2011 Queer Youth Leadership Award – Awardees
Joaquín García
Pacific Collegiate School Student
To say that Joaquin is a leader in his community would be an understatement. Now in his junior year at Pacific Collegiate School, he has amassed an impressive set of academic and extracurricular credentials including a 4.28 GPA, nearly 1500 hours of community service, two Community Service Presidential Volunteer Service Awards for 2008-09 and 2009-10, as well as being the student representative for the PCS Diversity Committee to name a few. Joaquin is the embodiment of leadership, which he displays time and time again in partnering with numerous local agencies and non-profits to explore ways in which they can better serve their communities as well as in offering his own story as a means of inspiring and uplifting others. His willingness to be such a strong leader in his community as well as on his campus serves as a great model for many of his peers who now have a strong self-assured leader to inspire them as he continues to succeed and change not only his campus culture but widely influence his broader community. His commitment not only to LGBT equality but also to the visibility and empowerment of all people is a testament to Joaquín’s leadership and success.
Cookie Hernandez
O.A.S.I.S. Student
Ben Landauer
San Lorenzo Valley High School Student
As a student at San Lorenzo Valley High School, Ben has made a significant impact on his fellow students as well as the culture of San Lorenzo Valley High School itself. It is said that the greatest act of activism that one can do is to come out. Ben has had such a tremendous impact on his campus simply by unapologetically being true to himself. As a leader in his campus Gay-Straight Alliance, an active athlete including the school football and wrestling teams, and an outspoken student in his classroom, Ben has transformed and broken the stereotypes held by many of his classmates. Through his personal relationships with so many of the students on campus from all grade levels, social configurations, and activities, he acts a social liaison, creating a cultural bridge for his peers to be able to explore and understand other parts of their campus community. Ben’s involvement and tendency toward justice and equality are not limited to his campus, lending himself to larger community-wide projects that ultimately affect us all. His gentle nature, playful style, charismatic personality and unending willingness to get involved where needed, make Ben a true force of positive change.
Olivia Danthon
Mission Hill Middle School Student
For this Mission Hill Middle School student, standing up for equality and doing what’s right may at times be challenging but not optional. Olivia has worked tirelessly to create a safe and positive campus for all of the student body to share collectively, being sure never to miss an opportunity to interrupt homophobic language and proactively working to organize campus-wide campaigns to help end bullying. Her activism began at Bay View Elementary where she consistently spoke out against bullying. Last year she was involved in the Mission Hill GSA and helped organize the “Day of Silence” activities. For several years she has volunteered at Pride Santa Cruz and previous QYLA events. She was the 2009 president of the Torch Club at the Santa Cruz Boys and Girls Club, where she used her leadership and outspokenness to help bring awareness about homophobia and bullying to the club. Olivia was an instrumental part of organizing and developing the Safe Empowered Xtraordinary Youth conference in March of 2011, which was held for the first time at Mission Hill Middle School. To meet Olivia is to be inspired by her strength, authenticity, and disarming ability to be herself wherever she goes.
2011 Queer Youth Leadership Award – Nominees
Vickyy Aguado
Pajaro Valley High School Student
As a student at Pajaro Valley High School, Vickyy has actively engaged her fellow students when it comes to ending bullying and harassment on her campus. Vickyy is an active member of the Pajaro Valley High School Gay-Straight Alliance, helping on a weekly basis to organize, facilitate, and outreach to students. Her tenacious spirit and desire to get involved have inspired many other students to also dedicate themselves to making their school a better place for all. This year Vickyy had the honor of being an emcee for the Safe Empowered Xtraordinary Youth conference held at Mission Hill Middle School. As an emcee, Vickyy helped to create a playful and embracing atmosphere that made the event unarguably successful. Vickyy is a committed and dedicated member of STRANGE, consistently attending meetings and displaying the same leadership that has been fine-tuned in her campus Gay-Straight Alliance. This year she took the initiative to become a Triangle Speaker, hoping to make a greater impact on her community through her story. Vickyy is always willing to get involved and through her dedication to being herself and being willing to be out and proud, she has inspired and changed the lives of many of her peers, friends, and family.
Jeanne Baldzikowski & Lucy Walters
Harbor High School Students
These two dynamic leaders have been a powerful force on their Harbor High School campus, as well as in their larger community. Under their direction, and with support of their advisor, these two powerful individuals have helped to give the Harbor High Gay-Straight Alliance a renewed vibrancy, increasing attendance and visibility on campus. Both are highly regarded by their peers as well as their teachers and faculty. Their desire to transform their campus to a more supportive and positive place for LGBT youth has infused the campus culture with a sense of collective responsibility to end bullying and harassment for all students. As the leaders of the campus Gay-Straight Alliance, they have fearlessly and compassionately led their group and reached out to students who may be feeling isolated or unsafe, making a tremendous interpersonal impact on the lives of those they touch. They were also invited by their faculty advisor to participate in making a presentation at California State University of Monterey Bay to counseling students who were being trained in LGBT issues. The impact of their leadership can be felt far and wide and they certainly do more than talk the talk; they walk the walk.
