Our Rising Stars program recognizes outstanding young people in our community who are ALREADY serving their communities in fun & creative ways – and who are ALREADY accomplishing GREAT things while volunteering or working in clubs or organizations while they’re still just KIDS. We want to pinpoint these kids and make sure they realize how proud we are of them and how excited we are to see the world grow in their hands.
Finalists will receive a $1,000 grant from Mix 107.9 & our partners, in addition to a college savings award from Ohio’s 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage.
Arya Chabria
Arya Chabria is only 16 but already getting ready to graduate from Columbus Academy. When Arya was 13, she was at a tennis tournament and saw a flyer about an organization that teaches tennis to children with autism. When Arya found out there was no chapter of that organization in Columbus, she decided to start her own chapter. Now two years into the program, they have held multiple sessions and even took students to play at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Arya plans to start a new chapter of the organization in her college town.
Heath Merriman
Heath Merriman is from Grove City and is in a cross-categorial special education class at Park Street Intermediate. Heath rides the bus with one of his classmates and always helps push his friend’s wheelchair from the bus into the school each day. Heath even helps the bus drivers with the students without being asked. He treats his friends with respect and includes them in any way he can.
Isabella Core Barbosa
Isabella Core Barbosa is currently a freshman at Denver University but was a volunteer at the Columbus Metropolitan Library and a camp counselor at Camp Invention for two years. While in high school, Isabella was invited to write blogs for Human Central, a company founded to highlight diversity about current social issues by pulling from her personal experiences being a Brazilian and a North American with dual citizenship. Isabella also published a research paper titled “The Role of the Arctic Permafrost in Virus Spread and Other Components Leading to the Quickening Pace of Global Warming.” Isabella was also chosen for The Ohio State University’s Neuroscience Research Internship as she prepares to continue her studies in biomedical engineering.
William Wang
William Wang is heavily involved in things that benefit Powell and Delaware County. William is the Lead Student Ambassador and Co-Founder of the Powell Children’s Museum. The museum will offer many opportunities from purposeful play to career-related in the form of sponsored exhibits (similar to COSI). William has met with potential Museum sponsors and leads a team of 19 student ambassadors who help organize sponsorship meetings, apply for grants, and plan the museum’s capital and publicity campaigns. William is also the President and Founder of Powell Youth Council, a student-governed non-profit organization who purpose is to give a voice and power to the youth in Powell in local decisions and projects.
Lucia Powell
Lucia Powell is full of empathy and kindness. Lucia has a special place in her heart for helping and understanding those people and animals who are forgotten, abandoned, or lonely. Lucia has raised money from lemonade stands and selling her artwork and has purchased items to make blessing bags for the homeless that she helps distribute across Columbus. She even includes a drawing and a hand written note in each of the blessing bags.
