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Alex Nestor, Pantry Saver
For his Eagle Scout project, Alex Nestor decided to help restock his local food pantry. First, he organized a food drive with other New Jersey-area scouts, collecting 400 bags of food for local families.
But then the 16-year-old went the extra mile by also rehabbing the entire pantry itself – repainting, tiling the floors and ceilings, plus putting in new shelving units.
What an inspirational example – not just for other scouts or teen, but all of us – of how to recognize opportunities to help and jump in!
To meet other bright young scouts, visit:
Sierra Green, Oregon History Idol
If you're not from there, you may not know that Oregon is the "land of the rose and sunshine" (I didn't!), or even that the state song is called Oregon, My Oregon. But if you attended the Portland Trail Blazers game on February 14th, you learned both, thanks to the vocal talent of Sierra Green.
The 16-year-old earned the coveted performance slot with a winning audition at the Oregon History Idol competition the weekend before.
Sierra, who admittedly practiced in her room until she "drove her brother crazy," has wanted to be a Broadway performer all her life. Sounds like she has the talent and work ethic to get there!
See her game performance here:
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Max Wallack, Puzzles to Remember
Max Wallack has been putting both his altruistic spirit and innovative mind to use since he was 7, when he devised a portable step with handle to help his great-grandmother get in and out of her van by herself. And those childhood years spent watching Gertrude battle Alzheimer’s also led to Max’s greatest “invention” – Puzzles to Remember.
At age 13, Max learned that doing puzzles could actually slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and dementia, while at the same time giving sufferers and their caregivers something positive to do together. So for the past 3 years, Max has collected almost 15,000 puzzles for 1,500 care facilities in all 50 states as well as Mexico, Canada, and beyond. Even more impressive is that he’s taken all the monetary awards he’s received from various groups for his good work and donated it the Boston University School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center.
Max does all of this for his “heroes – the men and women who sacrificed so much for your country," but clearly Max is a hero in his own right. :)
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Donna Vekic, Tennis Champion
This year’s Australian Open was Donna Vekic’s first appearance at a grand slam event and, even though she entered with a rank of 111, she closed the tournament as the youngest winner ever.
Donna’s may sound like a Cinderella story, but it’s all hard work and not luck or magic behind this young star; she actually lives in Croatia but trains in London and has done so since she was only 11 years old.
Clearly this 16-year-old phenom (whose attitude, according to her coach, is “second to none”) is going to be a force on the court for many years to come. :)
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Daniel Burd, Plastic Fighter
Daniel Burd was “tired of all the plastic bags falling on my head every time [he] opened the closet.” But unlike the rest of us who just shake off the annoyance and go on with our day, this Ontario teen began studying microbes to see if he could isolate the natural occurring plastic-eating ones, his long-range goal being to tackle the many landfills full of the stuff.
After collecting soil samples, isolating chosen microbes and growing cultures of each, Daniel found 4 strains capable of breaking down plastic, one of which was able to degrade more plastic in 6 weeks than we currently see break down over years in our landfills!
The more scientific-minded of you can read his report here:
Burd Report Do you know a toast-worthy teen you’d like to see featured here at BWATE? Comment below with your email address so we can get a post together!
Logan Robinson, Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Many people don’t know that not only is pancreatic cancer the 5th deadliest cancer in the U.S., but that it’s also the only one in that top 5 whose death rate has seen no significant decline in the past decade.
13-year-old Logan Robinson knew the tragedy of this all too well, having lost her father to the disease when he was only 33 years old. She also knew that when “people found out about breast cancer and raised awareness, that’s how all the funding for research got started.”
Putting that knowledge together with an eye-catching idea, Logan approached the CEO of a major furniture chain with a store in her hometown and asked him to dye the water in the Monroeville store’s large outdoor fountain purple to bring attention to National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month.
I think the best part of the story is the response from the company’s president:
“We loved the fact that [it] was suggested by a young person. It shows you that with a good idea, it doesn’t matter how young or old you are.” So true. :)
For more information on pancreatic cancer, here’s one great resource:
Pancan.org Do you know a toast-worthy teen you’d like to see featured here at BWATE? Comment below with your email address so we can get a post together!
Eric Delgado, Efflux Pump Foiler
We’ve all heard how germs are become more and more resistant to antibiotics. Well, when high school Eric Delgado had the chance to work with Jersey City Medical Center researchers who were investigating one such drug-resistant bug (MRSA), he came away determined to find a solution.