2011 Ally to Queer Youth Award – Awardees
Isaac Martinez
Lakeview Middle School Student
Leslie Smith
Aptos Junior High School Teacher
No stranger to the LGBT community, Leslie Smith has been a tireless ally and advocate for the youth at her home campus at Aptos Junior High School. As the faculty advisor for the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, Leslie has been a consistent beacon of safety and stability for many of her students who are coming into their identities as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Leslie has been more than just an ally to the youth she works with, she has also been a remarkable ally for other faculty and community members who have sought her guidance and counsel as to how best serve the needs of LGBT students in their lives. She is a long- time community member and has been out as a lesbian educator for many years, creating a heightened sense of awareness and visibility on our school campuses. This year Leslie participated in the Safe Empowered Xtraordinary Youth conference by facilitating a workshop as well as helping many youth to attend. This is not Leslie’s first year as a nominee – and will likely not be the last. She is a fearless leader, a ceaseless ally and advocate, and a vibrant force in our community.
2011 Ally to Queer Youth Award – Nominees
Branna Banks
Harbor High School Counselor and AVID Teacher
As a counselor for students at Harbor High School, Branna Banks has developed many loving and personal relationships with the students she serves. Of the many students at the school, Branna has displayed her personal dedication to the safety and support of the LGBT students at the school. Prominently displayed in her office is a “Safe Space” poster, allowing all students to see that she is in support of their well being and making a statement to all who enter that intolerance will not be accepted. Branna is a familiar face at queer youth events and conferences; she helped to bring visibility to the Safe Empowered Xtraordinary Youth conference held at Mission Hill Middle School in March of this year. Branna works closely with the Safe Schools Project director to facilitate institutional and programmatic changes that help to meet the needs of the LGBT students as well as taking a deeply personal approach to ensuring the success of her students. She makes herself personally available to the students, calling to check on them, make sure they make it to class on time, ensuring they have their basic living needs met, and never fails to be a loving ear and support system for the youth she serves.
Paisley Hayley Frost
San Lorenzo Valley High School Student
Known affectionately as “Paisley” this powerhouse ally takes joy in all she does, including acting as the president of San Lorenzo Valley High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance. As the president, Paisley has made a significant impact on the lives of all of the students on her campus, not to mention the members of the school’s thriving Gay-Straight Alliance. Under Paisley’s patient watch the GSA has grown in numbers from a handful of students to well over 20, a phenomenal achievement on even the most progressive campuses. Paisley seems to be an unending source of energy leading a number of events campus-wide including selling wristbands with a pledge to end bullying and going so far as to specifically identify people who were known to bully and encouraging them to take the pledge. Her influence is not limited to her ability to “Do” – it is felt in her very presence. Her tireless dedication to the well being of the LGBT students has changed not only her campus but the very livelihood of the students she is advocating for, helping to make their experience more positive and affirming as well as giving them a sense of confidence. Paisley is an outstanding example of what being an ally really means!
Kate Garrett
Aptos Junior High School Student
Liz Habara
Cabrillo College Student
Using her love for politics and justice to her advantage, Liz is stepping out as a major advocate for queer youth and LGBT issues on her campus as well as in mainstream politics. Liz is the founder and president of the Cabrillo College Gay-Straight Alliance known as Leading Out, working diligently to promote healthy visibility for queer identified students on the college’s campus. In promoting the health and safety for college-level students, Liz understands that providing support for queer youth is essential for those making their way to university level studies. As the coordinator of countless activities, including queer prom, Liz uses her community connections to raise awareness for queer youth. Liz stepped up in a major way to support the Safe Empowered Xtraordinary Youth conference. Always willing to lend her voice, Liz opened up and used her talent to create a motivating and powerful spoken word piece that helped to inspire many of the youth in attendance. Offering her abilities in any way she can, Liz is always known to be present and ready to help in any way that may be needed. Her dedication to justice and equality are her guiding principles and all who meet her are influenced by her presence.
