The Diversity Makes a Difference program celebrates young people who are committed to reaching out across cultural lines. This newspaper believes that diversity is an asset to our community, and so we encourage young people to take action to instill this belief in others. On this page, you will find the nominees for the 2003 Diversity Makes a Difference scholarship.

•Ben Derige
Senior, Rainier Beach High School
Nominated by Robb Peterson

Ben, a Filipino American, is fascinated with all cultures around him. He honors the many traditions he encounters.

A sports enthusiast, Ben has played on basketball teams in the Chinese Athletic Association league and the Pinoy League. His senior project compared Japanese baseball to America's version of the game.

•Connie Arvie
Senior, Rainier Beach High School
Nominated by Karen Harrington

Connie has many responsibilities, including a young son, but her education remains a priority in her life. She maintains a 4.0 grade point average and would like to attend college. Connie is active in her community, having volunteered more than 40 hours to helping children.

•Erica Chau
Senior, Hazen High School
Nominated by Cheryl Sakura

Erica is active in the Multicultural Student Association and Earth Corps. She interacts with others cheerfully and is always respectful of her peers, whether or not they share her cultural background. Teachers recognize her people skills and have selected her to be a mentor for freshmen. They have been able to rely on her to translate for new students who speak Cantonese.

•Mieso Bosat
Junior, Chief Sealth High School
Nominated by Alison Yount

Born in Eritrea, Mieso lived most of his life in Ethiopia. Two years ago, he came to the United States, without his parents, to study. He is now out of the ESL program and attends regular classes. Mieso plays on the varsity soccer team and was chosen to be a Natural Helper by his peers.

•David Le
Senior, Nathan Hale High School
Nominated by Jon A. Miller

David is an excellent student, especially demonstrated through his summer enrollment in the University of Washington's Upward Bound program. He excels in math, computer and science programs, but is also interested in horticulture and language arts.

David has volunteered 550 hours at Rainier Vista's Promoting Access Across Culture program and plays on Hale's basketball and tennis teams.

•Andrew Viray
Senior, Blanchet High School
Nominated by Patricia J. Thenell

Andrew is active in many activities at Blanchet, including sports and service organizations. He gives back to the Filipino community and his church. He is also an accomplished pianist who has won competitions in Snohomish County.

Andrew cares about his community. As a council member for St. Vincent de Paul, he often encourages younger students to do community service.

•Judy Yu Wang
Senior, Interlake High School
Nominated by Michelle Almy

A teacher at the Brain Child Academy, Judy teaches math and logic to Asian and Pacific Islander elementary students. She also teaches ESL. It is important to Judy that children be able to understand both cultures and know the value of tolerance.

Diligent about making all people feel welcome, she has volunteered with the Special Olympics and the Center Program, which assists Interlake's developmentally delayed students. Judy also helped form the group Students Against Sexual Harassment.

•Luis Congdon
Senior, Roosevelt High School
Nominated by Roselyn Lane, Joanne Tilton, Nancy Schub, Jennifer Loewenthal, Jamie Treutel & Dr. Littlebrave Beaston

Earlier this year, a student with multiple social and emotional issues was referred to Roosevelt's Teen Health Center for services. Luis, a volunteer there, met with the student. Though they were as different as night and day, Luis welcomed him into his peer group at school. They have become good friends.

"We can't think of another student who has brought more people together in such an inclusive and accepting way as Luis," said his nominators.

Luis also serves on the advisory board of The Experience Wellness Project, a group that makes recommendations regarding student health services.

•Ingrid Sagor
Senior, Mariner High School
Nominated by Elizabeth Stokes

Ingrid has served as a conflict mediator for the past four years. She has resolved countless disputes at Mariner, including those having to do with sexual, racial and gender harassment; bullying and rumors. She is now vice president of the Conflict Mediator Program. Peers and faculty admire her dedication to mediator training.

