Aubrey is a sophomore who comes to Chemawa Indian School from the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona.  Many faculty members recommended Aubrey for this award due to her exceptional work on her dormitory council.  She is described as someone who instinctively thinks of others before herself.  This dedication and effort also makes her an excellent student.  

After she finishes high school, Aubrey would like to go to work as a Southwest Firefighter protecting the forests where she grew up, with the goal of becoming one of the elite group of firefighters known as “Hotshots”.  Consistent with her obvious love of nature, Aubrey would like to eventually study botany.

Kimora is a sophomore who comes to Chemawa Indian School from the Northern Arapahoe Tribe in Wyoming.  She is described as someone that is respectful and supportive of others and is always willing to serve as a role model.  She is very professional and reliable in her work.  Kimora shared that her interests have ranged from performing as a Fancy Dancer as part of her Native American traditions to painting a mural back in Wyoming.  She is also learning her native language.

After high school, Kimora would like to study Psychology and possibly also put her artistic skills to use through professional photography.  Many of the students at Chemawa Indian School have relatives who also attended this school and Kimora shared that her grandmother was a student at Chemawa.

Eli is a sophomore who comes to Chemawa Indian School from the Tohono O’odham Tribe in Arizona.  He is described as a very kind person who is also a gifted and talented student.  From a shy freshman, Eli has blossomed into a confident leader who is serving his school community in a number of ways.  One of the Chemawa teachers gave a glowing report about the phenomenal speech that Eli gave about leadership in his class.

After high school, Eli knows that he wants to do something new (definitely not a shy freshman any longer) that will allow him to continue to grow as a leader and will allow him to include his family.

Emilia is a talented and well-rounded Senior at McKay High School whose artistic passion, strong work ethic, and generous spirit embodies the optimism, leadership, and character this award celebrates. 

During her time at McKay, Emilia has enrolled in every Visual Art discipline offered at the school from Ceramics, to Painting and Drawing, to Digital Photography. Emilia is a “Jane-of-all-Trades!” She consistently demonstrates exceptional talent while pushing herself to grow and refine her craft across multiple disciplines.  Not only is Emilia a talented visual artist, but she also excels as a musician.  She began playing the violin in 4thgrade and continues to push herself to improve by putting in hours of practice each week on that instrument. Her drive for excellence is evident in the care, precision, and creativity she brings to every project and performance.

In the classroom, Emilia leads not only through achievement but through attitude—encouraging peers, contributing thoughtful ideas during critiques, and helping create a positive, collaborative learning environment.  In one of her classes, the teacher asked Emilia to help two students who were really struggling.  Without previously knowing either of the students, she was able to help the failing students successfully earn passing grades in the class. 

Emilia has a passion for teaching music to others (she currently volunteers as a music aid at an elementary school) and plans to attend college majoring in music education.

This nomination honors a student whose high school journey is a powerful story of courage, self-belief, and determination. When Leslie arrived at McKay during the second semester of her freshman year, she believed school was not for her. Her guard was up, and it took time to build trust. A turning point came when she made the brave choice to engage in counseling and invest in her mental health. Working with her school counselor and school-based therapist, she began to see her own worth. This courageous step allowed her to reengage with school and start making decisions that aligned with the future she wanted for herself.  Her attendance improved, behavior incidents decreased, and she began pursuing opportunities she once thought out of reach—Career and Technical Education programs, Advanced Placement courses, and AVID. She has now completed 30 credits and met graduation requirements. She continues to take courses, including the phlebotomy program, AP Psychology, and Anatomy and Physiology, not because she must, but because Leslie is invested in preparing herself for the next stage of her life.  Her journey is a testament to the power of trusting oneself, being brave enough to be vulnerable, and believing in one’s own worth. 

After graduation, Leslie plans to go straight to work at the hospital in phlebotomy followed by plans to pursue a career in nursing where she can care for and serve others.

Emma is a junior at McKay who has consistently demonstrated a positive, optimistic spirit in Printmaking, Digital Photography, and in her role as a Teacher’s Aid.  Emma brings enthusiasm, kindness, and a genuine willingness to help wherever it’s needed. She has a special gift for making even the most routine tasks enjoyable, whether it’s punching and spiral-binding hundreds of sketchbooks for students, meticulously glazing ceramic ornaments for our holiday market, or carefully preparing artwork for display with remarkable attention to detail.  For example, during her time at McKay, Emma has retaken the Advanced Photography class three times, getting an A and earning additional credit each time. Her enthusiasm for photography results in images filled with bright colors and detailed editing. Her passion is sincere and contagious.  Emma’s ability to take on demanding tasks while maintaining such genuine enthusiasm is inspiring and as one of her teachers put it, “it’s a quality the world could always use more of”. 

Next year as a senior, Emma plans to “hang around the Art department being as creative as possible”, before heading off to college to pursue photography or something in the medical field or perhaps both.