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.
Sherry enjoys working with children and participating in Alaska Native events. She has a passion for helping Alaska Natives in her community and hopes to be a nurse when she’s older. She was part of the Early Childhood Education program and King Career Center and has become a role model to young students.
Shantina is committed to helping her community. She has volunteered with Providence Medical Center, the Salvation Army Family Center and church food drives. She also participated in the Color of Justice community program, which promotes diversity in the legal profession.
Sara is an aspiring filmmaker and completed a gifted mentorship in video production at the Alaska Teen Media Institute. Her culminating project was a documentary film on girl wrestlers, which was shown at the King Career Center youth film event at the Bear Tooth Theatre. Sara is an explorer and a freshman she spent a year living in Malaysia. This taste for travel has given her the goal of reaching people around the world with her cinematography.
Miranda loves to read and write. She also enjoys volunteering and participating in Alaska Native dancing. She has overcome tremendous obstacles in life and would like to use her experiences to increase the number of shelters and programs for Anchorage families in need. She is willing to stand up for peoples’ rights and is a strong advocate for youth who are experiencing family hardships.
Marilee is active in her church. She helps out each summer at Vacation Bible School, is a youth leader during youth retreats, and volunteers throughout the year. Through her participation with her church she has learned to love all people regardless of their differences.
Karen is a listener. As one of eight siblings, she knows the value of mediation. She enjoys working out problems between her peers and would like to be a therapist or a sonographer when she is older. She has experienced bullying because of her cultural differences, but that doesn’t get in her way of personal achievement. Her struggle with learning English as a second language has only made her a stronger person who is determined to be self-reliant and successful.
Jocelyn is a teen assistant at Fairview Elementary School and is a positive role model for young children. She worked in a preschool classroom for one semester where she supervised young children in various activities and projects. She helps empower youth with her enthusiastic attitude and encourages them to do their best.
Diana is an ambassador for the University of Alaska Anchorage Educational Talent Search program where she mentors other students. She embraces her education with gusto and empowers other students to reach their full potential regardless of their race or gender.
Cleonik is active with his Russian Orthodox Church as a volunteer where he’s helped with citywide clean ups, church renovations and assisted at Bean’s Cafe. He promotes treating everyone with dignity and respect and teaches his siblings to take pride in themselves and where they come from.
Brianna moved to Alaska as a child and had a difficult time adjusting to the change. She transferred to several different schools over the years and struggled with making connections with people. When she settled into Service High School she was inspired by the school’s nurse to pursue a career in nursing. She has completed 250 hours in the Certified Nursing Assistant program through the Anchorage School District and plans on attending the nursing program at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Ben participated in the Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute and has goals to provide medical services to disadvantaged communities. When he moved to the U.S. from Korea at age eight he overcame many obstacles from learning English to being bullied in school because of his ethnicity. He uses his life experiences to inspire other youth who face discrimination and lack of support.
Brandy was severely bullied as a child but overcame this personal obstacle and now uses her experience to become a voice and advocate for those who are afraid to speak up. As an attorney for Anchorage Youth Court she reaches out to youth victimized by bullying and promotes peace and justice for all.
