WELCOME! Thank you for joining 21st Century Leaders' annual Georgia Youth Leadership Awards presented by WarnerMedia. We're thrilled to have you back in-person and online with us as we celebrate youth leadership, and specifically honor 21 high school leaders and 21st Century Leader students from around the state of Georgia.
Tonight, we are reigniting opportunity together for every young person who has the potential to become an empathetic leader in their communities and their future places of work. Through the support of tonight's sponsors, we will be providing $11,000 in student grants to the awardees, and through everyone's contribution you will be reigniting change and impact for the more than 1,200 students we serve each year. Thank you for making that investment and commitment to the future - an investment we've been making together for 33 years! - Kate Hewitt, Executive Director, 21st Century Leaders (21CL)
OUR MISSION 21st Century Leaders® is a non-profit organization that connects, transforms, and inspires high school students across Georgia to leverage diversity, explore career opportunities, and become leaders in their schools, communities, and ultimately the workforce. www.21stcenturyleaders.org
Georgia Youth Leadership Awards 6:00 p.m.
Doors Open - Registration, Cocktails, Silent Auction, Passed Hors D'oeuvres
7:00 p.m.
Welcome + Dinner Matt Johnson, 21CL Board Chair Isabella Cavienss, 21CL Student, 2021 GYLA Awardee
7:45 p.m.
Opening Act Viji Burma, 21CL Student Introduction Maria Flores Blackburn, 21CL Board & Alumni, GYLA Co-Chair Okema Jackson, 21CL Board, GYLA Co-Chair Georgia Youth Leadership Awards Forward Thinking Resourcefulness Leverages Diversity Service-Oriented Reigniting Opportunity Together Chance Mack, 21CL Alumnus, Junior Board Chair Lauren Flanigan, 21CL Alumna, Junior Board Vice Chair WarnerMedia Student Leadership Award Michael Quigley, WarnerMedia Closing Remarks Maria Flores Blackburn & Okema Jackson, GYLA Co-Chairs
DINNER MENU Salad: Almond apricot salad with belletoile brie Entrée: Mushroom, sun dried tomato and chèvre stuffed skin-on chicken breast + rosemary au jus Vegetarian Entrée: Zucchini and yellow squash ‘pappardelle’ + basil infused rustic pomodoro Dessert: Mascarpone cocoa mousse + fresh berries and biscotti; coffee
GEORGIA YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS March 19, 2022 | Reigniting Opportunity Together
OUR VOLUNTEERS Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped make our 2022 Georgia Youth Leadership Awards possible.
Event Co-Chairs: Maria Flores Blackburn + Okema Jackson Auction Committee (comprised of 21CL Alumni): Bridget Gorta - Chair, Cristy Jones, Brandon Ona, Jordan Purcell, and Peyton Callanan GYLA Coaches (all Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40 awardees): Monique Bell, Susannah Darrow, Chandra Farley, David Felfoldi, Marty Fleischmann, April Jackson, Dr. Shaneeta Johnson, Jesse Lindsley, Kari McFarlane, Ying McPherson, Amanda Mewborn, David Minnix, Dr. Adriane Randolph, Dr. Alicia Shelly, Mari Sifo, Antrell Tyson, Stephen Vault, Rachel Weitz, Ryan Woods, Stephen Smith, and Kat Taylor
Special thank you to our Board of Directors, Advisory Council, Junior Board, the entire GYLA Selection Committee, and our in-kind and auction item donors!
A GIFT FOR YOU We're sharing a custom 21CL Coca-Cola + Cookie with each guest! B Be sure to grab it on your way out the door as a token of our appreciation. www.21stcenturyleaders.org
AWARDEES AMELIA AKINS
South Paulding High School, Class of 2022 Amelia Akins is the founder of a STEM-focused 21CLub at her school and is especially passionate about STEM careers and sharing her love for science with others in her community. As a member of Chief Science Officers International (CSO), she connects with like-minded students from around the world to foster an emphasis on STEM learning inside and outside of the classroom. It was through her demonstrated leadership in CSO that Amelia was invited to become a member of 21st Century Leaders. In fall 2021 she founded the first STEM + 21CLub (21CL's student-led school and community-based clubs) at South Paulding HS with a group of hard-working leaders who also wanted to make a change in their community. Within the club’s first year, they have volunteered over 600 service hours through several service projects, including a 5-day voter registration drive that resulted in 19 students registering to vote, a science-themed event for over 400 kindergarten students, and the school's first-ever science fair. Her other leadership roles include section leader and band captain in the marching band, vice president for the National Honors Society, president of Key Club, and being a member of the leadership council for the Spanish Honor Society. She volunteers frequently at a local food bank and as a peer tutor.
