20 UNDER 20 Honoring students who give back to the community

With more than 80 nominations this year, narrowing down our 12th annual slate of 20 Under 20 honorees was more difficult than ever. But we think you’ll agree that this year’s honorees – along with 15 runners up – are doing extraordinary things to make Intown and the world a better place to live.

As in previous years, we asked public and private schools along with service organizations and the general public to nominate students who have been active volunteers in their communities. These 20 students have accumulated thousands of hours of volunteer time, traveled to other countries, created nonprofits and worked with the underprivileged as part of their service.

This year, we noticed a trend among many of the honorees – their interest and passion for the environment and social justice causes. Many of the students are actively working at school and in the community to combat climate change and homelessness as well as mentoring refugees and underserved minority communities around the city. There has been an incredible uptick of students creating nonprofits to help raise funds not only from the community, but from corporations as well.

We hope these uplifting stories will inspire you to find ways to give back to the community. And, as always, thanks to the businesses and schools whose advertising support makes this section possible every year.

The senior has served over 176 hours volunteering at school with his Spanish international church and missionary organizations. In Ohio, Atlanta, Tijuana and Guatemala, he has worked with homeless organizations. In Guatemala, Gabriel served with a ministry called Casas Por Cristo, building houses for the people of San Raymundo. More volunteer hours have been spent at Samaritan’s Purse, Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. Recently, Gabriel was recognized for his acting talent in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” being named All-Star Cast and Best Leading Actor at the Georgia Theatre Conference and Regional One Act Competitions. “I have grown seeing lives driven by service and how those lives were rewarded with meaningful and eternal blessings,” Gabriel said. “For me, serving and volunteering helps me reflect Christ more and makes my heart whole and fills me with life, joy, light and happiness. And, that’s what I strive to give to others when volunteering.”

Mary and Sophia’s passion for debate and helping others has seen them return to their alma mater to coach and travel the Sequoia Middle School debate team for the entire season. The seniors also co-lead imPACT, the school’s volunteer club, which they have led since they were sophomores. They have taken the club from simply organizing a few small projects a year to a service leadership team that organizes both projects and events campus wide, including blood drives, a Thanksgiving canned food drive and food rescue program, a toy drive, a hygiene kit making project, a Hunger Walk Team and a community partner thank you project. As members of Paideia’s AltBreak program, Mary traveled to New Orleans to participate in a variety of service projects and Sophia recently returned from a four day trip to Clarkston that focused on the new American experience of refugees. Mary will lead a trip in February that focuses on service and water access on the Chattahoochee River. Both young women attended Title 1 schools as youths and said debate helped empower them. “The education system for low-income students does not provide students with the stable foundations they need to overcome the walls that society has built around them,” Mary said. “To combat this disparity, I want to help my students develop the confidence necessary for self-advocacy.” Sofia agreed: “Going to tournaments and seeing students earn their medals after hours of practice made me realize just how important it is to continue programs for students who don’t have access to opportunity,” she said.

At age 7, Selah launched her own nonprofit, Empowered Readers Literacy Project, which promotes literacy in kids by promoting reading at home and helping kids build their own home library. Selah has co-written “Penelope The Pirate Princess: The Search for the Magical Moon Pearl,” the first in a series of books for children that will benefit the nonprofit. Through Empowered Readers, she’s volunteered with Leap for Literacy, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA of Metro Atlanta and Atlanta Leadership Club. She was also recently recognized for her efforts by the Atlanta City Council. “It feels awesome to help other people!” Selah said. “I love making other people happy, and it’s been fun to do it with my parents, my sissy and friends.”