Two years ago, she formed the Gay-Straight Alliance at the school when she noticed that some of the students were being harassed due to their sexual orientation. She helped start the group and even encouraged her straight friends to attend meetings. The members now report fewer instances of harassment.

•Jeff Philakham
Senior, Franklin High School
Nominated by Miriam Miller

Jeff believes in an egalitarian world. In his paid position as youth coordinator of the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, he recruits students to teach about environmental injustice -- the targeting of poor neighborhoods and communities of color by hazardous-waste facilities that release harmful chemicals into the air. He demonstrates interest and patience as he encourages students to develop more fully into environmental justice advocates.

In 2002, Jeff received the Emerging Leaders Award from the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation for his dedication to promoting discussions about race relations at school.

•Maitham Naeemi
Senior, Meadowdale High School
Nominated by Betsie Snoey

Leadership and service to the school community are priorities for Maitham. This year, he was instrumental in establishing the Diversity Leadership Team, a student group that leads discussions at staff workshops about diversity and fosters communication between different racial, ethnic and age groups.

In the classroom, Maitham challenges himself by taking honors and Advanced Placement classes. He has also found time to take an advanced class in computer animation, an area that is of special interest to him.

•Edwin Ryan Belen
Senior, Kennedy High School
Nominated by Chris Santos

Edwin is co-president of the school's Youth for Christ chapter, which organizes prayer sessions, social functions and various community service projects. A member of the International Club, he also sits on the planning committee for cultural awareness assemblies. Edwin often stresses how much teamwork and dedication it takes to work with students of different ethnicities, as well as the excitement that goes along with putting on cultural shows.

He is also a member of the basketball and wrestling teams.

•Loann Tang
Senior, Franklin High School
Nominated by V. Nichols

Loann has participated in many activities outside of class, including National Honor Society, Academy of Finance, Key Club, the Asian Student Association, the Vietnamese Club and the swim team. She has also taken part in the University of Washington's Upward Bound program and Running Start.

Dedicated to serving the community, Loann has volunteered at Jefferson Community Center, Indochina Chinese Refugee Association, Pacific Medical Center and the Seattle Public Library, among many other organizations.

•Eric Wang
Junior, Nathan Hale High School
Nominated by Lee Micklin

Eric combined new ideas with an old club to create the Asian Outreach Club. His strong organizational and motivational skills keep the club active. It has helped organize the Bite of Hale (an ethnic food festival), arranged field trips and put on Chinese and Vietnamese New Year celebrations. His fluency in Chinese, Japanese and English is very helpful to the members of this club.

Eric also worked tirelessly to start up Future Business Leaders of America, which had not been active for several years. To further the club's goal he became a member of the School/Business Partner Team. One idea that stemmed from that was a student field trip to Safeco.

•Andre Morris
Senior, Rainier Beach High School
Nominated by Leanne Lucas

Andre has long recognized the importance of communicating about racism. He has led class discussions about racism and organized Martin Luther King Jr. assemblies. Moreover, Andre has made a commitment to encouraging diversity by example. His congenial demeanor and maturity are assets in group interaction. Through his enthusiastic involvement in school activities, he invites others to do the same.

•Ada Chen
Senior, Garfield High School
Nominated by Leanne Hust

For three summers, Ada has volunteered as a teaching assistant for students of Eimeikan School in Japan during their visit to Seattle. She served as a teacher's aide and cultural liaison to the Japanese students. She hopes to do it again this summer.

As a member of the Garfield Youth Advisory Council, she organized the repainting of a mural in the school's parking lot and a mentoring program for at-risk youths at Washington Middle School.

Ada was also a tutor, peer mediator and member of the Asian/Pacific Islander Women's Empowerment Club.

•Gabriela del Toro
Senior, Chief Sealth High School
Nominated by Roberta Lindeman

Gabriela easily crosses cultural and racial lines to serve as a positive role model to all. Whether it has been participating in a leadership program for young women, volunteering to work with children at places like Sea Mar and Concord Elementary School, celebrating her cultural heritage through membership in MECh/LA or joining student leadership, Gabriela has always been one to step forward to get the most out of her involvement.