ALEXANDRA AUDRAIN
Marietta High School, Class of 2022
Alexandra Audrain is an award-winning journalist, student leader, and community advocate. As Editor-in-Chief of her school publication, The Pitchfork, she has been recognized for her coverage of social justice and student rights by the Georgia Scholastic Press Association (GSPA) First Amendment Essay Contest and a National Scholastic Press Association Editorial Leadership Award. Alexandra has worked with her school administration to discuss policy and curriculum changes that benefit people of color and marginalized communities in their school, helped create the Diversity Club to educate students and faculty on current events and bring awareness to the experiences of others, and discussed the handling of a controversial situation in her community regarding transgender awareness and fought for transgender visibility. She worked with her local NAACP chapter to assist in her city’s Juneteenth march, as well as with the student-alumni organization, Bridging the Gap, to address inequities in her school system. She advocates for student press rights by serving as a representative for her region on the GSPA Student Advisory Board and for the state of Georgia at the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference. In her work as Student Body President, Alexandra worked to bring back community events and charity fundraisers that had been shut down during COVID. As a Junior and Senior, she directed the Mr. Blue Devil pageant, a charity event in which senior boys compete for a scholarship, and raised over $10,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She led the effort for her student government to apply for national recognition as a National Council of Excellence, an application that took over a year to put together. Despite her extensive involvement in school organizations and leadership roles, she is most proud of her work within her community to promote justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Alexandra will pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media, and eventually a career in communications and management. Her ultimate goal is to coordinate large fundraising events for a charity dedicated to women’s health and empowerment.
AWARDEES AJAY BALASUBRAMANIAM
Lambert High School, Class of 2023 Ajay Balasubramaniam works to help children with autism locally in Georgia and abroad in Sri Lanka. Through his passion as a violin player for the last 12 years, Ajay uses his skills and hobbies, such as music and chess, to teach children with disabilities and help them enjoy the world through creativity and play. Attending 21st Century Leaders' Healthcare and IT Institute in summer 2021 inspired him to empower these children by working directly with them and leveraging his resources; he has since been spending time each week to mentor kids in Sri Lanka virtually. Using the money he made from teaching violin to students for the past 3 years, he donated over $6,000 in resources to 3 organizations abroad that support children with autism and their families. He communicated with representatives in Sri Lanka to understand what would benefit the students the most and arranged shipments of resources. The toys, books, and games he donated help autistic kids develop better cognition, social stories and fine motor skills, and resources and equipment like Bluetooth switches enable them to interact with occupational and speech therapy and learning games. Locally, Ajay volunteers with children by teaching them the game of cricket and assembling binders full of activities that support cognitive development. Ajay also enjoys playing in orchestras in and outside of school, having been a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra for almost 2 years and a recent performer at Carnegie Hall. He has also performed South Indian Classical concerts on the violin and accompanied local artists. He has performed for the Global Music Festival as well as the Melharmony Festival, which has recently aimed towards raising funds to help artists negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
GABRIEL BLANDING
Greenbrier High School, Class of 2024 Gabriel A. Blanding is a servant leader in his community and an active member of the Omega Lamplighters Organization. As an African-American teenager, joining this group with other young men and adult mentors that look like him has been very helpful for his mental and physical health and also for his social well-being. This group not only helps develop social skills to better help him in the future but it helps him build self confidence and character in himself. With the Omega Lamplighters he's been able to build connections, develop his leadership, and benefit his community through service, such as working to support mayoral candidates and distributing food baskets during the holiday season. Gabriel regularly volunteers with his local food bank, working on stocking and packaging foods to be shipped locally and statewide. His strong faith and his service in his church through its youth ministry has also had a huge impact on him as a leader. His desire before he graduates is to leave a lasting impact in his community. He is working to create a reading program for underprivileged kids through partnership with the Columbia County public library system and his local Boys & Girls Club. This project, called “The Next Page,” will provide literacy and support for young students to give them a better chance to succeed and understand the world around them. After high school Gabriel plans on attending college and majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
AWARDEES SANJNA DESAI
North Gwinnett High School, Class of 2023 Sanjna Desai is the founder of Amplify Our Youth, a 501(c)(3) that aims to encourage civic engagement and participation amongst youth. After completing a fellowship with 18byvote, an organization that teaches teens the how, when, and why of voting, Sanjna found a gap in the number of teens in her school who understood the importance of participating in democracy. After hosting many voter registration drives, registering half a dozen peers to vote and 24 pledges to vote when they are eligible, Sanjna knew this was only the start and felt the need to create her own organization to help bootstrap her civic participation efforts. Amplify Our Youth (AOY) has a team of over 100 passionate youth from 27 states and 7 countries to equip other teens to be more civicminded through online content, town halls and toolkits. Sanjna is also a student lobbyist and has lobbied to senators on topics regarding the John Lewis Voter Rights Campaign, the EACH Act, and the Equal Rights Amendment. This semester, Sanjna is interning with Nikki Merritt, a member of the Georgia State Senate. Sanjna shares her passion for amplifying underrepresented voices and voicing her opinions as an intern and staff writer at VOX ATL, a teen-led publication. Sanjna also founded a 21CLub at her school, with over 35 members that engage in leadership activities and service drives such as canned food drives, senior care packages, and workshops. In addition, she is the co-director of FEM, a youth organization with a mission to empower & educate young people within an inclusive feminist movement. Through advocacy and service, FEM’s 25 members donated over 40 feminine care products to a local women’s shelter and organized a women's march outside the Duluth municipal court which had over 75 people participate. Sanjna is part of her school's National Honors Society, UNICEF, and Model United Nations club. This summer, Sanjna will be attending the New York Times Summer Academy in New York. Moving forward, Sanjna will continue to grow her non-profit and her civic engagement efforts in the 2022 midterm election. Sanjna wants to study journalism and public policy after finishing high school.