Kennedy is founder and CEO of Aid the Journey, a nonprofit she started with money from her tutoring work to provide medical supplies, hygiene kits and educational materials to refugees. She also made time to volunteer more than 100 hours at Emory St. Joseph Hospital and this summer Kennedy is participating in the Harvard Medical Science program and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Youth Leadership Institute at the University of Chicago. She also will participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease Detective Camp, and attend an Inspiring Girls Expedition for 12 days in Anchorage, Alaska. “Although I feel perpetually tired, every time I hand deliver one of my medical kits to a refugee I am energized,” Kennedy said. “Maya Angelou’s quote was right: ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”

Neha is the founder of nonprofit ASA (Aspire, Serve, Achieve), an organization that helps support and raise funds for underprivileged children. Her inspiration for the organization came after a trip to India and discovered there were also exorbitant levels of child poverty in Georgia. The organization has grown to 100 ambassadors and chapters in Georgia, Texas, Michigan, and India. Currently, Neha is working to help a group of children in Michigan who are impacted by the Flint Water crisis as well as a school in India for blind children in need of Braille books. Local initiatives that ASA is currently organizing include a donation of food to the Community Assistance Center and support for the Sandy Springs Mission. At school, she developed the Riverwood United alliance to bridge the gap between students of distinct cultures. “My volunteer work has made me aware of the little things in life that make the biggest difference, the vitality of uniting a community to pursue a cause that makes a difference in peoples’ lives, and the significance of receiving emotions that can be cherished for a lifetime.”

After participating in a Covenant House “Sleep Out” to raise funds to combat youth homelessness, the seniors were so moved by what they witnessed, they applied for and were accepted into the organization’s Scholars in Service program. For four months, Spencyr and Maya learned about philanthropy, fundraising, conducting service projects and developing their voices to speak about homelessness. They approached local businesses and large corporations alike to educate others about youth homeless and solicit donations. In the end, they raised more than $50,000 for Covenant House Georgia, won the $2,500 Scholars in Service scholarship award, and presented one of CHGA’s college-bound youth with a matching $2,500 scholarship. Three weeks later, the girls reached out to say that they decided to donate their scholarships back to Covenant House to launch the Post-secondary Education Fund fulfilling a long time dream of CHGA’s program staff to have funds dedicated to helping young people overcome their barriers to accessing college. “No matter how big or insurmountable any problem seems, there is always something that can be done to help find a solution,” Spencyr said about her work as a volunteer. Maya echoed that sentiment: “Through my work with the Covenant House, I have seen how even a little bit of help can make a huge difference in someone’s life, from giving someone a roof over their head to providing them with the opportunity to access an education.”

A junior at Cristo Rey, Marely serves the homeless population in Downtown Atlanta every Thursday by providing a meal and fellowship through the Labre Ministry. When Marely first volunteered with Labre as a freshman, she encountered a man named Michael who shared his life story with her. “I was shocked by how vulnerable Michael and the others I met that day were,” she said. “I realized the dangers the city can possess for someone in such conditions and how powerful human connections can be.” Now as president of Labre, Marely leads weekly teams of students who go into the streets of Downtown to bring companionship and a meal to those in need. She also volunteers on Saturdays with Feed the Hungry, a group from St. Thomas the Apostle, which provides meals and forges relationships with the homeless. “The most valuable lesson I have learned from being in Labre is to never take things for granted. Michael gave us advice about staying in school as well as staying away from people and things that were toxic. After I reflected on this, I understood the impact that going out to help these people would do for them but also the impact it has done for me. That is why I am grateful that I met my friend Michael.”

The junior has created a project called Technology Opens Doors that addresses the technology needs of men transitioning out of homelessness with the guidance of GivingPoint’s Social Innovators Academy. After a visit to GeorgiaWorks! and observing men seeking employment, but without adequate technology, tools and training, George knew he could help. He surveyed the men at GeorgiaWorks!, met with the director and men to listen to their needs, but also to understand their capacity and skills they already possessed. Using this information, George started involving his peers, his school community and others to work with him to fulfill his project goals. George plans to apply for nonprofit status for Technology Opens Doors so that he can obtain funding and continue to provide assistance to those in need. He’s also found time to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army Bellwood Boys and Girls Club, and more. “Age is not a barrier when it comes to helping improve peoples’ lives,” George said. “I learned to always keep looking for different ways to find a solution. If your first idea does not work, approach it from a different angle but never give up.”