The city of Phoenix will honor the 2012 Outstanding Young Man and Young Woman of the Year winners at the 26th annual awards event at noon Friday, April 6, at the Phoenix Country Club, 2901 N. Seventh St.
Sixteen students were selected as council district winners and will be recognized at the event, along with the teacher who inspired them the most. Each of the district winners will receive a $250 cash award. From the district winners, the two overall winners will be announced and each will receive an additional $2,000 cash award.
Below are the 16 students selected as winners from each Phoenix City Council district and recognized with a $250 cash award:
City Council District 1
The Outstanding Young Woman of the Year is Jordan Mette, a senior at Sandra Day O’Connor High School. Currently, she’s president of her senior class, a member of the National Honor Society and the Society of Female Scholars, as well as a drum major for the nationally recognized Eagle Pride Marching Band. Beyond the classroom, Jordan is actively involved in Christ’s Church of the Valley and has helped to organize events that raised thousands of dollars for Phoenix Children’s Hospital and other organizations. In the future, she wants to become founder of a Christian nonprofit organization as part of her plan to help defeat homelessness.
The Outstanding Young Man of the year is Flavio Bravo, a senior at Brophy College Preparatory School. Flavio has an extensive list of community service projects, which include volunteer work for the Life Care Rehabilitation Center at South Mountain, the Si Se Puede Learning Center and the Boys and Girl Club of the East Valley. He’s also on the swim team, president of the Brophy Honor Choir and involved with the Student Council. Flavio is a graduate of the Valley Teen Leadership Class 16 and president of the Aguila Youth Leadership program. In the future, Flavio plans to become an immigration attorney with a possibility of becoming a politician.
City Council District 2
The District 2 Outstanding Woman of the Year is Rebecca Campbell, a junior at Barry Goldwater High School. Rebecca volunteers with the HALO animal shelter and various school functions as a member of her school’s student government. She also seeks out other volunteer opportunities on her own. Rebecca is a swim coach and has been on the varsity swim team for three years. She has overcome physical adversity and has a goal to swim the entire length of the English Channel. She aspires to work in a pediatric emergency room as a nurse.
The Outstanding Young Man of the Year is Robert Jansen, a senior at Pinnacle High School. Robert is involved with the National Honors Society, mentors young children and volunteers for numerous organizations including the Pinnacle Football skills camp and La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church. He plans to attend the University of Arizona and major in physiology, while also participating in the Reserve Officers Training Corps.
City Council District 3
The Outstanding Young Woman of the Year is Kristen Schoenike, a senior at Thunderbird High School. Currently, she’s a violin tutor at her high school and one of the most accomplished young violinists in the Valley. In addition, Kristen is actively involved in Younglife, a Christian youth outreach organization, and has participated in the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Walk. She also has played four sports and is currently in the top one percent of her graduating class. In the future, she wants to become a doctor and offer free services to impoverished patients as often as she can.
The Outstanding Young Man of the Year is Kapil Kanagal, a junior at Brophy College Preparatory School. He’s devoted more than 700 hours of volunteer service and his latest mission is to educate the public in the Valley about health risks associated with Bisphenol A, or BPA, a compound used in the manufacturing of plastics. Kapil’s efforts have led to the banning of BPA-based containers on select Frontier Airlines flights and at his high school. In the future, Kapil plans attend and graduate from a major research institution with a Ph.D in chemical engineering.
City Council District 4
The Outstanding Young Woman of the Year is Yolanda Flores, a senior at Maryvale High School. Yolanda has volunteered at Phoenix Children’s hospital, the St. Mary’s food bank and Spitlany Elementary School, among other places. She recently took part in ASU Upward Bound’s “A Day for Downtown” neighborhood improvement program, in which she cleaned up parts of her neighborhood and inspired local citizens to come out and help. She hopes to attend the University of Arizona medical school and become a cardiologist and continues to be inspired by her parents, who moved the family to Arizona for a better education for her.
The Outstanding Young Man of the Year is Diego Lopez, a sophomore at Carl Hayden Community High School. Diego is the historian for the Blue Planet Society, a club at his school that picks up recyclable materials from the school and takes them to a recycling plant. He does this because he wants animals and plants to live well, and to create a “cleaner and better society.” Diego hopes for a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from a four-year university, as well as master’s degree.