ZORA FELIX
New Manchester High School, Class of 2022 Zora Felix is the President and Founder of the Women in Technology’s Girl’s Club at her school. Having been a part of Women In Technology’s WIT Girls since middle school, it was Zora’s desire to share the experiences gained through her involvement in WIT with her friends and peers. The club’s 17 members learn about careers and opportunities in the STEAM field. Their meetings consist of guest speakers, WIT Girl panelists, WIT virtual events, access to internships, mentoring and summer programs. As a community service project, the club handed out turkeys as well as turkey vouchers to over 500 members in the community. Zora’s design for the club and its curriculum has been used as a model for new clubs at 3 other high schools this year. In school, Zora is an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) student member, the President of the WIT Girl’s Club, and actively participates in the International Club and Youth Leadership Douglas. She is a student athlete as part of the New Manchester High School Swim Team. Her educational career pathway since freshman year has been Business & Technology and Entrepreneurship. As part of the class of 2022, she will be honored with the International Skills Diploma Seal. As a Girl Scout since kindergarten, she has earned the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, the Gold Award. Her future includes majoring in Global Studies and International Relations, with a desire to intern with the federal government or the United Nations. Zora plans to pursue a law degree with a goal to be a change agent for good and advocate for the rights of others.
AWARDEES ASANSHAY GUPTA
Atlanta International School, Class of 2023 Asanshay Gupta is a passionate young entrepreneur and inventor using STEM education and innovation to make the world a better place. From creating an eye-controlled wheelchair for paralyzed people to developing the Oxygen Planner app to help hospitals around the world budget their oxygen in times of crisis, his impact has spanned over 78 countries and helped over 1,000 medical professionals more than 50,000 times. Asanshay is always looking for ways to help, having raised $10,000 dollars within a week to fund the donation of oxygen concentrators to hospitals in his ancestral country of India. His work has been recognized by the International Baccalaureate, Ashoka Foundation, and the Indian Society of Anesthesiologists, as well as by Congresswoman Nikema Williams as part of the Congressional App Challenge. He is also the founder of the Ingenuity Foundation, a foundation dedicated to helping young people identify issues with a global significance, generate ideas they’re passionate about, build solutions that create a genuine impact, and expand their ideas to the wider community. He has spent over 1300 hours on projects under his foundation. In addition to being a captain of his school’s robotics team, Asanshay has taught robotics courses to younger students at his school. He is a leader of his school’s Math Club and leads the Asian Affinity Group that celebrates Asian culture and provides a safe space for learning. After attending the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, he has been working with the school on creating a more deliberately inclusive environment. In his spare time, Asanshay loves photography, as well as playing the trumpet and playing cricket. Asanshay plans on continuing to expand his projects and passions for STEM education and innovation through college, where he wants to study Biomedical Engineering.
ANSH JAIN
Milton High School, Class of 2023 Ansh Jain is the app creator of Humans Helping Humans, a founder, and a leader focused on tech and healthcare. When he saw a need to help those in poverty in both his community in Georgia and his hometown of Noida in India, he took action. Locally, he helped raise enough money to donate 1,000 PPE kits to emergency healthcare providers in Georgia that were struggling to gain equipment needed during the pandemic. In summer 2020, he spent 100 hours coding and created an app called Humans Helping Humans that allows individuals to donate items directly to those in need. Abroad, he has helped provide $2,000 worth of medications for free to poor individuals in India, donated 70 pounds of clothing, shoes and toys, and helped resource and staff a medical clinic through the ArihantSiddh Foundation, of which he is a founding member along with his family. Through these efforts over 25,000 individuals have been able to access healthcare at little to no cost. He has also helped raise money for 2 oxygen concentrators to be sent to India, which helped save many lives of those infected with COVID. At school, he is the president and founder of Milton Tech4U, an organization that helps students learn about computer science and its implications and allows them to compete in various local and national competitions. Ansh has been a member of Science Olympiad since 2018 and has loved to learn about science since he was young. In the future, he hopes to pursue a business-related career.
