Kem is also an excellent student who ranks in the top 5% of his class and is a member of SECME, a technology-oriented program through which he is able to broaden and expand his science and math skills. In his free time, Kem has a new twist on the “three Rs.” He loves to read, write -- and wrestle! His stories have earned many awards and, through them, Kem has found a way to inspire others. Wrestling gives him a way to test and improve his perseverance and endurance, and to prepare himself to take on life's obstacles. “My mother, first and foremost, gives me [more] support and comfort than anyone else. She encourages me through all of the trials and tribulations,” says Kem. The influence of his mother and of his late step-grandfather has given Kem, and will continue to give, the strength and motivation to succeed.
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JENNIFER CHAU
Mainland Regional High School | Linwood, New Jersey Jennifer, ranked second in her 374-member junior class, is a member of the National Honor Society and has received awards for both her musical talents and community service. She has even taken extra courses to improve her academic acumen! Both at Mainland Regional High School and in the community, Jennifer's involvement is impressive. She participates in her school's political science club, ecology club and Key Club, for which she edits the newsletter. Her mock trial team took top honors in a county-wide competition. She also participated on her school field hockey team and enjoys swimming and playing golf. Jennifer is also an accomplished musician, playing the clarinet, piano and trumpet -- the latter in a jazz band – and has composed music for the church band in which she plays. is founder of the Asian Interest Club at Mainland Regional. Jennifer has served significant volunteer time with the American Red Cross. “It makes me feel good to be able to help others,” she says. She has received the prestigious American Red Cross Community Achievement Award for Youth. She has performed volunteer work at local homeless shelters and through organizations including Key Club, the ecology club, and a school organization called Youth Eager for Service. Jennifer attributes her drive and ambition to her mother. “My mom works extremely hard to support me and (other) elderly people in our family…She is like my best friend and I am able to tell her everything.”
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JANICE CHO
Los Alamitos High School | Los Alamitos, California Janice is a second-degree black belt who took top honors in poomse competition at the Korean American Open International Marital Arts Championship in September 2006. Ranking in the top one percent of her class of over 700 students, she is enrolled in three AP courses and enjoys challenging herself academically. Also an accomplished dancer, Janice writes that “dance has made me realize that I could express my emotions and communicate with the audience not just through words but also through movements of my body.” Janice is treasurer and future president of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA); tutoring coordinator of an academic club, California Scholarship Federation (CSF); and vice president of Safe Rides, which provides confidential free transportation for area teens on weekends. As a member of the Spanish Honor Society, she tutors students in Spanish during school lunch breaks. Outside of school Janice has volunteered at the John Douglas French Center for Alzheimer's Disease (JDF Center). “My volunteering experience at the JDF profoundly impacted my life,” wrote Janice. One goal she would like to achieve is to aid in “finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease.” Janice has great respect for her parents, who left their native South Korea to create a better life here in the United States. “My aim is to expand my knowledge,” said Janice, “to always try my best, and to succeed in the future for both my parents and me.”
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WHITNEY LATRESE COOPER
West Nassau High School | Callahan, Florida Whitney is a born leader and shows it in many ways in her school and community. She has a high academic rank in her class, has an extraordinary service record and is listed in “Who's Who Among America's High School Students.” She is president of her junior class, district vice president of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), president of the prom committee and secretary of her chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Whitney also is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), the varsity cheerleading squad and the varsity tennis team. Whitney works as a cashier at a local supermarket, full time during the summer and part time during the school year. She also founded a community project called “Students Caring for Students”. This organization is designed to help students who come into contact with vital or serious situations requiring financial help. Whitney has over 250 hours of community service, and last year was awarded the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award for her work at Callahan Intermediate School. Some of her personal accomplishments include top honors at FBLA public speaking competitions, teaching herself to read sheet music and play the clarinet and becoming a finalist in a recent Florida Junior Teen Pageant. In addition, Whitney received a service award from the Okefenoke Rural Electric Membership Corporation and will tour Washington, DC, with her fellow winners this summer.
