Thank you for taking part in the Changemaker Challenge
If you missed the live Awards Show,
Speaker:
Natasha Carrizosa is a poet, writer, and emcee. She is author of mexiafricana, heavy light, and crown. Her work has been also published in numerous publications.
She has performed her work and conducted workshops for audiences across the country and different parts of the world. She engages and speaks to thousands of students each year.
She has collaborated with Aspen Challenge, Aspen Youth Leadership Forum, Aspen Words, Bezos Scholars, WITS (Writers in the Schools) and Coolspeak.
Awardees:
Inari Barrett is a high school sophomore from Springfield, MA. A Peace First grantee, Inari is also the creator of Stories that Need Telling, a space for women of color to share their experiences with healthcare providers in a therapeutic way. Within this project, Inari worked closely with the Women of Color Health Equity Collective to further help promote wellness for women of color and address the racial disparities that lead to the mistreatment of mothers of color in the healthcare system. Believing that authentic change lies in intersectionality and the unique experience of women of color, Inari hopes to create more projects that address the racism and prejudice embedded in so many American systems. She likes to spend her free time eating good food, reading and playing guitar.
As a young boy growing up in the South Bronx in a single parent household, Jamel had a strong desire to teach and become a strong male role model for young people. His purpose as an educator and a mentor is to focus not just on academics, but also on emotional support. Today, Jamel teaches sixth grade in the Bronx to students with disabilities who receive Integrated Co-Teaching services (ICT).
Jamel’s teaching style consists of building strong connections beyond the classroom and authentically getting to know his students. He takes pride in advocating and supporting students with disabilities to ensure they are receiving the support they are entitled to. During the pandemic, Jamel used Donors Choose to raise funds to create over 360 care packages to support local families. Serving on numerous school committees and community leadership roles, Jamel is truly connected to the community and enjoys serving in high-needs schools. His background, life experience, commitment, and desire for helping underrepresented minorities are leading him towards his ultimate goal, to become a principal in the NYC public school system.
Hailey Richman is an 8th grader from Plainview, NY. From the age of four, Hailey helped act as a caregiver to her grandmother, who lived with Alzheimer’s Disease. Driven by her experience, Hailey has become an Alzheimer’s advocate, and was an invited speaker at the National Alzheimer’s Summit in Washington DC, meeting with representatives to discuss the CHANGE ACT, providing funding for Alzheimer’s research and for family members who are caregivers to Alzheimer’s patients. She is also the founder of Kid Care Givers – which supports young people who have family members living with Alzheimer’s and is the director of Puzzles to Remember, a nonprofit organization which collects and distributes jigsaw puzzles for patients living with Alzheimer’s disease. Hailey is working very hard on a manuscript for her upcoming book: Kid Caregivers: A Manual for Kids About Alzheimer’s Disease.
Hannah Testa is a high school senior from Cumming, GA. A sustainability advocate since the age of 10, she has gone on to become an international speaker, author, and founder of Hannah4Change, a non-profit dedicated to fighting issues that impact the planet.
Adonis Williams is a high school junior, artist and activist from Seattle, WA. At the age of 12, Adonis was one of eight young people who, in partnership with Our Children’s Trust, sued the Washington State Department of Ecology for failing to adequately protect them and future generations from the effect of climate change. Since then, he has remained deeply involved in environmental activist work across various organizations in the Puget Sound region, including Greenpeace, Seattle Tilth and Plant for the Planet. Adonis dearly appreciates the world’s life support systems and the ecology of the natural world around him – and takes every chance he gets to appreciate the beauty of mother earth, which fuels his activism. His passions also include visual arts, singing, Dungeons & Dragons, backpacking and reading.
Andy Yung is a pre-K teacher at the Active Learning Elementary School, and grew up in Flushing, NY—the same community in Queens where he now teaches. He is honored to work with students, parents and community members with whom he has a shared identity and shared lived experiences, connecting with his students and their families in a way that is not easily learned.