After learning that some bacteria use a mechanism called an efflux pump (built into their membranes) to expel antibiotics, Eric wanted to find a way to turn off the pumps.
Luckily, he had a teacher willing to help him make contacts across the country who then supplied him with everything from advice to plant compounds. Over 2 years of experimentation, Eric was able to determine how much antibiotic each pump expelled, and thus how much medicine need be administered to overcome that.
He has now brought his talents to Yale University, and eventually wants to work in public health, where I’m sure he’ll have a positive impact. :)
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Mallory Kievman, Hiccupops
Some people recommend holding your breath to cure hiccups. Others swear by the scare-the-hiccup-out-of-you method. Connecticut teen Mallory Kievman brings a new solution to the table: the “Hiccupop.”
The 13-year-old inventor sifted through research dating as far back as the 1970s before coming up with a special recipe based on apple cider vinegar, which she says “overstimulates the nerves in your throat responsible for hiccups and cancels out the message to hiccup.” She added sugar to the formula (another common hiccup cure) and Voila! The hiccupop was born.
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Aidan Dwyer, Solar Panel Designer
If you’ve read (or seen) The Da Vinci Code, you might know the term “Fibonacci sequence.” If you paid attention, you might also know that it’s a mathematical sequence in which each successive number is equal to the sum of the preceding two (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…). And if you delved even deeper, you know that the pattern is often seen in nature, everywhere from the scales of a pineapple to the seeds of a sunflower.
What you probably don’t know is how to use a Fibonacci sequence to develop an improved, portable solar panel that could revolutionize the energy field. Well, that’s precisely what 14-year-old Aidan Dwyer did to qualify as a finalist in the 2012 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. From there he went on to speak at the opening ceremony of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, as well as meet with President Obama in Washington, D.C.
His teachers credit Aidan’s self-motivation, creative thinking, and scientific questioning, while also recognizing that kids have the ability to think outside the box in a way that many adults simply cannot.
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Matthew Petronis, Breezy Point Disaster Relief Fund
For most people, Thanksgiving is pretty much synonymous with "home." That's why it was so devastating for Matthew Petronis to see the beloved Breezy Point community where he'd spent all of his 18 Thanksgivings go up in flames as part of the Hurricane Sandy destruction.
By the time the fire was subdued, more than 100 houses had been lost...and within hours Matthew had set up the first fundraising tool to help those newly homeless families. In the month between the Oct. 29th tragedy and Thanksgiving Day, Matthew's relief fund collected almost $80,000 in donations, all while Matthew (whose baseball coach calls "a free spirit, yet a caring kid [with] that New York can-do attitude") managed a full college freshman course load.
To help Matthew help others, visit:
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Devon Rodriguez-Cayro, Icy Plunger
It happens every year, all over the country; different places call it everything from the “Polar Dip” to the “Polar Plunge.” In Harrisburg, it’s known as the “Penguin Plunge” and 2013 is the 16thyear locals have run into the frigid Pennsylvania water in January to raise money for the Humane Society.
14-year-old Devon Rodriguez-Cayro has taken the icy dare 4 YEARS running and this year brought in almost $5,000 in donations for the animals! She not only will continue taking the plunge in the future, but I bet she'll also keep doing it with style. ;)
Meet Devon here:
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Julia Bluhm, Anti-Photoshop Campaign
Since we so love reality on our TVs, why not in our magazines?
Well, because of the efforts of one 14-year-old girl, we may soon be getting just that.
Maine teen Julia Bluhm grew so tired of models photoshopped to the point of unrecognizability that she began a petition on Change.org. And once she accumulated over 85,000 confirming signatures, she and some friends brought the petition to protest outside the NYC office of Seventeen Magazine.
Although Julia didn’t have high expectations, Seventeen actually responded with a published “peace treaty,” agreeing to “never change girls’ body or face shapes” and to “celebrate every kind of beauty in [their] pages.”
That first success then fueled Julia to join other girls in similarly petitioning Teen Vogue. To help her win them over, sign on at:
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Our troubles become slightly more bearable once we discover we don't have to face them alone.
These young authors, each of whom has overcome obstacles (and usually more than one apiece), wanted to share their stories to give hope to kids facing similar difficulties.
Since they say it best, hear their stories and the motivation behind the book in their own words here:
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Ikea Johnson, Lifesaver
It could’ve been an episode on What Would You Do? On Ikea Johnson’s walk home from work, she encountered 2 women screaming and crying over a 3rd lying on the ground. The victim, who has Downs syndrome, had tripped on the sidewalk, fallen and hit her head, and now lay unconscious and not breathing in a pool of her own blood.