AWARDEES JOON KWON
Northview High School, Class of 2023 Joon Kwon plays many roles in his community, one of which is as founder and president of Connected Johns Creek, which focuses on connecting senior citizens and technology. Inspired by other senior-orientated volunteering organizations, Joon named his club ConnectedJC to emphasize the idea of community affiliation. At three of his local senior centers, he has held seven technology workshops and informational seminars where over 30 high school volunteers work with seniors to create a more connected community. Through this outreach, over 80 seniors have gained knowledge and connection with the 3 pillars of his club: tech literacy, health advocacy, and educational activity. As an FBLA officer, Joon works to assist his advisors in organizing meetings, helping students prepare for national and state-level presentations and objective tests, and coordinating at leadership conventions. In the past semester, he coordinated a guest speaker meeting with HOSA, to which he invited a chiropractor, organized a large donation of over 180 boxes of cereal and almost 1,000 canned goods for the North Fulton Community Charities holiday food drive, and worked alongside mayor John Bradberry to publicize FBLA events. Outside of school, Joon works as a part-time lifeguard and swim instructor at LifeTime Johns Creek, and hopes to work as a swim coach and supervisor once he turns 18. He's also a member of the Teen Advisory Board at Ocee Library, where he coordinates events for younger students. He plans to attend college and pursue a career that includes high involvement in people's interaction and public speaking, regardless of what industry it is in.
OLIVIA LI
Chamblee Charter High School, Class of 2022 Olivia Li is a team captain and youth ambassador for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN). After witnessing her dad’s terminal struggle with the devastating disease and PanCAN’s positive impact on her family, she was moved to join the fight and help other families like hers. In 2020, Olivia ran a T-shirt campaign to fundraise for PanCAN and sold over 100 hand-designed shirts to raise a year-end total of more than $6,000. For the past three years, she has continued to organize fundraisers like these, consistently putting her team on the top 10 leaderboard in Atlanta and raising more than $15,000 to date. For the last year in her role as youth ambassador, she has worked behind the scenes with planning fundraisers and initiatives. Olivia is also a dedicated servant leader in her broader community. As co-president of Interact Club and vice president of the National Honor Society, she has worked with the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Trees Atlanta, St. Vincent’s de Paul and other MetroAtlanta organizations to plan volunteer events, mobilizing more than 350 students to make an impact on the community. Olivia serves as a small group leader for four-year-olds at Buckhead Church and volunteers with Drawchange, helping in art therapy classes for children facing homelessness. In recognition of her service, Olivia was awarded the UN Community Service Ambassador Award in the 20-21 and 21-22 school years. Golf is also a big part of Olivia’s life. She is captain of the girls' varsity golf team and was recognized in 2021 with the Georgia Positive Athlete award. With the First Tee of Metro Atlanta (FTMA), she is an Ace-level participant on the Participant Leadership Council and has interned at a FTMA course for the past two summers. Olivia also serves on the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Youth United Board, works as an English Supplemental Instruction Leader at Georgia State, and is involved with FBLA. Olivia plans to study business and psychology in college and eventually hopes to work for a non-profit.
AWARDEES BENJAMIN LOONG
Campbell High School, Class of 2022 Benjamin Loong is the founder of @Stand4Neurodiveristy, an advocacy account aimed towards destigmatizing neurological differences in both the educational and professional spheres. From his time volunteering nearly 250 hours at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital and Camp Kingfisher at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, he has assisted neurodiverse children and witnessed many of the misconceptions they face. His neurodiversity advocacy platform extends into his podcast “In Another’s View,” where other neurotypical and neurodiverse teens collectively bolster the voices of neurodiverse individuals and business owners. Through this effort, he has received recognition from Stanford’s Medical School and was invited to speak at both Stanford’s Monthly Neurodiversity Meetings and Stanford’s Network for K-12 Neurodiversity Education and Advocacy (NNEA) Summit 2021, where over 5,000 people attended. During the rise of the COVID pandemic, Benjamin collected and donated over 100 toys to the Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital and spent many days driving across Cobb County to donate books to Little Free Libraries to honor the Eagle Scout project idea of his classmate and friend, Max, who passed away during the pandemic. With Medical Club, he addressed nursing shortages at his local school by making over 100 first aid kits for classrooms. As the President of Beta Club, Benjamin led over 200 club members in mitigating plastic waste by collecting over 3,000 recycled plastic bags that were woven into mats for the homeless to sleep on. Benjamin is also an Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America and raised over $500 to assist a local non-profit garden combating food deserts in the metro-Atlanta area. As Co-President of Model United Nations, Benjamin has honed his aspirations in addressing global health issues and working towards political reform. Benjamin plans to pursue a major in Public Health, where he can effectively spark change and provide better healthcare infrastructure, here in Georgia and globally, for all minority communities.
