Analicia Castaneda, Korbyn Powers, Deanna Hobbs, Justin Sleppy, Addisohn Jones, Calvin Zuelow were central in creating a digital story promoting healthy relationships, healthy sexuality, and nonviolence. They led interviews, edited footage and put together the final production.
Keahi led a Teen Buckle Up campaign at his school. He created banners,posters and a mascot; composed a buckle-up jingle and inspired a diverse group of students to spread the word about seat belt safety. Keahi went above the required activities of the campaign by bringing heightened awareness of teen driving concerns to students through peer to peer outreach.
Jessika teaches youth in her community traditional skills such as skin sewing and game processing. She also was integral in organizing a youth softball program in Kotzebue. Jessika is proud to represent her region and makes sure the youth voice of her community is heard statewide.
Reanna is on the Alaska Association of Student Governments Executive Board and is highly involved in student government. She has led events at her high school to help create a healthier environment and has created leadership conferences that involves all the students in her town.
Travis is devoted to serving his community. He is part of the group Students of Kodiak Island Learning to Lead, which went to Hawaii this past May for World Indigenous Conference on Education. Travis also helps the elders of Akhiok with everything from butchering subsistence food to pumping their heating fuel.
Stephen created a web-based voting registration app for Alaska voters. His app allows Alaskans to easily register to vote, request an absentee ballot or update their voter registration information from any computer or smart phone in the world. Hundreds of Alaskans have used his website to register. Stephen hopes that his tool will inspire young Alaskans to be active participants in democracy.
Jasmine is a self-initiated Filipino ambassador at her school. She helps new students learn the ropes from tutoring them to helping them with social skills. She acts as an interpreter between students and teachers, which is invaluable since her school has no teachers who speak Tagalog. She improves the quality of life for young people who are new to the country.
Jenna raises reindeer and brings them to educational and fundraising events. She and her reindeer have raised thousands of dollars to help homeless youth in the Kenai area from ringing the bell for Salvation Army to offering reindeer photo shoots to the public. Jenna also visits classrooms to teach students about reindeer.
Elliott volunteered with UAA’s STEM-based summer camps for middle and high school students. He assisted students with robot design, construction, programming and testing. In addition to his countless hours planning curriculum and setting up sessions he was also a mentor to the campers and inspired them to continue their interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
Brooke Estes, Jerry Swanson, Mathew Moore and Rachel Tougas helped create a 12-episode DVD series about the history of the Eastern Kenai Peninsula. They volunteered countless hours narrating and composing music for the series and made history come alive for hundreds of children who will have access to it.
Gerrit invented an ozone water treatment system for his school’s science symposium. He then developed it into a product that could provide clean, safe water in developing countries. He hopes to develop his O3 System as a humanitarian product as well as a consumer product.
Kathryn is a member of the Governor’s Statewide Suicide Prevention Council and is a leader in Anchorage for educating peers about recognizing the warning signs of suicide and how to get help. She has led talks with Anchorage School District students and helped organize a peer training at the Boys and Girls Club. She encourages others to not sit by while a peer struggles with life, but to stand up and do something about it.
The West High School IB Garden Group created an on-campus community garden where they planted, cultivated and harvested vegetables. Their entire crop was then donated to charity. Students not only gained valuable gardening skills, but they learned how locally-grown food can benefit those around them.
Schrödinger’s Hat is a team of six Fairbanks teens that builds and programs robots and does extensive outreach at the local, state, national and international levels to help promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning. The team gives presentations at schools, local libraries, university events and other community organizations. Additionally, they have given trainings both in-person and virtually for remote Alaska communities and on an international level.
Isaac created a vertical garden as part of the Fairbanks Youth For Habitat Restoration Corps. His garden was made of recycled materials such as PVC pipe, rain gutters and burlap. His ingenuity and compassion resulted in a project that provided nourishment and aesthetic for his community.
Rose organized a formal dress drive for her school’s end-of-the-year 8th grade dance. She helped collect more than 30 dresses from the community and arranged for the students to shop for the dresses discreetly. Not only did she give students the opportunity to attend a dance in style, but she also helped them with their overall confidence.
Marina is an intern at KMXT Radio in Kodiak where she has produced more than 10 radio stories. She volunteers with Kodiak’s SumArts radio storytelling camp and is a graduate of the Media Action film intensive where she produced a short film documenting the J-1 Visa controversy among Kodiak cannery workers. This year she assisted the Media Action program with their project about the 25-year anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and its effect on her community.
Alford Bankston, Kori Itta-Tomas, Kara Smith, and Esther Taalak of Barrow interned with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service exploring relationships among lemmings and endangered species. The students got an introduction to field research and were able to provide local environmental and traditional knowledge. After the season is over the interns engage in community outreach presentations about their summer experiences.
Eight middle school students from Fairbanks, Anchorage and Wasilla spent a week studying subarctic and arctic ecosystems of the Brooks Range. Students camped out and practiced non-lethal bear deterrents, installed and collected GPS data for swallow nest boxes, collected snowshoe hare pellets for a long-term population study, created research transects on the vast tundra, and observed songbird capture and identification with a researcher.
Kaila is one of three Ketchikan High School students to participate in the Vigor Shipyard training program. She had a rough start her freshman year, but after enrolling in a welding class she discovered she had a spark for hands-on work. Through hard work and dedication she has overcome challenges and achieved unexpected personal success.