Without hesitation, Ikea ordered the two friends to call 9-1-1 and run into a nearby building for a defibrillator. Ikea then performed chest compressions and breath checks until paramedics arrived. I’m not sure which is more unbelievable – that Ikea is only 16 years old, or that, after performing the heroic feat, she just walked home to finish her homework as if nothing had happened!
Her guidance counselor, however, wasn’t surprised at all, noting that “She has that cool, calm demeanor that reacts to the toughest situations as if she was a seasoned professional.” In fact, everyone in Ikea’s life sings the praises of the varsity cheerleader and honor student, saying she’s a “model student,” “very rare jewel,” and “breath of fresh air.” One of her teachers added, “With students like Ikea, one does not worry about the future of our citizenry. We are all in better hands with young adults like Ikea Johnson.”
I completely agree. :)
For a good FAQ on CPR, visit:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/er/cpr.htmlDo you know a toast-worthy teen you’d like to see featured here at BWATE?
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Julien Leitner, Archimedes Alliance
Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I can move the Earth.
This Archimedes quote, delivered by Julien Leitner’s 5thgrade science teacher, is what led to the now 14-year-old launching his own charity. That one notion made Julien, who accompanied his parents on volunteer outings even as an infant, realize that “there [have] to be a billion other people like me who want to make a difference, but feel they can’t…what if everyone just pooled their resources?”
His goal for Archimedes Alliance is to get 1 million people to donate $2 each and then to donate the proceeds to “a small charity with visible impact on the local community.”
I have a feeling Julien himself is going to have a visible impact…on the world.
Learn more about Archimedes Alliance here:
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Monica Murphy, Cansculptor
New Jersey teen Monica Murphy knew that if she built it, they would eat.
“They” meaning all those served by the Monmouth and Ocean County food banks, and “it” being a replica of her school built entirely out of canned goods.
Completed in the spring, Monica’s cansculpture incorporating 2,500 cans brought public awareness to a cause that’s been dear to Monica since she was in the 5th grade and first discovered that food bank shelves, which are usually well-stocked for the holidays, are often empty during the “off season.”
Monica’s also been mentoring a sixth grader from her school district to ensure her project continues – and those shelves stay full – after she graduates.
Guess you’d say this 17-year-old has a CAN-do attitude. :)
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Nicholas Lowinger, Gotta Have Sole
Even as a child (or perhaps because he was a child) Nicholas Lowinger recognized how seemingly small things can have huge importance. When the 5-year-old Nicholas noticed that the children at the homeless shelter where his mother volunteered had poor shoes (or none at all), he began donating his own shoes as he outgrew them.
And Nicholas’s desire to help grew as rapidly as he did, eventually giving birth to Gotta Have Sole – the non-profit organization he founded in 2010 to get new, properly-sized shoes to children in homeless shelters. So far, Nicholas has helped 3,000 kids in 8 states and continues to expand his reach.
What inspires him? In his own words:
New shoes not only provide the perfect fit for a child, but they also aid in increasing a child’s self-esteem. The exuberant expression on the children’s faces while receiving this shoes has been greatly satisfying to me. Parents and shelter advocates continue to comment on how happy the children are when they receive the new footwear. The parents have said that, without my program, they would never have been able to provide their children with such well-made footwear and how this has made such a positive difference in their children’s lives.
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Janelle Tam, BioGENEius
How will you change the world? asked Canada’s Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge.
Janelle Tam provided the winning answer in the form of NCC (nano-crystalline cellulose) – an antioxidant with disease-fighting and anti-aging capabilities that is similar but superior to Vitamins C and E.
The 16-year-old Ontarian, who discovered the potential of the tiny particles found in tree pulp, says she “envision[s] it more as an ingredient that would be added to existing formulations…to tablets or bandaids for wound dressing or [cosmetic cream].”
Sounds to me like vision is the operative word there, and Janelle sure has it! :)
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Grant Wholey, Tourette Syndrome Youth Ambassador
Grant Wholey is the kind of big brother I’ve always wished I had. When the 17-year-old recognized his 11-year-old brother was reaching an age that he himself particularly struggled with, Grant decided to do what he could to make life easier for Kevin.