She currently serves as secretary and treasurer of the senior class. She is the first Latina in seven years to hold such a high position in her school's student body.

•Aaron Quitugua
Senior, Lakes High School
Nominated by Michael A. Tuncap

Aaron is a dedicated leader in Lakes' ROTC program. He is the first Chamoru in the school's history to hold the positions of battalion commander and color guard commander at the same time. He uses his leadership position to educate others about the unique and rich culture of Guam, his native land.

In the community, Aaron volunteers at Veteran's Hospital, tutors at a middle school and mentors students at an elementary school. His service record won him a spot on the Youth Leadership Council of St. John Bosco Church.

•Marta Kidane
Junior, Evergreen High School
Nominated by Tony Liu

Marta stands out as someone who has achieved a lot. In a brief two-year period, she completed the Science for Success program at the University of Washington and a law program through Evergreen's sponsorship. She also participated in YWCA's Leaders in Progress and is treasurer of Life Youth Ministries' youth group. Recently she took on an internship at the prestigious law firm Perkins Coie.

•Alice Bell
Senior, Nathan Hale High School
Nominated by Jacob R. Ellis

For the past three years, Alice has been a member of the Diversity Club, which promotes understanding and appreciation of all cultures at Nathan Hale and in the larger community. She currently serves as secretary and treasurer of the club. For the past two years, she has helped plan the Martin Luther King Jr. assembly and the Bite of Hale, the social and culinary highlight of the school year.

Alice has also served as president of Future Community and Career Leaders of America, heading a project that distributed more than 600 health and hygiene kits to homeless shelters.

She will represent her school at the American Jewish Committee's Film Talks program this year. Film Talks is a daylong diversity workshop in which students discuss prejudice, intolerance and bigotry.

•Sherrie Payne
Senior, Bellingham High School
Nominated by Melanie Bade

Through cheerleading, Sherrie shares her energy and demonstrates leadership. Almost daily she can be found after school painting signs or setting up for special events. A member of the Leadership Team, she was a key organizer of the assembly that welcomed incoming freshmen students.

Outside of school, she is a dedicated tutor at Roosevelt Elementary School. She also commits one weekend a month to church mission work and helped restore streams through the Nooksack Enhancement Association.

She has already recorded more than 300 hours of community service.

•Oukham Saengpraseuth
Junior, Foster High School
Nominated by Sue Pike

Oukham has been named "Student of the Month" or "Student of the Semester" 11 times. His teachers recognize his commitment to excellence and leadership abilities. Oukham is often found helping his peers produce the best work that they can. Last spring, in French class, he led his peers in developing thoughtful questions for a video conference with students in Dakar, Senegal.

Last year, he was one of Foster's delegates to Model United Nations, a conference sponsored by the World Affairs Council. He will attend again this year.

Oukham's activities include International Club, Honor Society, concert band and football.

•Lindy Kogita
Senior, Franklin High School
Nominated by Kory Kumasaka

Lindy is a member of the Public Service Academy, which develops leadership and social-service skills among its participants. She utilizes those tools as a peer educator for AP Advice, a group of young women educating fellow students about dating abuse and violence. The group has empowered hundreds of young people with the awareness of an all-too-common issue.

Lindy's friendships cross the borders of race and socioeconomic status. She possesses the ability to support and counsel her diverse group of friends.

•Christopher Bui
Sophomore, Edmonds-Woodway High School
Nominated by Sen. Paull Shin, Dr. Wayne Robertson, Suzanne L. Baier, Dean H. Hakanishi, Domenica Cook & Kelly Costinett

In eighth grade, Chris memorized Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech to compete in Alderwood Middle School's 2000-01 American Ideals Oratory Competition. He won, and his speech was later broadcast on KCTS's Golden Apple awards telecast.