RAUL MIGUEL BEJAR MEJIA
Gainesville High School, Class of 2022 Raul Miguel Bejar Mejia is a first-generation college bound student who is a young entrepreneur and dedicated volunteer within his small community. He is the Beta Club event coordinator, a Chess Club member, Spanish Club secretary, a Senior Representative for Student Council, a member of Bovard scholars, a graduate from Youth Leadership Hall, a varsity athlete for Cross Country and Track, and he will also receive his bilingual diploma seal this spring. After attending 21st Century Leaders SYLI (Summer Youth Leadership Institute) in the summer of 2021, Raul was inspired to start his own pressure washing business to facilitate his goal of finding a summer job, earning money for college, and developing his leadership skills. He gained a total profit of $3,475 for the 3 months that he ran his business, increasing profit by 32% in that timespan. Beyond earning income to support his senior year and college prep, his purpose was to connect with his community through service. In addition to Raul’s welldeveloped resume, he has impacted his peers throughout his high school career by building upon his core characteristics of honesty, responsibility, and self-discipline. Raul shared these values as a student-intern for Centennial Arts Academy where he found a love for giving back to the community. Building on his time at Centennial, he later conducted research on how implementing the game of chess in the elementary school curriculum can be beneficial to the United States education system. Raul was recently accepted to Georgia Tech where he plans to attend and study business by going into commercial finance.
AWARDEES APRIL MOSS
Effingham County High School, Class of 2022 April Moss is a dedicated servant leader and volunteer in her community. April volunteers over 10 hours per week at Family Promise of Effingham, Inc., an organization that provides shelter to homeless families, as well as resources such as rental and utility assistance and homelessness prevention training. With April’s goal of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon, she recognizes the significance of heart health and strives to spread awareness of the importance of practicing heart-healthy habits. Along with her volunteerism at Family Promise, April has led two collection drives inspired by expressed needs of her local food pantries: a breakfast cereal collection drive which resulted in the collection of more than $1,025 in breakfast cereal and a hot chocolate mix collection drive that resulted in the collection of 115 boxes of hot chocolate. April then hosted a hot chocolate bar at an elementary school and spoke with 60 third grade girls about striving to be academically engaged and the importance of making wise choices. In school, April serves as a member of Student Council and the Georgia Secretary of State Student Ambassadors, along with being a Varsity Golf and Competition Cheerleader. As an Ambassador Girl Scout, April is working on completing her Girl Scout Gold Award Take Action Project, “Heart Healthy Habits” in partnership with Family Promise. April plans to attend college in the Fall and major in finance to pursue her career goal of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon.
ESTHER CEBALLO ORTIZ
Westlake High School, Class of 2022 Esther Ceballo Ortiz is an equity advocate and the founder of Project FRESH. She is a resourceful, tenacious, and passionate young woman who believes that all students, despite their socioeconomic status, should have a fair chance to meet their educational goals. As an immigrant student from the Dominican Republic, she was learning English while transitioning from middle school to high school and noticed that ninth-graders received little mentorship or guidance regarding the high school experience. Students were missing out on enrichment opportunities because of language barriers and limited support. From those experiences, she created Project FRESH. Project F.R.E.S.H. (Freshmen Ready for Excellence in High School) is a mentoring program that supports and guides 9th-grade students through their transition from middle school to high school. Through Project FRESH, Esther has dedicated over 100 hours and provided students with over 150 resources to enhance their high school experience both in and outside of the classroom. Project FRESH has served and educated over 30 students through its workshops about AP, IB, Honor classes and pathways, virtual volunteering opportunities, internships, summer programs, strategies to stay mentally healthy, and more. In addition, Esther is vice president of the National Honor Society and a tutor to elementary students at La Amistad Inc. She is in the top 5% of her class of over 500 students, an IB Diploma Candidate, a Talented and Gifted Student, and was a Bank of America Student Leader. One of her most significant accomplishments is becoming bilingual at age 14. Esther will be attending Stanford University in the fall of 2022 as a double major in Human Biology and Sociology with a minor in Global Health. She aspires to provide meaningful, equitable, and affordable healthcare access to communities across the world despite income or socio-economic levels.
