Damon ran an after school game club at Howard Valentine School in Coffman Cove. He organized the games and taught children how to play them. He also helps provide fresh vegetables to his community through his work with the gardens, greenhouses and livestock at his school. The school is then able to offer these healthy, fresh options to its students through the breakfast and lunch program.
Isabelle is a talented actress and has performed in almost every school and community theater production in Sitka for the past four years. The performances she’s involved in help share important social, emotional and intellectual messages. They also entertain and help viewers escape from their daily challenges.
Deszerei has started and continues to grow her baking business in Sitka called Deszerei’s Delights. She makes home baked sweets like cookies, cakes and macarons. She recently expanded her business to include weekend sandwich specials like a turkey wrap layered with cream cheese, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
During Tyler’s sophomore year of high school he became very sick. He was life flighted down to Seattle with a life threatening disease. He battled for his life in intensive care for many weeks. This did not slow him down academically or socially. He worked from home to catch up on his missed school work and ended the year with all A’s and one B in his classes.
Dylan has provided social and emotional support through his participation in the arts and as a caring young adult. Several students at Sitka High School have been impacted positively by Dylan when they were at a low point in life.
Darby runs the group Youth for a Sustainable Future. They are currently looking at removing plastic silverware from the school. This has been an ongoing issue that Darby has been deeply passionate about. Darby has given school-wide speeches to educate and create awareness around the issues of climate change.
Stephen is one of two students who were on the Sitka School District Smart Start Task Force, a group created to formulate a plan to safely reopen schools after the Covid-19 pandemic started. His input and perspective helped the group create and continue to form guidelines needed to safely reopen schools in his district.
Ben is the Student Advisory Representative on the Mat-Su Borough School District school board in Wasilla. He’s an advocate for youth in his home community and in the state of Alaska. He looks for the good in people, the science in issues facing young people in Alaska and manages his workload with level-headedness and modesty. He also recently started a podcast called “Real Talk with Real Youth” that aims to host thoughtful conversations about the pandemic.
Dakota is a natural leader. She is caring and helpful. She often helps with younger youth at Youth 360. She assists them with science projects and cooking projects, among others. Overall, she helps keep an atmosphere of respect and harmony.
Despite a family tragedy, Hannah remains a positive force at Youth 360. When Covid-19 hit, she stayed positive from afar and joined many virtual chats. If she notices someone struggling, she lends a helping hand by inviting them to chat or play online games. When she’s out in public, she politely reminds others of the seriousness of Covid-19 and why wearing a mask right now is important.
Suella is a facilitator and communicator of powerful and important social issues. Most recently, she has been focusing on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MAMIP) epidemic, bringing outreach to her community through her projects, participation in community events, and social networking. Suella is an ambassador of Alaska Native issues. She testifies at committees on Native children, works on podcasts with the community and keeps a dedicated presence of how we can all help.
Mia is working with KSTK 101.7 FM in Wrangell, Alaska to create a podcast series about the Tlingit language. By broadcasting Tlingit phrases and their English translations, she is helping to preserve the language Indigenous to her community.
Michael is actively involved in his community. He is the youngest member of The Veterans 4th of July Parade Council, Inc., a member of Anchorage Youth Court, a volunteer at Mobile Food Bank, a member of the Model UN, and a founding member of the National Honor Society at Steller Secondary School.
Arnan is president of Student Council, leads several school clubs, is deeply involved with band and made it to all school state a few times. As president of Student Council, he takes time to help better his school and those around him, and as a leader of several other clubs helps inspire joy and excitement. He takes time to help students with their homework and is there for them when they need him.
Hawwah Taylor flagged down an Anchorage Police Officer to report a woman being attacked and directed him down a bike path. The officer reported that the male suspect could have seriously injured or possibly killed the female if not for the quick reactions of Hawwah.
Muhammad Taylor flagged down an Anchorage Police Officer to report a woman being attacked and directed him down a bike path. The officer reported that the male suspect could have seriously injured or possibly killed the female if not for the quick reactions of Muhammad.
Douglas is a Native Tlingit freestyle rap artist. He frequently raps about his home of Klukwan. He is an advocate for music, his peers, for Native Alaskans, Tlingit culture and creatives everywhere. He speaks with intent in his raps and is always looking for solutions despite living though and enduring very troubling experiences.
Robert is involved in the Alyeska Ski Club and is a participant in the Native Games and the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. He voluntarily teaches and coaches his fellow ski team members in the Native Games. He has worked with local media to set trapping regulations for the State of Alaska in order to make trapping safer for others in the community. He also started his own business to sharpen knives and has designed and made his own traditional knives.
Mia helps to beautify Cordova by picking invasive species and helping to maintain the local native plant garden. She helps with community recycling efforts and to organize a youth-led march to garner support and attention for climate change. She is also an advocate for her generation — she serves as the student council representative to the School Board. Through all of her experiences and accomplishments, she remains level-headed, calm, reflective and enthusiastic for the next opportunity.
E has been a powerful example of LGBTQ inclusion. During the first year with the Anchorage Youth Symphony, E was instrumental in crafting Alaska Youth Orchestra’s revised Concert Black attire requirements, setting a nationwide example of this classical music norm, which has historically been gender specific. That revised policy has been shared with every youth symphony organization in the United States and has been used as the new standard for gender inclusive policy within that sector.