Since then, he has taken several opportunities to serve those less fortunate than he is. Through his involvement with the St. Thomas More youth ministry, he will spend part of his summer building homes in Mexico. Last Thanksgiving and Christmas, he served meals to the local homeless community. Chris has also taken time at least once a month to prepare, serve and eat with homeless youth in the University District.

•Desiree Norcross
Junior, Bellingham High School
Nominated by Melanie Bade

Desiree volunteers at the Brigid Collins House, whose mission is to break the cycle of child abuse in Whatcom County. She speaks to Native American students about their attitudes toward school and the benefits of a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle. Using what she learned from drama class, she demonstrates Indian dancing and shares Native American poetry with them.

Desiree recently gave the keynote speech at Brigid Collins' benefit dinner. In a speech she wrote herself, she spoke movingly about how she wished there was a world in which children were not victims. "Simply put, Desiree was inspiring," commented the nonprofit's director. He said she was a major reason why the group was able to raise $35,000 that night. It was more than double the amount donated the previous year.

•Ha Chu
Senior, Chief Sealth High School
Nominated by Alison Yount

Soon after arriving in the United States, Ha joined the Vietnamese Club and began volunteering for fundraisers and cultural events. She helped plan a Vietnamese New Year celebration for her school, complete with food, dancing, gifts and a fashion show. This year she is the club's treasurer.

Ha has written eloquently about Vietnam, her struggles with the language and her adjustment to her new home. She is happy to teach others about Vietnamese culture and history.

•Zoe Marks
Senior, Garfield High School
Nominated by Leanne Hust

During her freshman year, Zoe was one of only two from her class to join Garfield's Cultural Relations organization. Cultural Relations is devoted to actualizing the diversity of the school through activities and educational forums that promote cultural respect, understanding and appreciation. Zoe had led discussions on homophobia, racism and sexism. As one of the core leaders of the group, she helped organize fundraisers, grants and retreats, and is a key player in working with administrators and faculty in organizing forums.

•Corinne Aguon
Senior, Timberline High School
Nominated by Precious T. Aure

Corinne formed the Cultural Awareness Club at her school. As founder and president, she helps others appreciate differences by coordinating a cultural diversity event each spring.

Her academic achievements and community service record earned her a spot in a program called RISE, which promotes the pursuit of higher education among Pacific Islander youths.

Corinne is also involved in the Interact Club, the National Honor Society, Habitat for Humanity and Make-a-Difference Day. She remains connected to her Chamorro community by participating in fiestas, fundraisers and church.

Chioke Harris
Junior, Lakeside School
Nominated by T.J. Vassar

Chioke has been active in cultural diversity groups for years. In eighth grade he was part of a group that put together a flag display at Lakeside. It remains to this day. The flags represent the nation of origin of all of the school's students and staff.

In high school, he has participated in Brotherhood/Sisterhood, a student organization that has an African American focus. He also helped revise Project Week, an experiential learning week at the school. Chioke helped sell the idea to skeptical peers and faculty that all projects henceforth had to be focused on the environment, community service or diversity.

•Christine Jang
Junior, Newport High School
Nominated by Marla Stewart

Christine has spent more than 800 hours volunteering for her church, doing such things as traveling to Taiwan to tutor young children and leading Bible-study classes at her own church. Christine has also worked at food drives and helped serve Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless.

In school, she was a member of the tennis team and drill team.

She would like to someday work in international relations or politics, where she can put her bilingual talents to use.

•Sharon Pulou

Senior, Lakes High School

Nominated by Linea Lebehn

Sharon is president and designated community speaker of her school's Pacific Islander Club, which she has been a highly active member of since freshman year, having held an officer's position every year since ninth grade. Sharon helps PIC be a place for students to find support, community and appreciation for cultural diversity.

She also participates Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Key Club and National Honors Society. She contributes to the Samoan community through dance, church and other community programs.

•Tanya Subcleff
Senior, Meadowdale High School
Nominated by Paul Schneider

Tanya has played a critical role in making the school's LINK program a success. A few years ago, she was one of only a handful of students chosen to participate in the ninth-grade transition program. After a training period, she went on to become a student coordinator. Her work on LINK has made it the largest and one of the most respected in the state. No other student has been given this level of responsibility.

