Spirit of Youth

West Valley High Sources of Strength students made an informative presentation about the importance of being professional and positive on social media platforms in order to make our community stronger. The concept is for students and people from around Alaska to join in a campaign to create a more positive climate. The students also emphasize the importance of helping others who may be a target of cyber bullying. The students designed a public service announcement about using positive cultural norms.

• Home Town Fairbanks
• School District Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
• Award Category Humanitarian, Role Model

Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (SDA) was created by and for teens and young adults, to help engage the power, energy and creativity of high school and college students in the fight against gun violence. The members have organized activities and events in their community to help spread the word about gun violence, particularly focusing on getting get gun laws passed in Alaska.

• Home Town Juneau
• School District Juneau Borough School District
• Award Category Humanitarian, Life Saver

Hartley Miller is passionate about environmental advocacy. He is an active member of the Homer Chapter of Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA). He was an inspirational speaker at the Homer Climate Strike and has been working to get the Homer City Climate Action Plan reinstated. He has volunteered in multiple civic actions and has helped the success of events and campaigns. He has also volunteered for KBCS and the Alaskans Know Climate Change education campaign at Salmonfest in 2019.

• Home Town Homer
• School District Kenai Peninsula
• Award Category Humanitarian, Discovery

As the First Officer and youth leader of Trail Life Troop AK-0226, Duffy has helped lead several service projects this past year, including helping to reorganize a storage unit for the Pregnancy Resource Center in Eagle River, preparing Thanksgiving meals for the needy as part of the Thanksgiving Blessing in Anchorage. He also watches children in the church nursery for several hours every eight weeks and has helped raise awareness about pregnancy resource options.

• Home Town Eagle River
• School District Anchorage School District
• Award Category Role Model

Autumn Carlson is currently the school president of Sources of Strength, a group dedicated to helping with suicide awareness and prevention, as well as mental health issues like anxiety and depression. In addition, she has volunteered at her school, Coastal Studies, Pratt Museum, and the local Foodbank.

• Home Town Homer
• School District Kenai Peninsula Borough
• Award Category Phoenix, Role Model

Genika took part in Alaska Theatre of Youth’s Mastery Series. This three month intensive was designed to mentor the advanced young actor into theatre leadership roles. The students were given short scripts on a theme of bullying and they directed, designed and starred in a fully-produced production. Genika starred in three of the five plays and directed a fourth. Genika is always the first one to memorize her lines, and the first one to arrive for rehearsals and meetings.

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

For the past five years, Margaret has volunteered as the childcare provider for an Anchorage area women’s AA meeting on Saturday mornings. She also helps with youth group activities at her church, assisting with service projects and youth activities. Additionally, she has volunteered to serve as host family for interns and exchange students, and has participated in the Points of Light Youth Leadership Program.

• Home Town ANCHORAGE
• School District Dimond High School
• Award Category Role Model

Love is very involved in her community. She recently held a fundraiser for her little brother to travel to New York for a journalism conference, for two years she has volunteered at Anchorage Youth Court, she worked as an intern at the University of Alaska Anchorage library to create an information learning module, and she is the youth leader at the Church of Tonga.

• Home Town Anchorage
• School District Anchorage School District
• Award Category Humanitarian

Ramese Unutoa works at the Boys & Girls Club of Utqiaġvik, where he continues to grow his passion for becoming a helpful and impactful leader to younger ones in his community. Many teenagers come to the club to check-in with Unutoa, and he does his best to make himself available to listen and offer healthy advice. He also continues to be an active volunteer in and around high school sports, including volleyball, basketball, and football.

• Home Town Utqiaġvik
• School District North Slope Borough School District
• Award Category Role Model

Aura has always had a passion for plants, animals, and living things. She discovered a neglected fish tank in one of her high school classrooms, and jumped into action to took charge of the tank herself. When Aura finds an animal in need, she not only has the desire to help it, but she also takes the time to research how best to help it.

• Home Town Fairbanks
• School District Fairbanks North Star Borough
• Award Category Innovator, Discovery

Kevin is a strong member of Facing Foster Care in Alaska. He mentors youth from all ages ranging from 13-25. Kevin fights hard to help foster youth around Alaska. While he is only 18, he has worked with political members like City Mayor Jim Matherly, Vice-Chancellor Keith Champagne, Former Governor Bill Walker, and others to spread his message.

• Home Town Fairbanks
• School District
• Award Category Phoenix

Dustty Heckel volunteers with the Salvation Army and has helped with Operation Santa for the last 3 years by wrapping gifts, stuffing backpack with snacks, bathroom supplies, packing boxes and getting them ready for shipping. On an average week Dustty can log over 30 hours a week volunteering.

• Home Town Eagle River
• School District Denali Peak Correspondence

Shyanne Heckel volunteers with the Salvation Army and has helped with Operation Santa for the last 3 years by wrapping gifts, stuffing backpack with snacks, bathroom supplies, packing boxes and getting them ready for shipping. On an average week Shyanne can log over 30 hours a week volunteering.

• Home Town Eagle River
• School District Denali Peak Correspondence
• Award Category Humanitarian, Role Model

Dakoma Epperly-May is the current Alaska State Fair Teen. Dakoma is the youth chair on youth coalition for Healthy Voices Healthy Choices. Dakoma volunteers with the Salvation Army and has helped with Operation Santa for the last 3 years by wrapping gifts, stuffing backpack with snacks, bathroom supplies, packing boxes and getting them ready for shipping.

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

Anna has developed a program called Promote Our Pollinators. This insightful, ambitious project strives to educate the public about the importance of pollinators and to provide easy to implement ways to support these essential creatures. Anna is educating hundreds of students, seniors, and business and community members about the importance of pollinators.

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

Despite being born with a rare genetic disorder Ashley thrives on finding ways to give back. She started the Blessing Box program with the Anchorage School District. She was invited by the Superintendent to speak to all the principals in the district, the Mayor of Anchorage and the Governor to get her program going.

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

Trevor works to promote Native values. He has been very active in Native Youth Olympics. In addition to participating on the school team he is always recruiting others and teaching them the skills needed. He was a student-leader at the recent Elders and Youth Conference and presented an NYO workshop to demonstrate the history of these events.

• Home Town Fairbanks
• School District Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District
• Award Category Dreamer, Role Model

Nanieezh Peter is one of four teens who were inspired to take action due to their personal experiences with climate change in their communities.  In their resolution they wrote about the severe impacts climate change is having on Indigenous ways of life and the spiritual and cultural well-being of Alaska Native communities. Their resolution declares a climate emergency and creates a climate action leadership task force to advance Indigenous voices and advocate for strong climate policies that will ensure the survival of future generations.

• Home Town Fairbanks
• School District Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District
• Award Category Discovery

Brandon is student body President at Service High. Through his roles in Student Government he has led many projects including the Miracle Minute to buy gifts for children in the Child in Transition program. When Brandon realized a few youth didn’t have a basketball team he organized a team to ensure they had the opportunity to play.

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

Zoe created the Sandwich Project at Palmer High School. She makes lunches for kids so they have food over the weekends. This project that she initiated started by helping six kids and has grown to now serving students grades K-12 in the immediate Palmer area to ensure that youth have something to eat while they are not at school. All fundraising and donations have been led by Zoe. She started by just making the meals in her home, since the project has grown so much she has moved it to the high school where the National Honor Society helps her put the meals together.

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