Sahara Brentor

November 28, 2023

Sahara joined the Trapper Creek Community Council in 2022-2023 to represent the youth of the community and participate in local governmental activities. Sahara developed summer Saturday sports that hosted both youth and adults to engage in physical activities such as softball, frisbee, and volleyball. In addition, Sahara and family baked or purchased items to sell […]

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Huffman Science Club Leaders

December 31, 2022

Through a partnership with the Huffman Elementary PTO, three students, Mo Narus, Skylar Berg, and Grainne Rogacki, students at South High School, started a Science Club for students at their former elementary school. They wanted to inspire young students to love science as much as they do, and provided all of the planning and supplies for […]

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Teagan Guillermo

December 30, 2022

Teagan is a 6th grade student at Kodiak Middle School with a job at a local doctor’s office – a bit unusual. In the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) program, Teagan is involved in a project to create a working rocket, hypothesizing and experimenting to hopefully lead to success. Teagan’s nominator says, […]

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Hannah Lewellyn

December 12, 2022

“Making the impossible, possible” is Hannah’s personal motto, and everything she does comes from this tremendous work ethic. Hannah participates in Lego Challenge events, developing robotic figures that challenge students’ abilities in technology and science. She has assisted younger students with the skills of coding and problem-solving, helping them to develop into worthy members of […]

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Elizabeth Djajalie

Elizabeth is a motivated innovator who loves learning. Her project titled, “Development of Seaweed Bioplastics to Alleviate Environmental Plastic Pollution,” involved testing protypes of a biodegradable bioplastic cup, with the goal of engineering a cup that could be used in place of traditional plastics. With plastic pollution affecting the oceans, this is an Alaskan and […]

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Emil Lopez

October 26, 2022

Emil Lopez believes that all young people deserve to be heard, and he’s working to bring awareness and solutions to amplify the youth voice in Alaska. A keynote speaker for a recent youth summit, Emil brings to the table an awareness of and solutions for the role of young citizens. A student at Bettye Davie East […]

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Damon Holtman

December 5, 2021

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, […]

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Darby Osborne

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.

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Shandiin “Suella” Wendell

November 24, 2021

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 […]

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Tremain Tix

December 15, 2020

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 […]

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Naomi Jones

Naomi is dedicated to Native Youth Olympics, group arts and crafts and caring for children and elders. She started a student newspaper, conducting interviews for a student and staff profile, and reporting on monthly activities. She utilizes electronic media, engages with youth writing groups by competing in writers’ conferences.

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Collin Friedli

December 14, 2020

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Collin was evacuated from his dorm room in Washington and sent back to study remotely from his parent’s house in Eagle River, Alaska. During this time, he used his downtime to help small businesses in Anchorage who were struggling economically through his brand design abilities and social connections.

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Delano Horner

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Delano devoted his personal time to equip local health care personnel with face shields at a time when personal protective equipment was difficult to obtain.

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Olivia Mashiana

December 31, 2019

Olivia Mashiana is a powerful civic community service leader. She is an active and involved member of Youth Leaders, attending the annual Youth Leader Retreat and other conferences to brainstorm and plan ways to improve the school climate. She is also involved in Student Council and school leadership. As the 11th Grade Representative, Olivia is […]

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Victoria Fisher

Victoria is a powerful civic community service leader. She is an active and involved member of Youth Leaders, attending the annual Youth Leader Retreat and other conferences to brainstorm and plan ways to improve the school climate. She is also involved in Student Council and school leadership. As the Spirit Chair, Victoria promotes a positive […]

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Candace Carpenter

December 16, 2019

Candace planned service projects to revamp the playground area. She made it look better, but her main focus was on safety. The entire community was very grateful for her efforts. She volunteers at the community hall every night to support everyone with pool, ping-pong, mini-basketball, foosball, and  make it a safe place to socialize.

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Grace Hopkins

December 4, 2019

Grace raises hundreds annually for The Door Youth Shelter fundraiser “One Homeless Night” where she builds a box city and spends the night outside. She is her school’s co-anchor for the Hawk Hit News and is highly involved in the Arts Audiovisual program. She won the state National History Day competition for her research on […]

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Aura Hutchens

November 21, 2019

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 […]

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Anna DeVolld

November 18, 2019

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.

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William Deering

January 17, 2018

Will is avidly involved in science including groundbreaking research and supporting youth STEM activities.  One of his scientific endeavors was the development of synthetic honey that can be used in medical procedures which prevents bacterial growth.  Wills unique ideas solve real world problems.

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