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ASHLI CORNWELL
Lumberton High School | Lumberton, Texas Ashli has distinguished herself through her scholastic and creative abilities. She ranks third in her class and takes numerous demanding AP courses. Her creative abilities center around her school's chapter of the International Thespian Society (ITS), in which she serves as treasurer and historian. Ashli and a partner were one of the top duet-acting pairs in a recent state ITS competition and advanced to the national level. She has received numerous acting, dramatic reading and interpretive awards and performed the role of Shelby in Steel Magnolias at a mainstage production her school presented at another ITS convention. In addition Ashli is an accomplished poet and has taken home many medals for her readings and interpretative skills. In other activities, Ashli is secretary of the French Society, a member of the debate team, an active member of the National Honor Society and a representative on the student council. She writes for her school's newspaper, is an accomplished poet and participates daily in University Interscholastic League activities, also taking part frequently in UIL poetry-reading competitions. Most of her community service is through her church, where her work includes sign-language interpretation during services. Her other community service efforts have gone to projects ranging from Chamber of Commerce raffles to hurricane relief through the Salvation Army. Through many difficulties, Ashli's parents have done everything they could to support her. Ashli speaks especially highly of her father, writing “I owe all my success to my father who taught me to be responsible and hardworking.”
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CRAIG FLATH
La Quinta High School | La Quinta, California Craig is a leader both inside and outside of the classroom at La Quinta High School. He is ranked second in his class, and has maintained straight As throughout his tough International Baccalaureate schedule while also taking on the responsibilities of ASB junior class president. In addition to his record in school, Craig has also been successful as an athlete. He achieved a black belt in the martial art style moo duk kwan, and was inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame and the Filipino Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Craig's artistic achievements are also notable. He is passionate about photography, and his work was recently chosen “best of show” at the Riverside County Date Festival. He is currently taking International Baccalaureate photography and hopes to display in more art shows next year. Community is very important to Craig and he enjoys putting that into practice by volunteering. He helped to organize a silent auction fundraiser for a mission trip at his church, and he was the designated photographer for an event held by the Girls Scouts of America. Because of his interest in medicine, he will volunteer at Eisenhower Medical Center this summer. Craig plans to pursue a career in medicine and has already chosen radiology as his specialty. He attributes many of his successes to his parents, and feels that their involvement in his life has helped him receive the best education possible.
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KELLI BRIANNE HEATH
Valley City High School | Valley City, North Dakota “I am a hard-working, honest, loyal, down-to-earth girl,” states Kelli. She adds that she “always gets things done. I'm constantly moving from choir to band, to church, to sports…I never sit down.” Kelli is a top student at Valley City, is junior class secretary-treasurer, captain of the school dance team and top-ranked player on her tennis team. For the past three years her softball team has won the state title and they will compete for a national title in summer 2007. As a singer, she is a soloist with the school's swing choir. Outside of school Kelli teaches Sunday school, is an instructor of a hip-hop dance class and has significant work experience during summers and during the school year as well. She works at a day-care center and at a fall concession called Corn Maize -- a giant maze of corn stalks. “I either help lost adventurers or help in the concession stand,” she says. Kelli helps raise funds for projects she is involved with. She sells tee-shirts to raise money for the dance team, sells bracelets to support her softball team's trip to the nationals, and is organizing a dodgeball fund-raising effort as well. Both of Kelli's parents are very active in her life and she calls them her “heroes.”
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JASMINE HU
Lynbrook High School | San Jose, California Jasmine says it best: “I am a dreamer, an explorer, [and] an avid reader who gulps books down whole. I am happiest when I am creating something, whether it is a short story or an oil painting. I love winding roads and Beatles songs…I subscribe to the belief [that] literature is a bridge-builder, a way to connect with others' experiences and empathize.” Jasmine certainly has a passion for learning. She maintains a 4.0 average and is self-studying for three AP courses not offered at her school, “solely because the subjects fascinate me.” Unlike many other high-school students, Jasmine believes that “GPA is just a silly, forgettable little number, but the insight I've gained through discussion and personal investigation and application will be forever valuable.” Jasmine seems to succeed in whatever she tries. She is a varsity swimmer, a varsity parliamentary debater for the speech and debate team, editor of her school literary magazine, and publicity manager of PAWS, an organization that works with local animal shelters to raise awareness of issues such as animal abuse, unfair stigmatization of pit bulls and animal adoption. Jasmine has a loving and supportive family. She has learned much from both her maternal and paternal grandparents, who experienced many hardships in China. “Their worldliness and humanitarian efforts have made me conscious of the importance of global awareness,” says Jasmine. Both her parents' and grandparents' efforts have instilled in Jasmine a deep passion for literature, learning, and life.