Tanya's sense of compassion and thoughtfulness extend far beyond her years. She is an effective leader who inspires students and staff alike to follow her example of determination, compassion and vision.

•Sarah Goldenkranz
Senior, Garfield High School
Nominated by Michael B. Goldenkranz
& Leanne Hust

For several years, Sarah has been a quiet leader in Garfield's Gay-Straight Alliance. This year, she is co-chair of the group. Sarah thrives on going into freshmen classes and facilitating workshops for students and faculty. She has taken on this role even though she is not a sexual minority herself.

Last year, as part of her involvement in Earth Corps, she designed and taught a program about the water cycle to elementary students. She also helped them paint a mural about the water cycle.

Sensitive to the needs of the disabled, Sarah has volunteered for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center, where she learned sign language as well as the culture of those who cannot hear.

•Jacob M. Anderson
Sophomore, Inglemoor High School
Nominated by Debbie Eng-Coe

For the past two summers, Jacob has spent time in the Skagit Valley caring for preschoolers of Hispanic migrant workers through the Archdiocese of Seattle's Youth Migrant Project. He also helped stock the community food bank and visited seniors at the local nursing home. Jacob plans to spend part of this summer in Sunnyside, Wash., lending a hand to the migrant workers in that community. He is learning Spanish this year to help with the language barrier.

Jacob also volunteers for Operation Sack Lunch, an emergency feeding program. He and his friend make sandwiches and pack hundreds of lunch bags for distribution to the needy in downtown Seattle.

As a Boy Scout, he helps decorate Keiro nursing home for the holidays, collects food for food banks and clears off walking trails for local campgrounds.

•Nazir Harb
Senior, Meadowdale High School
Nominated by Ann Nault & Paul Schneider

Since entering high school, Nazir has matured into a leader and activist for change. Last year he participated in a discussion of diversity issues at Meadowdale. The experience solidified in his mind the idea that to achieve meaningful peace and lasting justice, we must first communicate with one another. Committed to creating positive change, he and several of his peers proposed and developed the Diversity Leadership Team at Meadowdale. This group is made up of students who lead school-wide discussions about the lives of Meadowdale's students. Their goal is to create a community in which learning and understanding are safe, directed and meaningful for all students.

•Hayat Yemer
Senior, Chief Sealth High School
Nominated by Lisa Luiz

Hayat has worked with the Seattle Youth Employment Program for three years. SYEP helps low-income students locate jobs and integrate into the community after high school. Students also have the opportunity to take part in cultural performances at SYEP, and Hayat has attended many of them.

She has more than enough credits to graduate from high school, but she has chosen to stay an extra semester to be a teacher's assistant in a class for students who have just come to the U.S. from Vietnam, Mexico and Somalia.

•Lauren Walker
Senior, Franklin High School
Nominated by Jol Raymond

Lauren is a peer mediator at Franklin, helping peers solve interpersonal conflicts. An excellent listener, she is one of the first students recruited for any race-relations forum the school offers.

Last summer, she was one of the "big sisters" selected to help incoming freshmen adjust to high school. As always, she came across as warm, caring and genuine, and did a great job putting the new students at ease.

Lauren has been elected class president each of her four years in high school. She is tremendously effective at getting things done and has a gift for inspiring those around her to work for a common goal.

•Jimmy Kwong
Senior, Hazen High School
Nominated by Scott Leick

Jimmy is a member of the Honor Society, Link Crew and the senior class board, among other organizations. Where he does some of his best work, though, is with the Multicultural Student Association. This year he is president of the club. He has the rare skill of being able to look at a problem in a positive way. He works well behind the scenes, never wanting to take credit for his achievements.

He came to the United States at age 10, knowing very little English. Since then, he has not only adapted to his new country but excelled in biology, U.S. history and calculus. He is also studying Spanish.