AWARDEES SWETHA PENDELA
South Forsyth High School, Class of 2022 Swetha Pendela, is an avid servant leader with multiple leadership roles and over 500 hours of community service. As President of Senior Beta Club - the school's largest organization - she leads over 600 members in serving the needs of the community. Swetha is also the President of her school’s Science Olympiad, UNICEF, and Key Club chapters, as well as a Make-AWish Georgia Youth Council member. She has served over 75 hours to the Forsyth County Peer Court, 200 hours to the global nonprofit Words of Thanks that spreads gratitude to healthcare workers, and created over 60 beanies and 100 nametags for premature babies with the GA MadHatter Knits Foundation. As an officer and medalist for HOSA she has contributed over 250 hours with the Georgia East Metro Medical Reserve Corps to create emergency response first aid kits for over 65 families in need and collected over 500 feminine care items for her school’s Care Closet, a place where students can easily obtain necessities, despite any difficulties they face. Aside from her community service, she advocates for social justice and interdisciplinarity studies in schools through involvement in local political campaigns and county Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Swetha also manages 13 organizations’ social media accounts, provides healthcare lessons for youth on topics such as nutrition and media literacy, and volunteers to create and organize competitive events for academic competitions like Science Olympiad. In her free time, Swetha loves to learn from the diverse perspectives of her peers and indulge in her passion for science. She has been recognized on national and international levels for her accomplishments in FBLA, HOSA, and has even won the Barbara James Service Award. Her future aspirations consist of continuing her legacy of serving and leading others while actively pursuing her love of Biology in college through research. She hopes to continue learning from the inspirational lessons of 21st Century Leaders to grow as a community advocate and role model.
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AWARDEES JULIANA CLAIRE PONCIANO
Ware County High School, Class of 2022 Juliana Claire Ponciano is a proud Filipina committed to empowering and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. Immigrating to the United States at age 13, Claire experienced challenges with her identity while assimilating, which made her dedicated to sharing her story and reaching out to people with the same experiences to help them feel that they are not alone. This led her to join Dear Asian Youth (a non-profit and youthled organization) as the social media manager, impacting over 80,000 people through the Instagram infographics that she and her teammates create, ranging from topics of pertinent BIPOC issues to celebrating the diverse cultures in Asia. Claire is also the marketing specialist for Women of Color Conference, a collaboration with Dear Asian Youth, that aims to encourage and empower women of color to pursue their dreams. Claire wrote posts about intersectional feminism and helped promote the conference's scholarship and mentorship opportunities. Claire continues her volunteerism through her local Beta Club, where she serves as the Chapter Reporter and Georgia/Alabama Leadership Representative. Claire is also a Youth Leader at Bridge to Success—a college-counseling program in her school—where she helps students plan for their post-secondary education. With her team, Claire planned college and career events for over 300 students to learn more about the college application process. Her leadership roles extend into FBLA, where Claire is a senior officer and one of the Georgia FBLA Graphic Design Ambassadors. As an aspiring neurosurgeon, she hopes to get involved in research that tackles language processing in the brain to understand how to amend and create curriculums or programs that help non-English speaking immigrants during assimilation.
ILA PRABHURAM
Etowah High School, Class of 2023 Ila Prabhuram is the founder of College Pathway, a nonprofit combating education inequity in schools worldwide, and Gen Z Writes, a student-run platform. After noticing severe disparities in her own community, she created College Pathway five years ago to make quality education more accessible to all students. College Pathway distributes comprehensive self-learning workbooks to schools, donates resources, and hosts scholarship and FAFSA workshops for low-income high school students. College Pathway has reached more than 1,000 students and amassed over 15 international partners; Ila has presented to the Georgia State Superintendent of Schools, direct conduits to former senators, the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce, the former Mayor of Woodstock, and more. In April of 2020, Ila also founded Gen Z Writes (GZW), a global, student-run platform amplifying marginalized youth voices through their magazine and events. During a time of heightened crises, she made it her goal to bring youth voices to the forefront and to catalyze those at the intersectional fringes of society to invoke change in their communities. GZW has now gained over 180 writers from 27 countries, has garnered over 700,000 social media engagements, and has held virtual social justice events with over 800 attendees. Ila was one of 24 students nationwide to serve on the Harvard Making Caring Common Youth Advisory Board and worked towards cultivating more diverse and inclusive school environments across America. She is a four-time representative on the Georgia State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council and is also the Regional Board Chair of the Sequoyah Library System’s Teen Advisory Board. She has been recognized by TD Bank, the National Liberty Museum, Points of Light, VoyageATL Magazine, and more. In school, she is the President of Journalism Club and the school newspaper Head of Staff. She plans to go into International Relations and Public Policy in the future.