You see, both boys have Tourette Syndrome (TS), meaning they have to deal with not only multiple uncontrollable verbal and physical tics, but also the stares and criticisms of people who don’t understand their plight. Grant’s tics were so severe in middle school that he found himself unable to even read, write, or do homework, and he was concerned his brother would run into similar hurdles. So Grant, who also wants to also “help his brother in a greater way by helping to stop bullying and break myths surrounding TS,” joined the Tourette Syndrome Youth Ambassador program, where he will be “equipped with resources and tools to spread education on the disorder in schools and other community groups.” (As part of the program, he will also speak to Congress as an advocate for TS research.)
I think Kevin, the Tourette community, and our society as a whole are lucky to have guys like Grant!
To educate yourself about Tourette Syndrome, visit:
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Karina Gadea, Operation Smile
Most people are aware of the Operation Smile organization and its mission to provide corrective surgeries for kids with facial deformities, as well as give presentations on relevant health topics, in underprivileged countries.
But what you may not know (I didn’t) is that many teens also serve on these goodwill missions. Teens like Karina Gadea, who was selected from her high school’s Operation Smile club to bring smiles and knowledge to the kids of Kenya.
Karina’s team, in which her role was to give “interactive presentations on topics including burn care and prevention, nutrition, dental care and oral rehydration,” performed 128 surgeries on their 12-day trip!
See the results of Karina’s and other Operation Smiles here:
http://www.operationsmile.org/our_work/index.htmlDo you know a toast-worthy teen you’d like to see featured here at BWATE?
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Ashton Canada, UniqueModz
When 16-year-old Ashton Canada was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and had to be home-school for a year, he didn’t just play a lot of video games; he started fixing them as well. What started off with his researching how to solve an Xbox problem that many of his friends were experiencing, quickly evolved into customizing consoles – adding plexiglass windows to reveal the inner workings of the system, then adding lights and professional-quality paint. 30 customization orders in a week told Ashton that it was time to start his own company, and voila! UniqueModz was born.
These days, serious business owner Ashton has little time to play; he’s “constantly updating the website, YouTube channel and social networks, talking to sponsors and making sure everyone is happy.” His father describes Ashton’s work ethic as “just unbelievable,” and Ashton’s mother is so impressed by her son having “done it pretty much all himself. He’s self-sustaining.” Given that Ashton’s now taking a business entrepreneurship to see “what [I’m] doing right and what [I] can improve on,” I think we can be sure he’s only begun a unique career. ;)
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Kendall Ronzano, Nerd Girl Homes
The house 16-year-old Kendall Ronzano is building may be tiny, but her heart is tremendous. The California teen is channeling her life-long love of building into the construction of a 117 sq. ft.
Lusby model portable home.
Kendall, deeply affected by both the homelessness she sees in her own town as well as the global destruction that has taken the homes of so many in recent years, plans to either donate the completed house to a deserving recipient, or to raffle it off and donate the proceeds to charity.
She credits her parents for having always encouraged her to “dream big” – I’d say they gave her the perfect foundation on which to build an inspiring life. :)
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Jessica Markowitz, Richard's Rwanda
When Jessica Markowitz was in the 6th grade, a Rwandan man named Richard stayed with her family and told them about the horrific 1994 genocide in his country. Jessica, who’s favorite quote is: “When you educate a girl, you educate a community,” was particularly shocked to learn that many Rwandan girls couldn’t afford to go to school, and, as the daughter of an activist, knew she could do something about it.
Jessica’s foundation, Impuwe Richard’s Rwanda, has since evolved from middle-school car-washes and bake sales to selling apparel and writing grant proposals to fund support for more than 7 different Rwandan schools. In between taking the SATs and managing the many other challenges of high school, Jessica is currently working to build the Rwandan students a much-needed science center, and several other members have formed more chapters to continue to grow the youth-led organization.
See their work in action here:
www.richardsrwanda.orgDo you know a toast-worthy teen you’d like to see featured here at BWATE?
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Michael Lake and Justin Loria, sick of witnessing the curse words and middle-finger raising amongst their peers, decided to offer an alternative. Yup, their self-launched clothing line, LL Clothing Co., sells shirts, hoodies, and dog bandanas emblazoned with the “hang-loose” gesture and the word “HUAAA,” which stands for Help Us Avoid All Anger.
They hope that seeing their logo will make people pause before swearing or flipping someone the bird, and ultimately choose instead to curl their hands into the hang-loose sign and yell, “Hoo-aah!” Yes, it may sound a little goofy at first, but, as Michael says, “When you’re agitated and think about HUAAA, you can’t be mad at anything anymore.”
Sounds good to me. :)
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yeah, old people need to keep busy in their age, which includes keeping their mind busy before it slowly deteriorates.