•My-Linh Nguyen
Senior, Rainier Beach High School
Nominated by Aurora Escame

My-Linh is student body president of Rainier Beach. Active in school activities since freshman year, she is a member of the Vietnamese Club and the Asian Student Coalition. She volunteers to collect canned food and toys for Union Gospel Mission and The Shelter, and works with special education students at an elementary school. My-Linh has also served as junior class representative and senior class representative.

This year, she took a lead role in the school's Martin Luther King, Jr., assembly and read a poem she wrote called "Race." Last year, she was the master of ceremonies.

•Kimberly Warfel
Senior, Kentridge High School
Nominated by Patricia Warfel

Kim started studying Japanese in 10th grade, and enjoyed it from the start. This year, she is president of the Japan Club.

In 2002, she stayed with a family in Okinawa, Japan, for six weeks. She enjoyed being immersed in the Japanese culture and, in particular, learning more about the nutritional aspects of Asian food, herbs and drinks. Kim hopes to be a naturopathic doctor someday.

Kim is also a member of the multicultural club. For the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day assembly, she joined many girls of East Indian descent to perform an East Indian dance, complete with authentic dresses and jewelry. Kim always came home excited to have learned more about Indian culture.

• Margaret Chang
Senior, West Seattle High School
Nominated by Carrie Burr

Among her many activities, Margaret is secretary of the DECA club; participates in Team Read, a reading program for elementary students; and helps raise funds for many school projects. Margaret has also volunteered at Children's Hospital, Roxhill Elementary School and The Humane Society.

She is a four-year varsity letter winner in soccer and a three-year letter winner in basketball. Her teammates and coaches have repeatedly named her Most Inspirational Player, Most Valuable Player and team captain.

•Vy Vo
Sophomore, Chief Sealth High School
Nominated by Lisa Luiz

Vy arrived in the United States two years ago not knowing a word of English. Since then, she has virtually mastered the English language. This in itself is an amazing accomplishment, but along the way Vy has been a constant champion of diversity.

In many of her classes she must work in groups. She refuses to accept stereotypes and sees each student as an individual regardless of race or background. She is a great representative of her ethnicity in every class she attends.

•SiWei Luo
Senior, Interlake High School
Nominated by Jamie Ginter

An accomplished violin player, SiWei is a member of Interlake's orchestra. She has taught other orchestra members about Chinese classical music and shared her own collection of this music.

In the annual Japanese Language Speech and Skit Contest in King County, she placed second with a speech -- spoken in Japanese -- about her Chinese experience. As a member of the Japanese Club, she has taught the art of sumi.

Four pieces of SeWei's art were also featured in Impulse, a Bellevue School District art magazine. In them, she used Chinese cultural symbols and explained their significance.

Since 2000, SiWei has been involved in a student mentor program in which she shares her knowledge and experiences with other immigrants.

•Alex Bissonnette
Senior, Nathan Hale High School
Nominated by Victoria Bernstein

Alex has traveled to Japan as an exchange student to further the study of his passion, Japanese language and culture. He has also hosted a student from Japan.

An accomplished artist, Alex painted a mural at school depicting social activists, including Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt and Aung San Suu Kyi. Although the mural generated controversy, he held firm to his convictions and demonstrated considerable courage and integrity in its defense.

A member of the Diversity Club, he is part of a committee that is organizing the Equity Summit. He also took part in the school's ethnic food festival, Bite of Hale, hosting a Japanese food table and actively advertising the event.

•Amy McMillon
Senior, Franklin High School
Nominated by Susan Hagist

Amy is editor of the school newspaper. She also contributes to the Seattle youth newspaper Mirror as a monthly columnist and Web reviewer. Through the organization Teens in Public Service, she volunteers at the Pacific Science Center. A member of the Student Conservation Association, Amy helps build trails, plant trees and clean parks.

Her awards include the National English Merit Award and the Ku'Onesha Academic and Self-Determination Award.