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MATTHEW JOHNSON
Lumberton High School | Lumberton, Texas John Wesley once said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, as long as you ever can.” Matthew holds this quote close to his heart and wants to live his life “doing all the good [I] can do.” Matthew is ardent about many causes, but since his brother was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, his passion for helping families in need has deepened. He was instrumental in fundraising efforts for both his brother and a local student having the same type of cancer. “I believe that my Eagle Scout rank is my greatest achievement thus far,” he writes. For his Eagle Scout project, Matthew led a team to build a 122-foot fence for his church parsonage as well as to construct a patio cover. In addition to his project, he has served his troop in many roles of leadership responsibility. Matthew's leadership strengths have been recognized in other arenas as well. He was elected to attend a leadership conference by the Congressional Youth Leadership Committee, is an active member of his church's youth advisory council, and was chosen to write a speech for a 9/11 memorial service at Lumberton High School. “My family is a very loving and nurturing family; moreover, we are a very strong family,” says Matthew. He feels blessed to be a part of such a close family and believes that he owes many of his successes to them.
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FARIHAH KHAN
Miami Carol City Senior High School | Miami Gardens, Florida Not only is Farihah president of both the SECME and Science Honors Club at her high school, she's also a National Honor Society Member and ranks first in her class academically. She has received awards for church and stage performances, and her artwork has recently provoked the interest of some prestigious institutions of higher education. Although successful in all of her academic subjects, Farihah feels that her "motivation and success [come from her] community service projects." In August 2006, she created Project Pinch a Penny to raise money for starved and malnourished children in the African nation of Congo. She has also participated in Project Downtown, which feeds and clothes the homeless in downtown Miami, and in fundraising for the Ronald McDonald house. Says Farihah: "These projects provide me with a sense of pride and meaning.... I feel as though the 'big picture' of me is nothing without them." Farihah has an enormous family, and a lot of her drive comes from her grandmother, who came to America penniless but managed to support the entire family -- which these days numbers about forty-five people! "Everything that she has done, for not only me but my entire family, is very difficult to repay. My entire struggle to become successful in this world is to repay her," Farihah writes. Although Farihah has expressed interest in working to help support the family, her parents believe strongly in the importance of her receiving an unhampered education.
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MEGHAN LACOVARA
Pine Bush High School | Pine Bush, New York Meghan is a three-sport varsity athlete at her school, and says that her most memorable and important successes have been in field hockey, which she's been playing for the past five years. She's captain of her team and has been selected to play in a national tournament next fall. Although she loves sports, she says "education is one of my top priorities," and she has the grades to prove it: her GPA is 97 out of 100! She challenges herself with a rigorous course load that includes honors, college, and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes and is ranked 19th among her 500-member class. Recently, she won the 2007 Leadership Award from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Although swamped with school and sports, Meghan still finds time to babysit, participate in Girl Scouts, and provide leadership as treasurer in her school's student government. Since she's a certified lifeguard, she works summers as a swim instructor for young children through her school's continuing education program. She also puts her sports skills to use by teaching basketball to elementary school girls. She works hard at home too: as the eldest of five children, she is "the leader and role model." Currently, she is working on her Gold Award through the Girl Scouts program, and is designing a project that extends beyond her local community: she is creating a library for a hometown soldier and his unit in Iraq by collecting books from schools, churches, and local businesses, and adding a personal touch by enlisting elementary school students to make bookmarks and write letters.