City Council District 5
The Outstanding Young Woman of the Year is Piedad Rios, a senior at Trevor G. Browne High School. Piedad, inspired by the courage of her younger brother, has battled her own health and wellness issues to captain the girls varsity cross country and track teams and play soccer for her school. She’s active in the Helping Those in Need Club and the Animal Care Awareness club, of which she is vice president. She’s also part of the tobacco awareness program and takes advanced placement courses. Good thing she’s a runner, she runs around quite a bit from activity to activity! Piedad plans to attend a four-year university to study medicine, and being a doctor hits close to home.
The Outstanding Young Man of the Year is Devin Morales, a senior at Saint Mary’s High School. Devin began volunteering in middle school with the John C. Lincoln Food Bank and the Century Branch Library. At St. Mary’s he’s part of the Columbian Squires, National Honor Society and the Smiles for Christmas Project. Named a National Hispanic Merit Scholar, Devin earned a $60,000 scholarship to the University of Arizona, where he’ll be in the honors college and study business with the idea of becoming a business attorney.
City Council District 6
The Outstanding Young Woman of the Year is Allyson Kolodziej, a senior at Desert Vista High School. Allyson is a six-year altar server at her church, has volunteered with the Girl Scouts, tutors math and science to younger kids and spends time at a local retirement center interacting with residents. She has maintained a 4.0 grade point average through high school despite taking as many AP classes as she can, and is a Commended National Merit Scholar after scoring in the top three percent nationally on the PSAT exam. She plans to study medicine and chemical engineering at a four-year university.
The Outstanding Young Man of the Year is Joshua Sipes, a senior at Desert Vista High School. Joshua also is a second year fire science major at the East Valley Institute of Technology. He currently volunteers with HandsOn Greater Phoenix and the Mesa Fire Department. Joshua also was selected by the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission to represent Phoenix as a youth ambassador in Ramat-Gan, Israel. Upon graduating from high school, he also will receive an Associate degree in fire science. He plans to attend Arizona State to pursue degrees in Chemistry and Biology. In the future, he dreams of becoming a hazardous materials technician for the Phoenix Fire Department.
City Council District 7
The Outstanding Young Woman of the Year is Madison Armer, a senior at Peggy Payne Academy. Madison first began her volunteer work at the young age of five for Prevent Blindness America. She also volunteers with Stepping Stones of Hope, as a president of the National Spanish Honor Society, she organizes many community projects. For the past two years, Madison has worked at the Barrow Neurological Institute as a part of their Student Research Volunteer Project. In addition to this honor, she was selected as a Flinn Scholar Semi-Finalist and a National Merit Semi-Finalist. Ten years from now she plans to be finishing a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery.
The Outstanding Young Man of the Year is Oswaldo Robledo, a senior at Betty Fairfax High School. An exemplary student, Oswaldo has maintained a 4.0 GPA every semester since his freshman year. While at Fairfax, he is a part of the soccer and cross country teams. He has participated in the school’s Adopt-a-Street program and volunteers as a tutor to assist his fellow classmates. Outside of school, he participates in local community service projects. He will be the first in his family to finish high school and attend college. Oswaldo plans to obtain advanced degrees in civil engineering and construction engineering.
City Council District 8
The Outstanding Young Woman of the Year is Kimberly Osuna, a senior at South Mountain High School. At a young age, Kimberly begin volunteering for neighborhood clean-ups and various homeless shelters. Those experiences helped her become a great role model and leader for her classmates. She’s involved in a multitude of student organizations, including the National Honor Society, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), League of United Latin American Citizens and Dance Club, to name a few. She plans to attend the University of Arizona to become an optometrist.
The Outstanding Young Man of the Year is Matthew Session, a senior at St. Mary’s High School. A member of the National Honor Society and Student Council, Matthew is in the top five percent of his class. Beyond his academic studies, he is the captain of his school’s football team and serves as a volunteer with his church as a Junior Usher and a member of the Youth Choir. He plans to attend the University of Arizona in the fall with inspirations to be a pediatrician.
The 26th Annual Outstanding Young Man and Young Woman of the Year Awards program is sponsored by the City of Phoenix, know99 television, Phoenix Rotary 100 and Soroptimist International of Phoenix. Hundreds of students from all eight city council districts applied for the award. Applicants submitted essays, transcripts and a letter of recommendation. They were interviewed by a panel that included representatives of each of the event sponsor organizations. The winners were selected for outstanding community service and commitment to excellence in all areas of their lives.