Jennifer Hastings, MD
Family Practice Physician, Planned Parenthood
As a local health practitioner for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte on the west side of Santa Cruz, Doctor Jennifer Hastings has had a tremendous impact on the health and well being of the transgender and queer- identified youth. All would agree that Jennifer is more than a physician, she is a loving and attentive ear motivated by the desire to offer safe, quality health care to a demographic that is often mistreated by the medical community. Jennifer is a familiar face to many in the community, working consistently as an educator to facilitate the much-needed rise in visibility for queer and gender- variant youth in the medical field. As a physician and tireless advocate, Dr Hastings has made a significant impact on the medical practitioners that serve the youth as well as the youth themselves who often find themselves relieved from the burden of having to educate their doctors. Jennifer has made it her priority to visibly support the youth she serves. She constantly works to educate and be educated about the unique and ever-changing demographic she advocates for. Jennifer’s work may largely be behind the scenes but the impact can be easily seen in the vibrant healthy faces of our youth!
Murry Schekman
Assistant Superintendent, PVUSD
Molly Stuart
Pacific Collegiate School Student
Among the many allies doing incredible work to support local queer youth, Molly is a stand out. As the president of the Pacific Collegiate School Gay-Straight Alliance, Molly has dedicated much of her time and energy to making her campus more inclusive. Recently, Molly organized an LGBT awareness assembly for the entire student body, bringing a bold spotlight to the needs of all students. Volunteering her energy to multiple organizations and events, Molly shows up time and time again. Molly volunteers as a Triangle Speaker, offering her experience as an ally and family member to multiple communities through out the county. Molly was a pivotal part of the Safe Empowered Xtraordinary Youth conference held this year at Mission Hill Middle School. Among the many contributions Molly has made to the community, none may be as important as the consciousness and awareness that she brings to all that she does. Believing and dedicating herself to the safety and well being of all, Molly has devoted her time and energy to ensuring that her friends and family are always welcome and always stepping into an inclusive environment.
Sandy Vera
Pajaro Valley High School Student
2011 Organizational Ally to Queer Youth Award – Awardee
Santa Cruz Public Libraries
As a safe space for young people to spend time studying, reading, or using the computers, the Santa Cruz libraries have become a source of vital information for many of our young people. Demonstrating the library system’s dedication to the empowerment of young people and queer youth, a portion of the young adult section is dedicated to information regarding community services, safety, and queer literature among many other valuable sources of information vital to the health of all young adults such as date rape, drug abuse, alcohol, and depression. The library offers queer youth the opportunity to explore themselves in a safe and positive environment, something that is essential in cultivating confident, intelligent, and empowered young people. By having a visible public organization like the library recognize, welcome, and celebrate queer youth, it is sending a powerful message to the larger community. The Santa Cruz Public Libraries have chosen to stand in solidarity with all of its young members by providing them with uncensored access to the information they need to grow and critically think of themselves and the world around them. Through this access to information, our young people are empowered to be the best they can possibly be.
2011 Organizational Ally to Queer Youth Award – Nominees
Aptos Junior High School Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)
Always known in the county as one of the most vibrant and active Gay-Straight Alliances, Aptos Junior High School has continuously set the bar high for other schools. Under the loving supervision of Leslie Smith, these young students have taken their energy and transformed their campus and county into a safe and affirming place for all. They have created an anti-bullying pledge that has now been used by eight countywide schools as well as selling more than 1,000 rainbow bracelets, donating all proceeds to the Trevor Project. There is no shortage of energy or dedication among these young people and their president Kate Garrett has been a featured author in the local publication “Growing Up Santa Cruz” highlighting the importance and prominence of the Aptos Junior High School GSA. Meeting weekly, the group reads fiction and non-fiction books about LGBT youth as well as using the time to problem-solve, plan activities, and self-educate. Perhaps more than any other time, middle school is a critical age for interrupting homophobic and transphobic language and consciousness; these students tackle this difficult task through active engagement and a loving solidarity with one another.
Pajaro Valley High School Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)
San Lorenzo Valley High School Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)
Few may understand the drive that the students at San Lorenzo Valley High School have displayed in creating such a vibrant Gay-Straight Alliance. In an often-overlooked part of the county, this GSA has begun to flourish at the hands of its deeply dedicated and motivated participants. In a matter of months the SLV GSA has gone from three members to more than 25, tackled campus-wide campaigns to end bullying including the sale of rainbow bracelets, signing “End Bullying” pledge cards on campus as well as in the community, organizing speakers for rallies, co-sponsoring campus-wide events, and now co-sponsoring the 14th annual Queer Youth Leadership Awards. Their growth has been monumental and is reflected in the tremendous impact they have had on the students of SLV High School, bringing awareness to the queer youth at school and helping students to understand why bullying hurts all students, not just queer youth. They have successfully created a safe place for students campus-wide and have carved out a loving, joy-filled, and authentic corner of the campus with their GSA advisor, Mary Maleta. This GSA is truly a testament to the power of possibility when students gather for a cause.
UC Santa Cruz Masters of Arts in Education / Teacher Credential Program