•Lonisha Alexander
Senior, Rainier Beach High School
Nominated by Karen Harrington

Despite having grown up in a difficult environment, Lonisha has not given up. She continues to make school her No. 1 priority. She currently maintains a 3.33 grade point average. Her goal is to attend college and become a nurse.

Active in her community, Lonisha has volunteered more than 60 hours to helping older adults.

•Sadie Pile
Senior, Garfield High School
Nominated by Gretchen Wilkinson

In ninth grade, Sadie revealed that she was gay. She announced that she wanted to counterbalance the prejudice she often encountered with teaching, and she lived up to her word. Throughout high school, Sadie has been teaching, planning and organizing workshops and events that promote tolerance in the community. She has even been hired by the school district to make presentations and lead workshops.

Of late, she has also become interested in helping the deaf. Sadie has been learning sign language, and for her senior project, she is organizing a weekend survival camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing youths.

•Lieu T. Phan
Senior, Bellingham High School
Nominated by Melanie Bade

Having come from a non-English-speaking home, Lieu has had to incorporate two cultures and two languages into her life. That challenge, however, has not kept her from being one of the most involved students at Bellingham. She takes leadership roles in a variety of school activities, including Drama Club, Raider Radicals Service Club and student government. She has also volunteered hours of her time to helping middle-school students prepare for the Math Olympiad.

•Cindy Sandino
Senior, Franklin High School
Nominated by Jol Raymond

In addition to being an active member of the leadership group of Franklin's student government, Cindy writes for the school newsletter. Her editorials are thought provoking and well written. She has been on the stage crew for several drama productions and is a regular at the Latino Club meetings. Cindy is proud of her multiethnic heritage and shares her culture with ease.

Among other volunteer jobs, Cindy tutors elementary students in reading and math. Being fluent in Spanish helps her reach kids who often don't come to tutoring sessions.

What's amazing is that she does all this without help from others. Due to a difficult childhood, she lives on her own, paying for all her living expenses, including room and board.

•Brian Wong
Senior, Hazen High School
Nominated by Carol ZumBrunnen

Brian has taken the most rigorous coursework possible during his career at Hazen. He will be receiving an Excel endorsement with a double emphasis in humanities and math/sciences. Excel is a program designed to recognize students who challenge themselves to the utmost capacity during their four years in high school. Brian is currently enrolled in four Advanced Placement classes and has made time to take macroeconomics and computer classes at Bellevue Community College through the Running Start program.

Brian also plays in the jazz ensemble and volunteers at the University of Washington Medical Center.

•Zahida Sherman
Senior, Garfield High School
Nominated by Carolyn Barge

Zahida enjoys making her community a better place for all. She has been a member of Key Club, participated in Junior Statesmen of America, received the Paul Robeson Scholar Athlete Award in 1996, 1997 and 1999, volunteered for the Seattle Young People's Project and won the Most Valuable Player award from her softball team in 2001 and 2002.

She has expressed interest in a career in anthropology. She is convinced that everyone in society can benefit from a general understanding of different cultures. Zahida herself joined the Vietnamese Club last year to make new friends and get to know the culture better.

•Hermela Bekele
Senior, Chief Sealth High School
Nominated by Lisa Luiz

Hermela is working with another student to organize a World Culture Club at her school. She is designing the club's format, preparing an agenda and creating recruiting posters. She wants this club to foster friendships between students of different cultures. Chief Sealth currently has many clubs for individual cultures, but none designed to bring all cultures together.

Hermela, who is from Ethiopia, has become an older-sister figure for many students in the ESL program. She looks after the well-being of many students with no thought to race or background.

•Jason Black
Senior, North Thurston High School
Nominated by Randy Poff

Jason has consistently demonstrated his commitment to social diversity through his involvement in the music and peer tutoring programs at school. The ethnic makeup of the choir has enjoyed increased diversity as a result of Jason's example and recruiting efforts. His work in the ESL peer-tutoring program has helped many immigrant students improve their academic performance and confidence in exploring the activities offered at school.