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DAVID LEBOEUF
South High Community School | Worcester, Massachusetts David maintains a perfect 4.0 grade point at his school and is junior class president. In addition, he has started a business and is a published poet! The business involved collecting information concerned with course work, writing course syllabi and presenting the text in a graphically pleasing way. His efforts were so successful that he was others hired him to type and prepare reports, forms, letters of recommendation and other items of communication. David was also hired as a teaching assistant by the school biology department. His school-related activities are numerous. In addition to his duties as class president, he is a member of the National Honor Society; is incoming commander of the Kitty Hawk Air Society (a branch of the Air Force Junior ROTC); is captain of the school's mock trial team; and is past president of the student-led Arts and Humanities Executive Board. While on this board, David and a friend used their terms to establish a literacy tutoring program at a local elementary school plus a middle school band instruction program. David takes pride in his writing ability and recently was honored by the Grand Council of the Knights of Vartan for an essay he wrote commemorating the Armenian genocide. He has written political reports for the Youth Noise website, and one of his poems was published in American High School Poets: Topical Trilogy. David has juvenile diabetes and volunteers as a camp counselor at a day camp for diabetic children. “I work principally to earn capital to fund my educational goals, and also to learn how to be a responsible citizen,” he writes. He is also involved in the Barton Center for Diabetes Education and serves as the Worcester Ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He has volunteered for a group called Africa Action, which initiated a campaign to urge an end to the Darfur genocide. Living with juvenile diabetes, David was told his condition would hold him back. With the help of supportive parents, he has focused on making the most of his abilities, saying “I pride myself in knowing that I have taken all of the negative aspects in my life and constructed them into a positive foundation.”
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MEGHA C. MAHIDA
Oakdale High School | Oakdale, California To say that Megha is a scholastic super-achiever would be an understatement! She has had a straight-A average every year in high school. This year she has not only taken seven courses at a time, but has also enrolled in credit courses at a local community college. She has won writing awards and is a member of the writing program for gifted youth at Stanford University. Megha is an active member of Service Club at her school, serving as its secretary and vice president over the past two years. Through this organization she helped organize events at local elementary schools such as Read Across America and Global Awareness Day. Megha is secretary of her school's chapter of Interact, an organization sponsored by Rotary International. As a member of Interact she has participated in Trees for Troops, a program which collects and sends gifts to troops serving overseas, as well as another program which collects and distributes prescription glasses to poor people in Mexico. She is a founder of her school's science club; has participated in a school group called the Protecting Health and Slamming Tobacco Coalition; is a member of a local hospital junior auxiliary; tutors at elementary schools through a program called After School Idol; and participates in a Relay for Life event in her community each year. Currently Megha is working on her Girl Scout Gold Award and hope to complete its requirements by the beginning of her senior year. Megha aspires to become a physician and to work internationally with Doctors Without Borders or the Peace Corps. She says her parents are a great influence, but also credits the third graders she has grown to know through the After School Idol program. Says Megha, “I went into the program with the mindset that I would be a role model for the children there, however I found myself being influenced by the children.” In effect the children became role models for her.
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HAFSA MUNSHI
Kerr High School | Houston, Texas Hafsa is motivated by the desire to improve her community. With her kind of desire, there is no question she will make a difference. Inspired by the crisis in Sudan, Hafsa co-founded Students for Humanity, whose main purpose is to reduce racial tensions at the local level and progress upward to global change. As a board member, Hafsa both assisted in writing the constitution and helped the club gain formal recognition. Hafsa also spends much of her free time volunteering with community organizations such as the Shifa Clinic, a free clinic designed to prevent and cure illnesses for the poor and disadvantaged. At Kerr High School, Hafsa has secured a reputation as a leader. President of the National Honor Society, she is also a member of the Key Club and historian for Future Business Leaders of America. The Speech and Debate Club, for which she has been public relations officer and is incoming co-captain, has claimed much of her interest and energy. Hafsa qualified for state in the original oratory category and runs workshops for novice debate students. Ranked first in her class, Hafsa is always looking for ways to challenge herself. So far she has taken over fifteen honors courses and is currently enrolled in four more! A self-proclaimed perfectionist and overachiever, Hafsa strives to be the best at everything she does. She has even been known to hula-hoop for over seven hours! The drive and stamina Hafsa has shown hula-hooping shine through in everything she does. She aspires to be the owner of a no interest bank that will help the poor and disadvantaged move up in the world. With her motivation and determination, there can be little doubt she will achieve that dream and much more!
