Spirit of Youth

Ashley has taken on a number of leadership roles within her school and community, including student council. She also competed in last year’s Caring for the Kenai competition, where students from around the Kenai Peninsula create, design and implement an idea to better care for their community. Her project was called “Wonderfully Worn Wardrobe,” and students could donate used or unwanted clothing for students in need.

• Home Town Soldotna
• School District Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
• Award Category Humanitarian

Denise was involved in renaming East High School to Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School, and was the only young person that testified at a school board meeting in support of the name change. Additionally, she has become a leader in her church choir, is very involved in the trio Upward Bound and participated in the Uganda and Alaska PenPal Project.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District
• Award Category Phoenix, Dreamer

While involved in the PenPal Program, which connected students from Alaska with students from Uganda, Ron emotionally supported his penpal who had been  a victim of police brutality at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement this summer. Ron also created a supportive and safe space for other students to process this story and the events taking place.

• Home Town Kodiak
• School District Kodiak Island Borough School District
• Award Category Phoenix, Visionary, Dreamer

Baily led the Nikiski Children’s Fund, and raised money to help children and families with basic needs such as new clothing items or paying utility bills. She raised money through a variety of ways, such as auctioning off a calf and community baseball games.

• Home Town Nikiski
• School District Kenai Peninsula Borough
• Award Category Humanitarian

Sage had planned on going to Canada to compete in the Arctic Winter Games, but was unable to because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He participated in several online native games challenges and was able to represent Team Anchorage, medalling in several events this fall and winter. Additionally, Sage joined practice to mentor a younger athlete.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage School District
• Award Category Dreamer, Role Model

Anchorage Youth Court is a program run by youth for youth. Members are required to take classes, pass a bar exam and be sworn in. They volunteer their time as attorneys, bailiffs and judges. They hear cases from other youth offenders.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage School District
• Award Category Humanitarian, Role Model

Jade Balansag helped create BASE (Building A Supportive Environment), a youth-led organization that aims to improve the social-emotional environment of their school. BASE has provided back-t0-school gift bags for students, fundraised money to improve their school, and developed a staff recognition program, among other things.

• Home Town Wrangell
• School District Wrangell School District
• Award Category Life Saver

Through his participation at Boys and Girls Club Fairbanks, Tajhrel took the lead in launching the BeYou campaign, which promotes that 78% of Alaska teens do not drink alcohol. With the guidance of an adult advisor, Tajhrel led a group of his peers in creating media and hosting events that promoted the organization’s mission.

• Home Town Fairbanks
• School District FNSBSD
• Award Category Role Model

Joy invests many hours each week at the front line: she connects with the homeless on a deeper level.  She serves them, helps the homeless see value in themselves, and she is making a real difference in the lives of  many homeless people—members of our community many have a hard time even seeing.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Abeka Academy

Anna Bierma has worked as an employee of Beacon Hill Boutique for two years. She is kind and considerate with customers, always helpful and willing to go the extra mile for anyone in need. She lives a life of giving, not just at work but wherever she goes.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage

David has been a member of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church for all of his life. He participates in the youth ministry and serves on the media team, operating the camera each Sunday. He also helps with Church Food Pantry. He has served on the Mayor’s Anchorage Youth Advisory Commission for 5 years. He gives input on city programs and partnerships to help empower youth in the Anchorage community.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage

In March of 2019 Daisy lost her dad to cancer. To continue his legacy, Daisy has decided to help someone in the community each year as a way to celebrate his life. Daisy asked Odyssey Family Practice to team up with her to raise money for the Food Bank. Daisy and friends held signs, sold drinks, collected money and donations, and made sure everything ran smoothly.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Kenai

Layla serves with the Royal Family Kids Camp which serves youth in foster care. She also volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club and the Downtown Soup Kitchen. She’s also the captain of several sports teams.

• Home Town Chugiak
• School District Chugiak

Ben is an active member and serves as treasurer of the Service High School Partners Club. He is also a youth leader for the Special Olympics Alaska Unified Champion Schools Program. He has volunteered hundreds of hours over the course of his involvement the last four years.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage School District
• Award Category Humanitarian, Role Model

Dakoma is the lead youth advisor for Build Them Up Alaska, an organization focused on Alaskans helping Alaskan youth participate in community service and finance youth involvement in sport and recreational activities. Dakoma has volunteered over 100 hours as a chair with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

• Home Town Big Lake
• School District Denali Peak
• Award Category Humanitarian

Baylee is a camper, volunteer turned seasonal Instructor at Trailside Discovery Camp. She is positive and inspires youth to get outside and safely participate in outdoor recreation. She is passionate about art and photography and leads multiple projects and sessions for younger kids. During summer of 2020, she also participated in building kits to be delivered to families. These kits had tangible items that could be taught via Zoom.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage School District
• Award Category Role Model, Discovery

Janny is a member of Kodiak Teen Court. As a Judge with the program, she has mentored new youth attorneys and assisted them in case preparation and presentation. She is able to listen to all sides of an argument before making a decision. As a judge, she uses the restorative justice model in fashioning sentences appropriate to the offender, the victim and our community.

• Home Town Kodiak
• School District Kodiak Island Borough School District
• Award Category Role Model

Aleena is a member of Kodiak Teen Court, where she has shown the ability to mentor attorneys and assist them in their court presentation. She has excellent judgement and the ability to ask hard questions to obtain all the facts of each case and the background of the client before working with her fellow judges to render a decision. As a judge, she understands and uses the restorative justice model in fashioning sentences appropriate to each client, the victim and her community.

• Home Town Kodiak
• School District Kodiak Island Borough School District
• Award Category Role Model

Tremain is part of an after school youth program called Youth 360. He has attended for over a year and is always coming up with unique ideas to help individuals or the group. He helps out in any way he can. He recently fixed two couches, he often fixes computers and helps older and younger youth with their science and math homework. He also helps lead the club from behind the scenes by suggesting great activity ideas.

• Home Town Wasilla
• School District Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
• Award Category Innovator, Discovery

Katelyn helps the staff at Youth 360 with anything from serving the other youth hot chocolate to holding doors open to cleaning more than her fair share of the club after activities. Being one of the older youth at the club she naturally has become a role model for the others, but she goes above and beyond that by serving and helping as much as possible and showing the youth that it’s cool to be kind.

• Home Town Wasilla
• School District Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
• Award Category Role Model