Jason has translated for many student, parent and teacher conferences. He has also worked countless hours with the law enforcement community to improve safety and outreach to all cultural groups.

•Anne Brandjord
Senior, Interlake High School
Nominated by Kristen Hansen

Anne helped organize a "Mix it Up" lunch. Students were encouraged to sit at a table different from where they normally sat during lunch and get to know the new people around them. They were given interview sheets and instructed to ask questions of the person sitting next to them. The goal of this special lunch was to break up the cliques that normally form in school.

Anne also helped organize the Martin Luther King Jr. assembly. She contacted speakers and created a slideshow about King's life. Now she is helping put together the Cinco de Mayo assembly.

•Naomi Garland
Senior, Garfield High School
Nominated by Samuel Labi

Naomi is the executive editor of The Messenger, Garfield's student newspaper. Before that, she was a member of Post 84, a student-led outdoor-education program. The group has organized a variety of activities, including rock climbing, snow camping, backpacking and kayaking.

An artistic individual, she has studied classical voice, piano and Japanese classical dancing.

•Mary Buslon
Junior, Kentridge High School
Nominated by Deann Anguiano

Mary finds time for many extracurricular activities, including cross country, martial arts, the Multicultural Club, the District Diversity Task Force and the Minority Achievement Gap Committee.

In church, Mary eagerly promotes the youth mission to help an underprivileged community in Eastern Washington. She speaks at evening masses and often represents the youth group in the parish. She also volunteers to play the piano for children's plays and choirs.

•Anh Nguyen
Senior, Evergreen High School
Nominated by Rose Brown

Anh is a member of Upward Bound, president of the Key Club, senior class president and a member of the Honor Society and Executive Council. Willing to serve others, she tutors at the Boys and Girls Club every week. She has also volunteered at Boomtown Café, a nonprofit restaurant for the homeless and low-income families, and White Center Heights, an elementary school where she helped disadvantaged kids with their reading skills.

•Cleary Clark
Senior, Roosevelt High School
Nominated by Kenneth R. Courtney

As a Poet Cum Laude, Cleary is among a select group of students that represents the senior class at various events using spoken and written word. He is also a vocalist in the performance poetry and hip-hop group Hipnotize, and is a board member of the youth organization Youth Speaks.

Through the group RHS Hands for a Bridge, Cleary visited South Africa last spring and hosted visiting students this fall.

•Funmilayo Ojikuto
Senior, Bellingham High School
Nominated by Melanie Bade

Fumi is co-president of the senior class. She is on the dance team and performs outside of school in modern, tap and ballet. She also volunteers through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, working two days a week as a classroom aide and tutor at an elementary school.

Through the dance studio, she spent the summer of 2002 performing in Australia. In 2000 she went to England as a student ambassador to learn more about British culture and compare England's government with the U.S.'s. Last summer she attended the National Youth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

•Ryan Digges
Senior, Lakewood High School
Nominated by Joyce Scott

As president of the Diversity Team, Ryan helps organize monthly community ethnic dinners as well as the Festival of Nations, in which students showcase their heritage through food and activities.

Last year, Ryan represented Lakewood as an ambassador to its sister school in South Korea.

He is also a catalyst for change through Challenge Day, designed to assist schools in breaking down the social barriers associated with high-school life. After Challenge Day, Ryan advocated to keep positive change moving throughout the school environment by organizing weekly meetings and incorporating the program ideals into the school's Diversity Team.

•Charis Hnin
Senior, West Seattle High School
Nominated by Miriam Lemcio

Charis has used her strong communication skills to tutor ESL students at Franklin, teach English to non-English-speaking seniors and tutor at the Salvation Army Homework Center. An active participant in international festivals in Portland, she has also taken part in fundraising activities for refugees on the Myanmar-Thailand border.

Supportive and respectful of other students, Charis is an excellent listener and a great friend. She accepts others and helps them see their strengths.