AWARDEES ANNIE ROBINSON
Midtown High School, Class of 2022 Annie Robinson is a civic advocate and volunteer. Annie is one of 10 students selected from within Atlanta Public Schools to serve on the inaugural Atlanta Youth Civic Advisory Council. The student-led council designed a democracy class to teach the values and importance of democracy and voting to 11th and 12th graders to encourage youth civic participation. Democracy Class Atlanta was a successful pilot program that reached 1,600 students and is intended to spread to other cities and reach as many students as possible in future years. She hopes to continue to work with the program to oversee its growth. Annie volunteers regularly with the nonprofit Grady Cares, which works to support the Midtown community by supplying grants and necessities such as food, school supplies, and temporary housing to people in need. She handles the financial aspects and, more recently, facilitated a school-wide clothing drive lasting roughly one month. She saw the need in her community, understood the abundance of clothes many of her classmates had and decided to organize a drive. The clothes were donated to a local thrift store (Step Up Thrift) and some students were even given vouchers to get free clothes from Step Up. Additionally, during the pandemic, Annie founded her own business, Annie’s Masks. She saw a need for low price, high-quality masks, and has made over 350 masks so far. She has since expanded to making headbands, bags, and bucket hats. Outside of 21st Century Leaders, Annie is a member of Moot Court, a captain of the ultimate frisbee team, and plays the violin. Annie plans to attend Bates College in the fall.
AVIJIT SINGH
Westminster Schools, Class of 2022 Avijit Singh is using horticulture to improve mental health. He helped raise money for COVID relief in India, conducted research on the connection between horticulture and mental health, and coached students in Squash. Focusing on one hospital, Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, he helped raise $28,000 in conjunction with organizations around Atlanta, including an $800 grant from the Glenn Institute, to pay for BIPAPs and batteries, oxygen ventilators, and PPE to be sent to the hospital. During the same time, he was working on research about horticulture therapy's positive effect on mental health in adolescents. Knowing that prolonged stress can lead to depression and anxiety, Avi saw that horticulture and gardening are easy outlets to manage stress, depression and anxiety. Since summer of 2020, Avi has been conducting research with Brown University, as well as an independent study in 2021, in which he received 40 survey responses indicating that horticulture does have a positive effect on mental health. He even created a mental health initiative during Earth Day 2021, and distributed 150 air plants to faculty and students at his school. He is the president of MDJunior, a student club with 90 members that empowers youth in health through career exposure and demonstrations. In 2019, he went on a medical mission trip to Puerto Rico with MDJunior to help the victims of Hurricane Maria, organizing a medical supply drive, serving 160 patients daily at a medical clinic, and constructing a vegetable bed to support World Central Kitchen and the millions of meals it provided. Avi has also made a big impact on his local community through START (Science to Action Road Trips) where he and his friends tutor under-resourced students in STEM. He connected with multiple organizations, including Friends of Refugees in Clarkston, GA to help tutor and provide educational videos in compliance with the Atlanta Public School Curriculum to spark STEM curiosity in the students in Clarkston. Avi is the president of his high school and Captain of the Squash team which has come 2nd at Nationals in Division II. He hopes to become an Ophthalmologist, providing proper eye care to under-resourced areas around the world.
AWARDEES J'AVANI STINSON
DeKalb Early College Academy, Class of 2023 J'Avani Stinson is the co-founder of the Dekalb Literacy Initiative and a hub coordinator and trainer for Sunrise, a youth-led environmental group. He established the Literacy Initiative at his school when the administration noticed a decline in literacy rates. To promote reading, they suggested that 4 students create a book club. J'Avani and the other co-founders took the idea to another level by turning the book club into a safe space for teenagers to discuss modern problems based on the topics of the books, including police brutality, sexual assault, and military culture in meetings that would last hours. After a successful pilot run at his school, J'avani has been working with DeKalb County School District to implement the initiative as a district-wide organization. J'Avani started with Sunrise in early 2021 to work on a campaign called Good Jobs for All (GJ4A), centered around a government contract that would guarantee a well-paying union job aligned with the Green New Deal to anyone who asked. After the campaign, J'Avani was asked to start his own Sunrise hub in his area to get other youth involved. Sunrise DECA, has amassed 16 members and is actively promoting climate justice and voting in local elections. Later in 2021, J'Avani was invited to a Sunrise training called Empathetic Conversations, which teaches conversation skills that aid in swaying minds, but more importantly, listening. Now, J'Avani is working on solo-teaching his second round of Empathetic Conversations to several Sunrise hubs across America. In addition, J'Avani is the vice president of the 21CLub @ DECA, a Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl State champion, president of his school's Technology Student Association and Jazz Band, and a Junior Youth Group Animator with the Ba'hai Club. He aspires to help his community through medicine and technology in the future.