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SAM POST
Juneau Douglas High School | Juneau, Alaska Sam is a self-motivated, high-achieving student athlete. He works hard to be the best he can, both on field and in the classroom. In 2006 his club soccer team won the Alaska state championship and he was selected for Team Alaska to play indoor soccer in the 2006 Arctic Winter Games. All the while Sam maintains a 4.0 average and is ranked first in his class! “I am motivated by a curiosity to learn more about how things work,” says Sam. This curiosity has driven Sam to excel in science. His attention to detail and pride in workmanship were rewarded when Sam won the Southeast Alaska Science Fair with his project, “The Effects of Wing Curve on Lift.” At Juneau Douglas High School, Sam is constantly looking for ways to raise money for his clubs and teams. His has fundraising efforts have included raffles, advertisements, chorebusters, and bake sales. In addition, as a member of his school's Interact Club, Sam participates in a spectrum of community service activities. Beyond school and extracurricular activities, Sam still finds time to both work and volunteer. He has worked for Juneau Parks and Recreation, the Juneau Public Marke, the Riverbend Rally; and the State of Alaska Department of Transportation. In addition, Sam regularly volunteers to cook and serve food to those in need. Sam cites his parents as the primary role models in his life, “My parents are certainly the most influential people in my life… I feel I can rely on them and will always look up to them.”
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DONNA QUACH
Franklin High School | Seattle, Washington Donna is a successful scholar-athlete and is committed to serving her community. She is an academic star at Franklin High School and has received the Paul Robeson Scholar Athlete Award on several occasions. Donna's election as captain of her soccer team reflected her outstanding ability to communicate with others, her enthusiasm, and her passion to succeed. Donna displays dedication to her community through both school-related and outside activities. At her local community center she is a member of Junior Achievement, holding the position of marketing manager. She and her fellow JA members donated a significant portion of their earnings to the local community center to fund recreational activities for teens. In addition, Donna is an officer of the Key Club, the Asian Student Association and the National Honor Society. With these clubs she has participated in numerous fundraisers for organizations including UNICEF, the Salvation Army, Puget Sound Blood Center and Northwest Harvest. Outside of school, Donna volunteers at Jefferson Park and Recreation. She has worked with them for four years and participates in projects that benefit the local community. As coordinator of the Teen Advisory Council, Donna has organized many community events and even wrote a grant application that earned the organization a $3,000 award! Donna hopes one day to become a psychiatrist or to found a nonprofit organization. She is very aware of how much her parents sacrificed by moving to the United States, securing a better future for the family, and because of this has made education and success a major priority in life.
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KYLE SCHWAB
Tanapolis High School | Mill Valley, California Kyle is a responsible and dependable student who knows how to lead. He takes on a lot of extracurricular activities, but still sticks to his commitments in school, work, and creative commitments. As a high-ranked student in his class at Tanapolis High School, Kyle always gives his best efforts. He strengthens himself by taking challenging classes. “Going to school is my main job and I need to be good at it to succeed later in life,” says Kyle. Outside of the classroom Kyle is also a hard worker. In his free time he is a construction employee. Unlike many, however, Kyle does not just use his construction skills to make money: he volunteers his time on renovations at the Marin Audubon Society. Kyle also holds the responsibility of advisor at the Career Center, where he will deal with all the scholarships for the entire Tanapolis School District. Beyond his employment and volunteer responsibilities, Kyle is also co-founder and co-president of Junior Statesmen of America, organizing out-of-school events throughout the state of California. In addition, Kyle is an accomplished jazz musician, whose school band traveled to New York and won a silver medal in the big band category. Kyle cites his friend Avery's mother, Cathryn Ramin, as the person who has most influenced his life. He views her family as his own second family, and feels blessed that such wonderful people believe that he will be successful.
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ROMY SHANE
Chaparral High School | Scottsdale, Arizona “I strive to work to better the community,” writes Romy. “I strive to be an individual and encourage others to do the same…” There is no doubt that Romy is dedicated to making her community a better place. She has organized several fundraising efforts for both the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As the Interact Club service chair, she leads events nearly every weekend. With over 100 members to consider, that is no small feat! In addition, she is spearheading the effort to launch an international service project in South America. At Chaparral High School, Romy is also a leader in academics. She continuously challenges herself by taking AP and honors courses. She maintains a 4.45 GPA and is in the top 6% of her class. Romy's time at Chaparral High School has given her the opportunity to discover her passion for art. She pursues this passion by taking honors art classes, and continues to feel a sense of fulfillment whenever she is painting or drawing. She also finds joy as a member of the tennis team. The combination of her participation in tennis and her outstanding scholastic record has earned her the Arizona Interscholastic Association Scholar-Athlete Award for the past two years. Romy gets her inspiration and drive from her mother and brother, whom she cites as the biggest source of support in her life. Of her mother Romy says, “She inspires me to be a better person and reach for the stars no matter how much adversity I will face.”