GABRIELLE TOBIN
The Lovett School, Class of 2024 Gabrielle Tobin is the founder of 40 Mustard Seeds Foundation, a 501c(3) nonprofit, and creator of math tutoring videos. Realizing how teachers spent their own money to provide needed school supplies to their students, she wanted to help. Every year since her 10th birthday, in lieu of presents, Gabrielle collects school supplies to donate to Lindley Sixth Grade Academy, a Title I school in Cobb County; in 2019, she donated $4,000 from her birthday fund. In response to school closures during the pandemic, Gabrielle worked with school administrators on a plan to address math proficiency loss and support remote learning. In July 2020, her idea for virtual tutoring videos became her Girl Scout Gold Award Project titled For Math’s Sake: Peer-to-Peer Videos. With the help of seven peers, she created 13 bilingual videos that cover the 6th grade math curriculum and aim to improve content mastery. To date, more than 13,000 students in Georgia, North Carolina, and the Bahamas have access to the videos. In August 2021, she partnered with her former daycare to collect and donate over 3,000 school supplies to Lindley, enough for all of the school’s 671 students along with a $500 check to support teachers. Gabrielle has recorded over 300 hours of community service. Her videos have been featured by LaVision, NPR, Closer Look with Rose Scott, Points of Light, NBC-11 Alive, WSBTV-Channel 2, Fox 5, Atlanta Journal Constitution, and Good Morning America 3: What You Need to Know. For her impact, she received recognition from The Children’s Museum as “Girls Making a Difference", the Education Award from the Smyrna Mayor and City Council, the Carol D. Reiser Youth Service Award, and was honored as a 2020 Georgia Game Changer by WSB-TV. She has received grants to develop math videos for 7th grade curriculum and expand her annual school supply drive. Gabrielle is an honor roll student, serves on the Lovett Student Services Executive Board and the Student Diversity Leadership Council, and is a first chair Cellist and varsity gymnast.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP
41% of students reported that attending the 21CL program was their first time interacting with peers outside of their geographic area
Our 21 Georgia Youth Leadership Award winners are all members of 21st Century Leaders who are making positive impact through their leadership in action, represent the diversity of our state-wide student body and demonstrate our five leadership qualities:
FORWARD THINKING SERVICE-ORIENTED PASSIONATE RESOURCEFUL LEVERAGES DIVERSITY We are proud of our 21st Century Leaders!
LEADER TO LEADER
Check out the Leader to Leader interviews between each awardee and their coach on 21st Century Leaders' Vimeo page. https://vimeo.com/21stCenturyLeaders
GEORGIA YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS March 19, 2022 | Reigniting Opportunity Together
OUR AUCTION
OUR MISSION
Online Auction closes at 8:30pm. You can access on your phone at https://21cl.cbo.io
21st Century Leaders® is a non-profit organization that Get your "paddle" ready for exciting live auction items up for grabs connects, transforms, and inspires high school students across throughout the evening! Georgia to leverage-diversity, explore career opportunities, and Did youleaders get your Golden Onlycommunities, and ultimately become in theirTicket? schools, 100 are available. Winner gets their the workforce. choice of 4 great trips!
REIGNITE OPPORTUNITY Summer 2022
After two years of hosting summer programs virtually, 21st Century Leaders is reigniting the excitement of its long-standing in-person Summer Leadership Institutes for summer 2022! Your support for SYLI@Goizueta at Emory University and the Healthcare & IT Institute (HII) at Kennesaw State University will provide 150 diverse students from across the state with the invaluable opportunity to experience life on a college campus, develop their leadership skills, and engage with business and medical professionals through interactive workshops, corporate tours, roundtables, and team building exercises. $1,000 – Supports one student to participate in SYLI@Goizueta or HII, plus a full year of 21CL programming. $750 – Supports tuition for one-week experience at SYLI or HII for one student. $500 – Provides Polos for all 75 students at SYLI or HII. $250 – Provides housing on campus for one student for the week. DONATE $100 – Enrolls one Summer Leadership Institute attendee into to 21CL Anytime Leadership Connect, our online learning platform, for the entire school year. Text " 21CL " $50 – Sponsors program materials OR one weekend leadership to 566-51 summit during the school year for one student from SYLI or HII.
MISSION + IMPACT How do 21st Century Leaders' mission and impact meet in the summer leadership institutes? 21st Century Leaders...
CONNECTS 41% of students reported that attending the Institute was their first time interacting with peers outside of their geographic area
TRANSFORMS
INSPIRES
91% of students reported that their confidence as a leader increased
60% of students who attended summer Institutes in 2021 reported that they discovered a new career field during their experience
high school students across Georgia to
LEVERAGE DIVERSITY 40% of students reported that an experience with volunteers at the institute included their first time seeing someone successful who looks like them
EXPLORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 91% believe they are clear in knowing their career path after high school as a result of attending an Institute
BECOME LEADERS 96% of students reported that they are more likely to seek out or continue seeking out leadership roles because of what they experienced with 21CL
in their schools, communities, and ultimately the workforce.
We're proud to support 21st Century Leaders. www.goizueta.emory.edu
Thank You to our 2022 Sponsors Presenting Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Student Grant Support
Playlist Sponsor
Friend of 21CL
Arjun + Prathi Chowdri Ellen & Bruce Lindemann
In-Kind Support
www.21stcenturyleaders.org
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Devon Chin - Auctioneer License # AU004210
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