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SONIA STREETER
GW Fowler High School | Syracuse, New York “In my life I have gone through a lot of challenges that have created the respectable young woman I am today,” writes Sonia. She certainly has become what she so modestly describes, and her passion for working with children and fellow students has led her to become a wonderful role model for them. She participated in a three-week internship where she helped students with science and creative writing. Ardently interested in helping those whose lives are touched by cancer or other life-threatening illnesses, she volunteers as a Camp Good Days counselor, gives time at three day-care centers, and has helped to raise money for organizations including St. Jude Children's Hospital and Dream Street. Sonia is a role model to many students at the local elementary school as well. For the last three years she has been a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor and, through the Jenna Foundation for Non-Violence, she teaches fifth graders about the importance of non-violence. Scholastically, Sonia consistently excels. She has been on the merit, honor, or high honor roll every grading period, is a member of the National Honor Society and is ranked nineteenth in her class. Sonia also participates in Master Minds, a trivia game show. This year she was named team captain! “I participate in things that will make me a better person and will move me along in life,” says Sonia. Despite the challenges she has faced, Sonia remains positive and motivated. With the support of her mother and her friends, Sonia will continue to pursue her educational and life goals.
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ALYSSA WANG
Allen D. Nease High School | Ponte Vedra, Florida “I am motivated by passion and I have a great passion for all of my interests,” says Alyssa. Alyssa's passions are many and multifaceted. She is an excellent student, a committed social servant, a talented singer, an actress, and more. Scholastically Alyssa is top student. She maintains a 4.68, has received two academic letters, made high honor roll, and was featured in Who's Who Among High School Students. Singing is one of Alyssa's favorite hobbies. She has received multiple awards for her singing including a superior rating at the Federation for Solo Art Song and second place in the local Brass ring competition. Along with her singing, Alyssa also loves to act and sew. She was cast as the lead in Blood Wedding, the International Baccalaureate production and she sews many of her own clothes. Alyssa has organized a variety of fundraisers for Relay for Life and the Cultural Diversity Club. Her work with Relay for life helped to raise over 3,000 dollars! She also participates in community service activities with 4-H, where she teaches club members how to become young leaders and role models. Alyssa is motivated by a desire to make her family proud. Her mother's hard work inspires her to work hard to achieve success and with her kind of passion there is no doubt she will.
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SHANE WILLIAMS
North Platte High School | North Platte, Nebraska Shane has distinguished himself through his ability to lead. In everything he does, whether scholastic, athletic, or artistic, Shane is ahead of the crowd. Shane has earned 39 merit badges as a Scout, and has capped his Eagle Scout standing by receiving the bronze, silver and gold palm awards. “My favorite passions are music and academic excellence,” says Shane. Once again in these categories he has distinguished himself as a leader among his fellow students. As a member of the National Honor Society, Shane strives to challenge himself and has achieved an academic letter each year of his high school career. Musically, Shane participates in the honor choir of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Not only was he selected as an alternate tenor for the Nebraska All-State Choir, but he was also nominated for the Your Chorale, String, and Wind Ensemble European concert tour and the Sounds of America Honor Band and Chorus. As if that weren't enough, Shane also is squad leader for the marching band, co-captain of the football team, and an actor who has played the lead role in two high school musicals. In addition to his extra curricular activities, Shane is dedicated to serving his community. His mother's volunteer efforts exposed him to community work at an early age. Now, Shane says, he volunteers on his own without encouragement. He believes that his many years working as a volunteer with adults and youth alike have helped him become the leader he is today. He has been nominated for the NEBRASKA Land Days Harris Wofford Youth Service Award for the past two years and also received the Prudential Spirit of Community Award for his extraordinary volunteer efforts. Shane lives with his parents, his younger brother, and the family beagle, Jake. He is thankful for having such a supportive family and for the values they have worked so hard to instill in him.
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